BMW 2004 Mini Convertible Cooper Manual Do Utilizador

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100
TIRE CODING
TIRE CONDITION 
Traction 
The traction grades, from highest to low-
est, are AA, A, B, and C.  
Those grades represent the tire's ability to 
stop on wet pavement as measured under 
controlled conditions on specified govern-
ment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. 
A tire marked C may have poor traction per-
formance.
The traction grade assigned to this 
tire is based on straight-ahead brak-
ing traction tests, and does not include 
acceleration, cornering, hydroplaning, or 
peak traction characteristics.
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Temperature 
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 con-
trolled conditions on a specified indoor lab-
oratory 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 the labora-
tory test wheel than the minimum required 
by law.
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 heat buildup and possible tire fail-
ure.
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RSC: Run Flat tires
You will recognize Run Flat tires by a circu-
lar symbol containing the letters RSC on 
the side of the tire, refer to page 
.
M+S
Winter and all-season tires.  
These have better winter performance 
properties than summer tires.
Inspect your tires frequently for tread wear, 
signs of damage and for foreign objects 
lodged in the tread. Check the tread depth.
Tire tread 
The tread depth should not fall below 
ε in / 3 mm.  
Below 
ε in / 3 mm tread depth, there is a 
very high danger of hydroplaning at higher 
speeds even if there is only a small amount 
of water on the road. 
Below a tread depth of 
1
/
6
 in / 4 mm, win-
ter tires display a perceptible decrease in 
their ability to cope with winter driving 
conditions, and should be replaced in the 
interest of safety.
Online Edition for Part-No. 01 41 0 158 427 - © 07/04 BMW AG