TIRES

The original equipment tires that came with your car are comparable to the 100-level or "first line" tires of the five major manufacturers. Second line and third line tires are of lower quality but produced by the same manufacturers. Premium tires are "top of the line" and the most expensive on the market.

If you were satisfied with the performance of your original equipment tires, you should specify 100-level when the time comes to replace them. If your car is used only for short hops;to the shopping center and other local trips;a second line tire may serve your purpose. If you do not expect to keep the car much longer and its current use is limited to very short trips, a third line tire will probably do.
Retreads are another possibility for a car used only for local trips and with a short life expectancy. However, you must know the reputation of the retreader before buying them. Good retreads are good but bad ones are really bad.

Price is a fairly good indicator of new tire quality. But what if you find yourself choosing between two tires that look alike, while one is $18 and the other twice that much? The cheaper tire may have a lower grade of fabric and a narrower, shallower tread that will wear rapidly on the road. In that case, the costlier tire would be the better bargain. Your best bet in choosing tires is to know the dealer.

Section 203 of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, passed by Congress in 1966, provided for the establishment of a uniform quality grading system for car tires. The aim was to make it easier for the consumer to select the best tires for his car. In 1974, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (part of the Department of Transportation) proposed a set of standards which would include ratings for tread wear, traction, and temperature resistance.

These ratings will be shown as moulded or printed symbols on the side of the tire. The symbol for tread wear will be a number. One number will indicate that the tire wears at the standard rate set by the NHTSA. A lower or higher number would show that the tire will wear, say, twice or half as fast.

The symbol for traction will be a zero, one star, two stars, and so on, to indicate progressively better traction. The symbol for resis-tance to temperature and the ability to dissipate heat will be a letter, probably ranging, like school grades, from A through F. Although tests have been going on for several years, the final standards and precise symbols have not yet been established.