The provision, originally drafted by the RMA in mid-2006, was included in the bill, which passed through Congress on Monday.
The tire-related portion of the new legislation requires NHTSA to develop a tire fuel efficiency rating and grading system for replacement tires, similar in nature to the current UTQG rating system. That process is to begin with 24 months. It also requires tiremakers to provide POS and Internet information on the fuel efficiency of their specific tires.
The rating system will require specific test methods “for manufacturers to use in assessing and rating tires to avoid variation among test equipment and manufacturers,” said the new law.
In addition, the law calls for the creation of a “national tire maintenance consumer education program, including information on tire inflation pressure, alignment, rotation, and treadwear to maximize fuel efficiency, safety and durability of replacement tires,” a project similar, in effect, to the long proposed TIRES checkoff program support by TIA and a number of state tire dealer groups.
The new law, however, does not supercede the tire fuel efficiency regulations in force in California, which require replacement tires sold in that state to be at least as fuel efficient as OE tires. (Tire Review/Akron)
