BMW Automobile 320i Manual Do Proprietário

126

Sustained high temperature can cause
the material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and excessive tem-
perature 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.

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 failure.

Uniform Tire Quality Grading

Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall between
tread shoulder and maximum section
width. For example:

Tread wear 200

Traction AA

Temperature A

BMW advises against using
retreaded tires, since driving

safety may be impaired. This is due to
the possible variations in casing struc-
tures and, in some cases, to their
extreme age, which can lead to a
decrease in their durability.

Tire age

The date on which the tire was manu-
factured is indicated by the code on the
sidewall:

DOT... 3603 indicates that the tire was
manufactured in week 36 of the year
2003.

BMW recommends the replacement of
all tires – including the spare tire* –
when the tires are no more than 6 years
old, even if a tire life of 10 years is pos-
sible.

Run Flat tires*

Before purchasing tires, check if your
BMW is equipped with Run Flat tires.
These are indicated by a circular sym-
bol containing the letters RSC on the
tire sidewall, refer to Changing a wheel.
In this case, use only Run Flat tires,
since no spare wheel is available in the
event of a flat.

For more information on Run Flat tires,
refer to page

150

Run Flat tires are available only in
combination with the Flat Tire

Monitor.

Tire replacement