•
Always stand well away from the work area when tires are
being spin balanced either on or off the vehicle.
HIGH PERFORMANCE, LOW ASPECT RATIO TIRES
Many new vehicles come equipped from the factory with high
performance and/or low aspect ratio tires. Generally, these
tires provide increased vehicle handling capability, but may
also have numerous engineering performance trade-offs
associated with their designs.
•
Low aspect ratio tires, with reduced sidewall height, may be
more susceptible to damage from potholes, road hazards,
and other objects such as curbs. This is true for the wheels
as well. Therefore, as with all other tires, it is important to
drive with care and maintain proper in
flation pressure and
load conditions. See “Tire In
flation Pressure” and “Tire
Damage, Inspection and Service Life” in this manual.
•
Some sports cars and other vehicles with enhanced han-
dling performance, including sedans and light trucks/SUVs,
may be originally equipped with high performance tires that
are more optimized for warmer weather use. Colder, winter
weather traction may be reduced for these types of tires.
Winter tires may be recommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer for colder weather application. See “Winter Tires,” the
next section in this manual.
•
High performance tires may also wear more quickly, ride
more rmly, and produce more noise during operation.
Consult your vehicle owner’s manual and tire information
placard, or a qualied tire service professional, for more
information and specics regarding these types of tires.
WINTER TIRES
SAFETY WARNING
Winter driving presents special challenges for vehicle mobility.
The use of winter tires (including studs and chains)—while
improving traction performance in snow and ice—requires
special care with regard to acceleration, braking, cornering,
and speed. It is important to drive with care, not only on snow
and ice, but on dry and wet roads as well.
In winter driving conditions, vehicle control and safe operation
under braking and cornering is especially dependent upon
the rear tires. For this reason, winter tires are best applied to
all wheel positions. Some vehicles have specic recommen-
dations regarding winter tire use; consult your vehicle owner’s
manual and tire information placard.
•
If winter tires are to be applied to the front axle of any
vehicle, they must also be applied to the rear axle for safe
operation. This applies to all passenger cars and light trucks,
including front wheel drive, 4x4, and all-wheel-drive vehicles.
•
If winter tires are to be applied to the rear axle of any
vehicle, it is recommended that they also be installed on
the front axle.
•
It is generally acceptable to apply a tire with a lower speed
rating than your original tires for use in winter weather
conditions; however, speed should be reduced accordingly.
All winter tires should be the same speed rating. See “Tire
Speed Ratings” in this manual.
•
Winter tires used in warm weather conditions may wear
more rapidly.
•
Studded winter tires follow the same recommendations as
above; consult a qualied tire service professional for infor-
mation regarding any seasonal restrictions.
HIGH SPEED DRIVING
SAFETY WARNING
Driving at high speed is dangerous and can cause an
accident, resulting in serious personal injury or death.
•
Regardless of the speed and handling capabilities of
your car and its tires, a loss of vehicle control can result
from exceeding the maximum speed allowed by law or
warranted by trafc, weather, vehicle, or road conditions.
•
High-speed driving should be left to trained professionals
operating under controlled conditions.
•
No tire, regardless of its design or speed rating, has unlimit-
ed capacity for speed, and a sudden tire failure can occur if
its limits are exceeded. See “Tire Speed Ratings,” the next
section in this manual.
Refer to your vehicle owner’s manual for any tire pressure
recommendations for high speed driving.
TIRE SPEED RATINGS
A tire bearing a letter “speed rating” designation indicates the
tire’s speed capability according to standardized laboratory
tests. This speed rating system is intended to permit compar-
ison of the speed capabilities of different tires. When replac-
ing your tires, consult your vehicle owner’s manual and tire
information placard for recommendations, if any, concerning
the use of speed rated tires.
•
To avoid reducing the speed capability of the vehicle, replace
a speed rated tire only with another tire having at least the
same speed rating. It is the “top speed” of the “slowest” tire
on the vehicle which limits the vehicle’s top speed without
tire failure.
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