2003 Chevrolet Tahoe Owner's Manual - Page 418

Mixing tires could cause you to lose control while driving. If you mix tires of different sizes or types (radial and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not handle properly, and you could have a crash. Using tires of different sizes may also cause damageto your vehicle. Be sure to use thesame size and type tires on all wheels. If your vehicle has 17 inch road tires (those originally installed on your vehicle) it is all right to drive with the inch spare tire 16 that came with your vehicle. When new, your vehicle included a spare tire and wheel assembly with the same overall diameter as your vehicle's road tires and wheels. Because this spare tire was developed for use your on vehicle, it will not affect vehicle handling or cause damage to your vehicle. If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the wheel rim flanges could develop cracks after many miles of driving.A tire and/or wheel could fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only radial-ply tires with the wheels on your vehicle. Uniform Tire Quality Grading Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum section width. For example: Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A 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.) The grades are molded on the sidewalls of most passenger car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires, space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires with nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), or to some limited-production tires. 5-65