2003 Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual - Page 327

Uniform Tire Quality Grading Mixing tires couh :ause 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 damage your vehicle. to Be sure to use the same size and type tires on all wheels. It's all right to drive with your compact spare, though. It was developed for use on your vehicle. 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-productiontires. While the tires available on General Motors passenger cars and light trucks may vary with respect to these grades, they must also conform to federal safety requirements and additional General Motors Tire Performance Criteria (TPC) standards. I 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. 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 (1.5) times as well on the government course as 5-68