2006 Nissan Maxima Owner's Manual - Page 294

UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING ● Whenever flat towing your vehicle, always tow forward, never backward. ● DO NOT tow any automatic transmission vehicle with all four wheels on the ground (flat towing). Doing so WILL DAMAGE internal transmission parts due to lack of transmission lubrication. ● For emergency towing procedures refer to "Towing recommended by NISSAN" in the "In case of emergency" section of this manual. DOT (Department of Transportation) Quality Grades: All passenger car tires must conform to federal safety requirements in addition to these grades. 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 Treadwear Treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on tire wear rate when tested under controlled conditions on specified government test courses. For 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. However, relative tire performance depends on actual driving conditions, and may vary significantly due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in road characteristics and climate. Traction AA, A, B and C The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those 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. WARNING The traction grade assigned to your vehicle tires is based on straight-ahead braking traction tests and does not include acceleration, cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction characteristics. Temperature A, B and C Temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C. They represent a tire's resistance to heat build-up, and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause tire material to degenerate, reducing tire life. Excessive temperatures can lead to sudden tire failure. Grade C corresponds to a performance level which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades A and B represent higher levels of performance on laboratory test wheels than the minimum required by law. Automatic Transmission To tow a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, an appropriate vehicle dolly MUST be placed under the towed vehicle's drive wheels. Always follow the dolly manufacturer's recommendations when using their product. Manual Transmission ● Always tow with the manual transmission in Neutral. ● After towing 500 miles (805 km), start and idle the engine with the transmission in Neutral for two minutes. Failure to idle the engine after every 500 miles (805 km) of towing may cause damage to internal transmission parts. 9-20 Technical and consumer information