Tire labeling, Dot tire quality grading – HONDA 2015 Civic Hybrid - Owner's Guide User Manual

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MAINTENANCE

MAINTENANCE

Tire Labeling

The tires that came on your vehicle have a number of markings. Those you
should be aware of are described below.

Tire Identification Number (TIN)

The tire identifi cation number
(TIN) is a group of numbers
and letters that look like the
example below. TIN is located
on the sidewall of the tire.

Glossary of Tire Terminology

Cold Tire Pressure – The tire air pressure when the vehicle has been
parked for at least three hours or driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km).

Load Rating – The maximum load that a tire is rated to carry for a given
infl ation pressure.

Maximum Infl ation Pressure – The maximum tire air pressure that the tire
can hold.

Maximum Load Rating – The load rating for a tire at the maximum
permissible infl ation pressure for that tire.

Recommended Infl ation Pressure – The cold tire infl ation pressure
recommended by the manufacturer.

Treadwear Indicators (TWI) – The projections within the principal grooves
designed to give a visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread.

Tire size

Tire
identification
number (TIN)

Maximum
tire load

Maximum
tire pressure

Tire size

Here is an example of what each marking
means:
P205/55R16 89H
• P: Vehicle type (passenger)
• 205: tire width in millimeters
• 55: aspect ratio (tire section height as a

percentage of its width)

• R: tire construction code (radial)
• 16: rim diameter in inches
• 89: load index (code indicating

maximum load tire can carry)

• H: speed symbol (code indicating

maximum speed rating)

DOT B97R FW6X 2209
DOT: This indicates that the tire meets all
requirements of the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
B97R: Manufacturer’s identification mark
FW6X: Tire type code
22 09: Date of Transportation

Year

Week

DOT Tire Quality Grading

The tires on your vehicle meet all U.S. Federal Safety Requirements. All tires are
also graded for treadwear, traction, and temperature performance according
to Department of Transportation (DOT) standards. The following explains these
gradings.

Uniform Tire Quality Grading

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

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 specifi ed 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
signifi cantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices,
and differences in road characteristics and climate.

Traction

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 specifi ed 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.

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