What Does The UTQG Rating On A Tire Mean
UTQG is an acronym for Uniform Tire Quality Grade and it is a set of standards that the United States Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration put in place as a way to help give consumers information that would help them when purchasing tires. These ratings are required by law for most passenger vehicles sold in the United States. However, it is not required for deep treaded, light truck tires, winter or snow tires, temporary spare tires, tires less than 12 inches in diameter, or trailer tires.
The UTQG Rating is displayed as three elements, giving a rating for treadwear, tire traction, and temperature resistance. The first element is the treadwear rating and it is displayed as a 2 or 3 digit number. The higher the number is, the more miles you should be able to drive on the tire before the treadwears out.
The second element is the traction rating, represented by a letter grade. The grades are AA, A, B, and C, with AA being best and C be the worst. Tires undergo wet and dry pavement traction tests as well as tests on stopping and starting performance before a letter grade is assigned.
The third and final element of that UTQG rating is the temperature resistancerating. This rating is also expressed with a letter grade, this time with an A, B, or C. This rating is an indication of how well a tire is able to tolerate and dissipate heat.
With the UTQG ratings you should be able to compare one tire to another and easily determine which one will have the best tread life or which one will give you better traction or temperature resistance. There will usually be some trade-off when selecting a tire. For example, a tire with a good treadwear rating may have a lower rating for traction.
To compare UTQG ratings, you first have to find them. Sometimes the rating is embossed on the sidewall of the tire. If it is not on the tire itself, it will often be on the label at the tire shop. If you can’t find it there, you may be able to find the rating on the tire manufacturer’s website.
One very interesting thing to keep in mind when examining UTQG ratings is that although the ratings are required by law and were developed by government agencies, it is not these government agencies that actually do the testing. So who is responsible for giving tires there UTQG ratings you ask? Believe it or not, the grades are actually assigned by the tire manufacturers themselves. Of course there are certain testing requirements, but the testing is conducted either by the manufacturer itself or by an independent testing company hired by the manufacturer.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does have the right to inspecta manufacturer’s testing data and if inconsistencies are found, the manufacturer may be fined, but it is very interesting that the testing is left up to the manufacturers.