1994 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner's Manual - Page 212

Service &Appearance Care conditions on a specified government test course. For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half (1%) times as well on thegovernment course as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, however, and may depart significantly fromthe norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in road characteristics and climate. Traction-A, B, C The traction grades, from highest to lowest are: A, B, and C. They represent the tire'sability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified government test Uniform Tire Quality Grading The following information relates to the surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor traction system developed by the United States performance. National Highway Traffic Safety Warning: The tractiongrade assigned to Administration which grades tires by this tire is based on braking (straighttreadwear, traction and temperature ahead) traction tests anddoes not performance. (This applies only to include cornering (turning) traction. vehicles sold in the United States.) Temperature-A, B, C Treadwear The temperature grades are A (the The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on thewear rate of the tire highest) B, and C, representing the tire's resistance to thegeneration of when tested under controlled heat and itsability to dissipate heat when tested under controlled conditions on aspecified 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 tire failure. The grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of performance on thelaboratory test wheel than the minimum required by law. Warning: The temperature grade for this tireis established for a tire that is properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation, or excessive loading, either separately or in combination, cancause heat buildup and possible tire failure. These grades are molded on the sidewalls of passenger car tires. While the tires available as standard or optional equipment onGeneral Motors vehicles may vary with respect to these grades, all such tiresmeet General Motors performance standards and 21 0