Miata Mailing List: April 1996, Message #190
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   From: Miq Millman 
Subject: Re: fwd: re: Tire Ratings...
   Date: Tue, 2 Apr 1996 19:39:14 -0500

Bernard Stokes says:
> 
> The tire treadwear indicator (280 or what ever) means that the tire will wear
> like 2.8 times the treadwear of a tire rated at 100.  Everything is related to
> 100, therefore, all other conditions being equal, (air pressure, driving
> habits, roads, etc.) a tire rated at 400 will wear four times as long as a tire
> rated at 100.  Confused yet? -- Good!!   Cause now it really gets fun.
> Traction and temperature is rated A-C, I don't think it gets to D and I
> wouldn't want to drive on them anyway!! As you can guess, "A" is best and "C"
> is worst.  Traction is the amount of traction a tire has on WET pavement,
> STOPPING in a straight line.  Doesn't relate to dry pavement or cornering
> ability at all.  That's why they make Autox, so you can find out about that
> kind of traction.  ;>)
> 
> Temperature is fairly self explanatory, again "A" is best, here in sunny
> Hooootttt Arizona, I wouldn't run a tire that wasn't an "A" rating for
> temperature.  If fact if I could find an A++, I'd probably be using them.
> 
> I hope I didn't confuse you too much, any questions, get back to me.

One more thing:  Each tire manufacturer arbitrarily decides what their own
rating of "100" means.  Thus a Dunlop tire with a rating of "100" will wear
differently from a Goodyear tire with a rating of "100" which in turn wears
differently from a Yokohama tire with a rating of "100" ad naseum....

Of course the cynics out there will point out that all tires with a treadwear
rating of "100" reguardless of manufacturer _will_ wear the same:  They will
go to cord extremely fast.


-- 
Miq Millman   mmillman@ptd.intel.com	  503 642 6139   (Aloha site)
AL3-59  Intel, 5200 NE Elam Young Parkway, Hillsboro, OR 97124-6497
See also miq@teleport.com