WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 124, 2001) — Major tire industry trade groups are rallying around a proposal by the Rubber Manufacturers Association that urges U.S. safety officials to adopt a reserve inflation pressure capacity for tires.
The measure is designed to help ensure that tires have sufficient inflation pressure to carry a particular vehicle’s load.

RMA, which represents tire makers, submitted supplemental comments last month to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on the agency’s proposed rule for tire pressure monitoring systems, which will be mandatory equipment on vehicles beginning with the 2004 model year.

Since then, several industry groups representing dealers, retreaders and tire repair material makers have echoed RMA’s concerns and announced their support for the association’s position.

“On behalf of the Tire Association of North America (TANA)… we fully support the Oct. 25 comments filed to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by the Rubber Manufacturers Association…” wrote Becky MacDicken, TANA director of government affairs.

TANA’s statement was addressed to the Retread Industry Government Advisory Council (RIGAC), which consists of representatives of TANA, the International Tire and Rubber Association, the Tread Rubber Manufacturers Group and RMA.

In a letter to NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey Runge, Armond Boyes, chairman of RIGAC wrote, “I would like to communicate to you that there is unanimous support for the RMA position. We ask the agency to act positively to the proposals submitted on Oct. 25 by the tire manufacturers.”

Donald Shea, RMA president and CEO, said he hopes that NHTSA understands the strong feelings of the tire industry on this safety issue. “Without a reserve requirement for tires, NHTSA’s proposal for tire pressure monitoring systems will not ensure the spirit and mandate of the TREAD Act and could result in unsafe conditions for motorists,” Shea explained.

In July, NHTSA issued a proposed rule for tire pressure monitoring systems that included two choices for when a monitoring system would alert drivers when they had a tire that was “significantly under-inflated.” One standard suggested a warning when tire inflation pressure fell below 20 percent of the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended inflation pressure for the tire, while the other suggested a 25-percent threshold.

“NHTSA’s proposed 20 percent or 25 percent rule necessarily assumes that tires can be safely operated indefinitely with the tire inflation pressure at 20 percent or 25 percent below the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended pressure,” Shea said. “Tires are very durable and tolerate an undefined, but not unlimited, level of abuse. Operating tires a few psi below the recommended placard pressure does not necessarily lead to an immediate safety problem.

“Eventually, with enough abuse, tires will fail.”

RMA concluded its comments saying, “By establishing a final rule on tire pressure monitoring systems, along with establishing the additional regulatory requirement for a tire reserve load, NHTSA, motor vehicle manufacturers and the tire industry can ensure that tires placed in service on our nation’s highways are not going to be subjected to a load that is greater than the load that is safe for a given inflation pressure.”