Treadwear & UTQG, Explained

Three codes are molded into your tire's sidewall — a treadwear number and two letters for traction and temperature. Together they're the UTQG rating. Here's what each one actually tells you, and the one caveat that trips up most performance shoppers.

The three grades

UTQG stands for Uniform Tire Quality Grading, a system the U.S. NHTSA introduced in 1978. You'll find it stamped on the sidewall of almost every street tire, reading something like "Treadwear 200  Traction AA  Temperature A." Three separate measures, three different things they're telling you.

Treadwear — the number that matters most

The treadwear grade is a comparative wear rating. Tires are run on a government test course against a reference tire graded 100; a tire that lasts twice as long earns a 200, six times as long a 600, and so on. Higher number, longer tread life.

For performance drivers, treadwear is really a proxy for compound softness. Low numbers mean a soft, grippy rubber that wears quickly; high numbers mean a harder, longer-lasting compound. It's the dial between the two things you can't fully have at once:

• 40–200: track, autocross, and "Super 200" street-and-track tires — maximum grip, short life.
• 200–340: spirited street / max-performance summer — strong grip with usable longevity.
• 400+: daily and touring tires — built to last, not to carve.

The big caveat: manufacturers run these tests and assign their own grades — NHTSA only spot-checks for compliance. So one brand's "200" isn't precisely another brand's "200." Treadwear is dependable for ranking tires within a single maker's lineup, and a rough guide across brands. And remember it measures wear, not cornering grip — a low number hints at a sticky compound, but it's not a grip score.

Traction (AA · A · B · C)

The traction letter grades wet straight-line braking only — how well the tire stops in a straight line on wet asphalt and concrete. AA is best, then A, B, and C. Critically, it does not measure cornering grip or anything in the dry. Nearly all performance tires earn A or AA, so it's useful for spotting a weak wet performer but won't tell you how a tire actually handles.

Temperature (A · B · C)

The temperature grade rates heat resistance at sustained high speed — the tire's ability to shed heat before it's a problem. A is the highest (handles the most heat and speed); C is the legal minimum. Virtually every summer and performance tire is rated A, so think of this one as a floor every serious tire clears, not a tiebreaker.

How to actually use UTQG when shopping

Lead with treadwear — pick the range that matches how you drive, and let it narrow the field. Traction (AA/A) and Temperature (A) are table stakes for any performance tire, so they rarely decide anything. For the questions UTQG can't answer — which tire grips hardest, holds up in the heat, or works in the damp — lean on independent testing and our comparison guides. UTQG points you to the right neighborhood; it doesn't crown the winner.

On FindPerformanceTires you can filter directly by treadwear, so once you know the range you want, you only see tires that fit it.

UTQG grades are determined and reported by tire manufacturers under a standardized NHTSA procedure; cross-brand comparisons are approximate. Treadwear ranges above are general guidance, not hard cutoffs.