Your Complete Guide to UTQG Ratings

UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grading) appears on many tyres sold in the USA and often on imports here: treadwear, traction, and temperature grades. It helps compare tyres within a brand line but is not a laboratory substitute for real-world testing.

Treadwear number

Higher suggests longer wear in the standardised test — but softer performance tyres may score lower while delivering grip you want.

Traction grade

AA, A, B, C scale from wet skid tests on specified surfaces — useful for ranking, not absolute stopping distance.

Temperature grade

A, B, C indicates heat resistance at speed — important for sustained highway running in summer.