Customer Information and Reporting Safety Defects
Uniform Tire Quality Grading System (UTQGS)
WARNING
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading System (UTQGS)
▼
The traction grade assigned to this tire
is based on braking (straight ahead)
traction tests and does not include
acceleration cornering (turning),
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
System (UTQGS)
This information relates to the tire
grading system developed by the U.S.
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration for grading tires by
tread wear, traction, and temperature
performance.
Temperature-A, B, C
▼
The temperature grades A (the
highest), B, and C, represent the tire's
resistance to the generation of heat
and its ability to dissipate heat when
tested under controlled conditions on
a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause
the material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and excessive
temperatures can lead to sudden tire
failure.
Tread Wear
▼
The tread wear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the
tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government
test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would
wear one-and-a-half times as well on
the government course as a tire graded
100.
Grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger
vehicle tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades B and A represent
higher levels of performance on the
laboratory test wheel than the
The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may depart
significantly from the norm because of
variations in driving habits, service
practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
minimum required by law.
Traction-AA, A, B, C
▼
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. These
grades represent the tire's ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C
may have poor traction performance.
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