Warranty

26
TIRE SAFETY AND MAINTENANCE INFORMATION
Consult your tire dealer, the Rubber Manufacturers Association
website (www.rma.org), or your state’s Department of
Transportation (DOT) for information regarding regulatory and
seasonal restrictions for stud usage.
Also see the “Tire Mixing” section in this manual for more
details.
• Nitto
®
recommends that snow tires be installed in matched sets
of four.
ADVERSE WEATHER DRIVING
Take special care when driving in adverse weather conditions.
Rain and snow – Driving in rain or snow considerably reduces
the traction between your tires and the road surface. You must
always reduce your speed to allow additional stopping distance
between you and the vehicles ahead of you.
Hydroplaning and wet weather driving – Hydroplaning occurs
on wet roads and refers to the loss of tire contact with the road
due to the build-up of water between the tire contact patch and
the road surface. Three main factors affect hydroplaning and,
consequently, your tire traction on wet roads:
1. Vehicle Speed – As speed increases, wet traction is
considerably reduced.
2. Water Depth – The deeper the water, the sooner your tires
will lose traction. Even thin water layers can create suffi cient
lubrication to cause traction loss at low speeds, depending
on road conditions.
3. Tire Tread Depth – As your tires wear down, their
decreased ability to resist hydroplaning can result in a
complete loss of traction and vehicle control. You should
always reduce your speed with consideration for the traffi c
around you.
Driving on ice and snow – Your all-season tires were designed
to provide higher levels of snow traction compared to non-all-
season tires. You have all-season tires if you fi nd the letters
“M+S” are molded into the sidewall near the bead. These
letters mean “Mud and Snow.” Tires designed for use in severe
snow conditions generally have tread patterns, structure, and
materials for giving superior performance. These tires are
marked with the “M+S” designation plus a mountain/snowfl ake
symbol
. Even the best all-season tires will not provide
acceptable levels of traction if you drive too fast in snow or ice
conditions and if you do not allow more stopping distance on
icy roads compared to dry road surfaces. Your ability to safely
maneuver your vehicle in snow or ice conditions is considerably
reduced if your tires are too worn to provide adequate road
grip.