JusBringIt
07-26-2009, 06:07 PM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg The tire industry hasn't taken a position on the label proposal yet, said Dan Zielinski, spokesman for the Rubber Manufacturers Association. The trade organization supported the energy bill requiring (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-tire-safety-072709sbjul27,0,5195938.story?track=rss)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Michelin_Energy_s_after_100_000_miles.jpgDiane C. Lade - SUN-SENTINEL (http://www.sun-sentinel.com) - July 26, 2009
This should help our average consumer looking for LRR tires. There should be a larger gradient for ratings however. --Ed.
Highway safety officials want to give motorists a tool to help them stay safe as well as save money: an easy-to-read tire label that will give ratings for tread wear, traction on wet roads and, for the first time, fuel efficiency.
It's part of the push by consumer and safety advocates to get motorists to pay more attention to where the rubber meets the road. The tire, they say, is possibly the most important piece of equipment on a car but the one that gets the least respect.
The label proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls for three rankings — each a number between one and 100 reflecting how well a tire performed on specific tests — to be printed on a large, removable sticker placed directly on the product.
Tires already are tested for traction and tread, with the results included in a code molded into a tire's sidewall. The fuel efficiency rating, which gauges rolling resistance, was mandated under a 2007 energy bill.
The traffic safety administration currently is gathering input about the proposed label from the public and interested parties, as required before finalizing the draft of the new regulation later this summer. The label design should give shoppers a quick way to compare different tires' performance and safety features before they buy, said administration spokesman Eric Bolton. He couldn't say exactly when the regulation might be finalized and the labels start appearing on new tires.
While consumer advocates praise any efforts to get out more information, they say fuel economy is just one factor in the larger question of tire safety — something the driving public too often ignores when it goes looking for wheels. "Your tires are the last thing that touches the ground, what's between your car and the road. They make a big difference in how safe you will be, but I don't think people even think about them," said Brian Moody, an automotive editor with Edmunds.com, which compiles and publishes automotive information.
Far more important, Moody said, is to buy the size and type of tire recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Deviations could change how the car brakes or handles.
Moody also suggests ... http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-tire-safety-072709sbjul27,0,5195938.story?track=rss
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Michelin_Energy_s_after_100_000_miles.jpgDiane C. Lade - SUN-SENTINEL (http://www.sun-sentinel.com) - July 26, 2009
This should help our average consumer looking for LRR tires. There should be a larger gradient for ratings however. --Ed.
Highway safety officials want to give motorists a tool to help them stay safe as well as save money: an easy-to-read tire label that will give ratings for tread wear, traction on wet roads and, for the first time, fuel efficiency.
It's part of the push by consumer and safety advocates to get motorists to pay more attention to where the rubber meets the road. The tire, they say, is possibly the most important piece of equipment on a car but the one that gets the least respect.
The label proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls for three rankings — each a number between one and 100 reflecting how well a tire performed on specific tests — to be printed on a large, removable sticker placed directly on the product.
Tires already are tested for traction and tread, with the results included in a code molded into a tire's sidewall. The fuel efficiency rating, which gauges rolling resistance, was mandated under a 2007 energy bill.
The traffic safety administration currently is gathering input about the proposed label from the public and interested parties, as required before finalizing the draft of the new regulation later this summer. The label design should give shoppers a quick way to compare different tires' performance and safety features before they buy, said administration spokesman Eric Bolton. He couldn't say exactly when the regulation might be finalized and the labels start appearing on new tires.
While consumer advocates praise any efforts to get out more information, they say fuel economy is just one factor in the larger question of tire safety — something the driving public too often ignores when it goes looking for wheels. "Your tires are the last thing that touches the ground, what's between your car and the road. They make a big difference in how safe you will be, but I don't think people even think about them," said Brian Moody, an automotive editor with Edmunds.com, which compiles and publishes automotive information.
Far more important, Moody said, is to buy the size and type of tire recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Deviations could change how the car brakes or handles.
Moody also suggests ... http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-tire-safety-072709sbjul27,0,5195938.story?track=rss