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UNIFORM TIRE QUALITy GRADING
SySTEM (UTQGS)
To help consumers compare a passenger car tire’s
treadwear rate, traction performance, and temper-
ature resistance, the federal government requires
tire manufacturers to grade tires in these three
areas. This grading system, known as the Uniform
Tire Quality Grading System, provides guidelines
for making relative comparisons when purchas-
ing new tires. You also can use this information
to inquire about the quality of tires placed on new
vehicles.
Although this rating system is very helpful when
buying new tires, it is not a safety rating or guar-
antee of how well a tire will perform or how long
it will last. Other factors such as personal driv-
ing style, type of car, quality of the roads, and tire
maintenance habits have a significant influence on
your tire’s performance and longevity.
Treadwear grades are an indication of a tire’s rela-
tive wear rate. The higher the treadwear number is,
the longer it should take for the tread to wear down.
For example, a tire grade of 400 should wear twice
as long as a tire grade of 200.
Traction grades are an indication of a tire’s abil-
ity to stop on wet pavement. A higher graded tire
should allow you to stop your car on wet roads in
a shorter distance than a tire with a lower grade.
Traction is graded from highest to lowest as “AA”,
“A”, “B”, and “C”.
Temperature grades are an indication of a tire’s
resistance to heat. Sustained high temperature (for
example, driving long distances in hot weather),
can cause a tire to deteriorate, leading to blowouts
and tread separation. From highest to lowest, a
tire’s resistance to heat is graded as “A”, “B”, or
“C”.
Safety
Tire Safety
Information on Passenger Vehicle Tires
Please refer to the diagram below.
TIRE FUNDAMENTALS
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to place
standardized information on the sidewall of all
tires. This information identifies and describes the
fundamental characteristics of the tire and also
provides a tire identification number for safety
standard certification and in case of a recall.
P
The “P” indicates the tire is for passenger vehicles.
NExT NUMBER
This three-digit number gives the width in mil-
limeters of the tire from sidewall edge to sidewall
edge. In general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire.
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