1994 Chevrolet Camaro Owner's Manual - Page 220

Service and Appearance Care high temperature can cause the material of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all passenger car 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 minimum required by law. Traction - A, B, C The traction grades, from highest to Warning: The temperature grade for this tire is established for atire that is properly lowest are: A, B, and C. They represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement inflated and not overloaded. Excessive as measured under controlled conditions speed, underinflation, or excessive on specified government test surfaces of loading, either separately or in asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C combination, can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure. may have poor traction performance. Those grades are molded on the sidewalls Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on braking of passenger car tires. (straight-ahead) traction tests and does While the tires available as standard or not include cornering (turning) traction. optional equipment on General Motors vehicles may vary with respect to these Temperature -A, B, C grades, all such tires meet General Motors performance standards and have been The temperature grades are A (the highest), B , and C , representing the tire's approved for use on General Motors resistance to the generation of heat and its vehicles. All passenger type (P Metric) ability to dissipate heat when tested under tires must conform to Federal safety requirements in addition to these grades. controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory test wheel. Sustained example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half (1 1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in road characteristics and climate. Uniform Tire Quality Grading The following information relates to the system developed by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which grades tires by treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This applies only to vehicles sold in the United States.) Treadwear The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified government test course. Fa ...218