June 24, 2003
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued new, more stringent performance requirements that will apply to nearly all new tires for use on cars and trucks. But the agency put off taking action on new standards for tires as they age and when they encounter road hazards, saying it needed more time to study those areas.
"Without question, these new performance requirements will improve tire safety," said NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D.
"I think it's important that they moved ahead and made some improvements . . . but they are just not addressing some of the really hard issues. In that way it's a disappointment," said Joan Claybrook of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.
Given the growing popularity of SUVs and other light trucks, NHTSA is extending the tire performance requirements for passenger car tires to the LT tires (load range C, D, and E) commonly used on pickups, vans and SUVs.
The rule strengthens the current requirements for high-speed and endurance tests while adding a low-pressure performance test. It also defers action on other upgrades including new tests for aging and road hazards, and modifications to the current bead unseating test.
Under the new high-speed standards, tires will have to pass performance tests at 87, 93 and 99 mph; the fastest current test is 85 mph. Endurance standards will be increased by 50 percent for distance and speed.
Since it is the first major change to tire standards in over 30 years, manufacturers will be given four years to comply. All covered tires and vehicles must meet the new standards by June 1, 2007.
The Rubber Manufacturers Association, a tiremakers' trade group, said the industry will work with NHTSA on unresolved issues. Members have concerns about subjecting truck tires to tests for car tires because laboratory conditions are not optimized for the larger truck tires, the association said.
Upgraded tire standards were required under the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation Act of 2000 (TREAD).
In other rulemaking actions required by the TREAD Act, NHTSA issued a number of revisions to its safety standard for child restraint systems, including amendments for incorporating improved test dummies and updating procedures used to test child restraints. These revisions strengthen the technical underpinnings of the standard and ensure a firmer foundation for possible technical improvements in the future.
Child restraints will be tested using the most advanced test dummies available today and tested to conditions representing current model vehicles, NHTSA said.
