Mercedes-Benz BENZ-VEHICLES S 500 - Manual (Page 135)

135
Consumer Information
This has been prepared as required of all
manufacturers of passenger cars under
Title 49, Code of U.S. Federal
Regulations, Part 575 pursuant to the
"National Traffic and Motor Vehicle
Safety Act of 1966".
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Refer to the tire sidewall for the specific
tire grades for the tires with which this
vehicle is equipped.
All passenger car tires must conform to
federal safety requirements in addition to
these grades.
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 one-half (1 1 /
2
) 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 "A", "B", "C"
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are "A", "B", and "C", and
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!
The traction grade assigned to this tire
is based on braking (straight ahead)
traction tests and does not include
cornering (turning) traction.
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 tempera-
ture 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 the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by
law.
Warning!
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly
inflated and not overloaded. Excessive
speed, underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause excessive heat
build up and possible tire failure.