1993 Chevrolet Astro Owner's Manual - Page 285

1993 Chevrolet Astro Manual

Page 285 highlights

If youeverreplaceyourtireswiththosenothavingaTPCSpecnumber, makesuretheyarethesamesize,loadrange,speedratingandconstruction type(bias,bias-belted or radial)asyouroriginaltires. A Mixingtirescouldcauseyou to losecontrolwhiledriving. Ifyoumix tires of different sizes or types(likeradialandbias-beltedtires)the vehicle maynothandleproperly,andyoucouldhaveacrash.Be the and on sametype all wheels. sure to use size tires It wasdevelopedfor I It's all right to drive with your compact spare, though. limited use on your vehicle. Uniform Tire Quality Grading Thefollowinginformationrelates to thesystemdevelopedbytheUnited StatesNationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministrationwhichgradestiresby to treadwear,tractionandtemperatureperformance.(Thisappliesonly vehiclessoldintheUnitedStates.) Treadwear The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire whentestedundercontrolledconditionsonaspecifiedgovernmenttest (142) course. For example,a tire graded 150 wouldwearoneandahalf timesaswellonthegovernmentcourseasa tire graded 100. Therelative of theiruse, performance of tiresdependsupontheactualconditions however,andmaydepartsignificantlyfromthenormduetovariationsin drivinghabits,servicepracticesanddifferencesinroadcharacteristicsand climate. Traction-A, B, C Thetractiongrades,fromhighest to lowestare: A, B, and C. Theyrepresent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled A conditionsonspecifiedgovernmenttestsurfacesofasphaltandconcrete. tire marked C mayhave poor tractionperformance. to thistireisbasedonbraking Warning:Thetractiongradeassigned (straight-ahead)tractiontestsanddoesnotincludecornering(turning)traction. Temperatur+A, B, C Thetemperaturegradesare A (thehighest), B,andC,representingthetire's resistance to the generation ofheat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory test wheel. Sustainedhightemperaturecancausethematerial of the tire to degenerate to sudden tire andreducetirelife,andexcessivetemperaturecanlead 6-49

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If
you ever replace your tires with those not having a TPC Spec number,
makesuretheyarethesamesize,loadrange,speedratingandconstruction
type (bias, bias-belted
or
radial) as your original tires.
A
Mixingtirescouldcauseyou
to
lose control while driving.
If you mix
tires
of
different sizes
or
types (like radial and bias-belted tires) the
vehicle may not handle properly, and you could have a crash. Be
sure
to
use
the
same
size
and
type
tires
on
all wheels.
I
It’s
all right to drive with your compact spare, though.
It
wasdevelopedfor
limited use on your vehicle.
Uniform
Tire
Quality
Grading
Thefollowinginformationrelates
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.
For
example, a
tire graded
150
would wear one and a half
(142)
timesaswellonthegovernmentcourseasa
tire graded
100.
Therelative
performance of
tires depends upon the actual conditions
of
their use,
however, and may depart significantly from the norm due to variations
in
drivinghabits,servicepracticesanddifferencesinroadcharacteristicsand
climate.
Traction-A,
B,
C
The
traction grades,
from highest
to
lowest are:
A,
B,
and
C.
They 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.
Warning:Thetractiongradeassigned
to
thistireisbasedonbraking
(straight-ahead) traction tests and does not
include cornering (turning) traction.
Temperatur+A,
B,
C
The
temperature grades are
A
(thehighest),
B, and C, representing
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
andreducetirelife,andexcessivetemperaturecanlead
to
sudden tire
6-49