Ford Windstar (2003 year). Manual — part 53

• Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
These Tire Quality Grades are determined by standards that the United
States Department of Transportation has set.

Tire Quality Grades apply to new pneumatic tires for use on passenger
cars. They do not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires with nominal rim
diameters of 10 to 12 inches or limited production tires as defined in
Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 575.104(c)(2).

U.S. Department of Transportation-Tire quality grades: The U.S.
Department of Transportation requires Ford to give you the following
information about tire grades exactly as the government has written it.

Treadwear

The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course. For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1 1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual
conditions of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices, and
differences in road characteristics and climates.

Traction AA A B C

The traction grades, from highest to lowest are AA, A, B, and C. The
grades represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor traction
performance.

The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction tests, and does not include

acceleration, cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction characteristics.

Temperature A B C

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 controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory
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

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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.

SERVICING YOUR TIRES

Low tire warning

The low tire warning system is designed to detect a significant loss of
inflation in any one of your tires on your vehicle. The system uses the
Anti-lock brake wheel speed sensors to detect a change in wheel speed
due to tire deflation.

When a tire loses inflation, the low
tire warning system detects the
change and illuminates the low tire
warning indicator light as shown.

If the light remains on while driving,
check the tire pressure refer to “Checking the tire pressure” in this
chapter. The low tire warning indicator light will also illuminate when
using a temporary spare, refer to “Changing the tires” in the Roadside
emergencies chapter.

The low tire warning system may not detect an under-inflated
tire under all conditions and is not a substitute for manually

checking tires regularly for proper inflation.

When to RESET the Low Tire Warning System:

after any of the following
• Tire rotation
• One or more tires have been replaced
• Tire balancing
• Wheel alignment
• Adjusting the pressure on one or more tires (note: tire pressures are

often adjusted during oil change service)

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• Inflating a low tire will not clear the Low Tire Warning indicator light.

Only reseting the system will clear the light.

• The system will not detect a pressure loss without driving the vehicle

for at least 0.8 km (0.5 mile) at speeds greater than 40 km/h
(25 mph).

To reset the system if equipped
with Tire Reset switch:

turn the ignition to the ON position,
press and hold the “TIRE RESET”
switch (located on the instrument
panel behind the left side of the
steering wheel) for three seconds.
The low tire warning indicator light
will flash three times as the low tire warning system begins to initialize.

To reset the system if not
equipped with Tire Reset switch:

turn the ignition to the ON position,
depress and Trip/odometer button
(located in the instrument cluster)
until “TIRE RESET” or “CHECK
TIRE AND RESET” is displayed in the odometer display window. Once
“TIRE RESET” or “CHECK TIRE AND RESET” is displayed, press and
hold the button for three seconds. The low tire warning indicator light
will flash three times as the low tire warning system begins to initialize.

The system normally requires 15 to 20 minutes of driving in each of
three speed ranges to learn how the tires behave after the system has
been reset. However, the system will become functional in each speed
range as soon as learning completes in each individual speed range.

Speed ranges:
• Low 40–68 km/h (25–42 mph)
• Medium 68–100 km/h (42–62 mph)
• High – above 100 km/h (62 mph)
This system may not function properly under the following conditions:
• Uneven tread wear.
• Driving on loose or low traction surfaces such as gravel, snow or slush.
• Using tire chains
• Initial tire pressures out of specified range.

Tire

Reset

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• Two or more under inflated tires.
• Sudden loss of tire pressure.
• Vehicle speeds less than 30 km/h (20 mph), greater than 120 km/h

(70 mph) or driving duration less than 10 miles.

• Transporting a heavy load or towing a trailer.
• A different tire was replaced and was not the same brand, type, size,

speed rating, load carrying capacity and DOT code as the other tire on
the same axle.

• System was not reset after tire rotation, air pressure adjustment, a tire

change, wheel alignment or tire balancing.

• System was not reset after the ABS warning lamp illuminates.
The low tire warning feature can be turned off by your dealer.

Checking the tire pressure
• Use an accurate tire pressure gauge.
• Check the tire pressure when tires are cold, after the vehicle has been

parked for at least one hour or has been driven less than 5 km
(3 miles).

• Adjust tire pressure to recommended specifications found on the

Certification Label.

• Reset low tire warning system

Improperly inflated tires can affect vehicle handling and can fail
suddenly, possibly resulting in loss of vehicle control.

Tire rotation

Because your vehicle’s tires perform different jobs, they often wear
differently. To make sure your tires wear evenly and last longer, rotate
them as indicated in the scheduled maintenance guide. If you notice that
the tires wear unevenly, have them checked.

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