2006 Suzuki Forenza Owner's Manual - Page 218

SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE Uniform Tire Quality Grading WARNING Replacing the wheels and tires equipped on your vehicle with certain combinations of aftermarket wheels and tires can significantly change the steering and handling characteristics of your vehicle. Oversized tires may also rub against the fender over bumps, causing vehicle damage or tire failure. Therefore, use only those wheel and tire combinations approved by SUZUKI Motor Corporation as standard or optional equipment for your vehicle. For information regarding the specified tires, refer to the Tire Information Label located on the driver's side door pillar or "Tire Inflation Pressure" in this section. Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire sidewall between the tread shoulder and the 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. While the tires available on SUZUKI vehicles may vary with respect to these grades, they all conform to federal safety requirements. 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 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. Traction - AA, A, B, 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 this tire is based on straight-ahead braking traction tests, and does not include acceleration, cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics. Temperature - A, B, C The temperature grades are A (the highest), 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 and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden CAUTION Replacing the original tires with tires of a different size may result in false speedometer or odometer readings. Check with your SUZUKI dealer before purchasing replacement tires that differ in size from the original tires. 5-35