Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; New Pneumatic Tires for Motor Vehicles With a GVWR of More Than 4,536 Kilograms (10,000 Pounds) and Motorcycles, 60036-60064 [2010-24347]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
60036
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
§ 178.37 Specification 3AA and 3AAX
seamless steel cylinders.
*
*
*
*
*
(j) Flattening test. A flattening test
must be performed on one cylinder
taken at random out of each lot of 200
or less, by placing the cylinder between
wedge shaped knife edges having a 60
° included angle, rounded to 1⁄2-inch
radius. The longitudinal axis of the
cylinder must be at a 90-degree angle to
knife edges during the test. For lots of
30 or less, flattening tests are authorized
to be made on a ring at least 8 inches
long cut from each cylinder and
subjected to the same heat treatment as
the finished cylinder. Cylinders may be
subjected to a bend test in lieu of the
flattening test. Two bend test specimens
must be taken in accordance with ISO
9809–1 or ASTM E 290–97a (IBR, see
§ 171.7 of this subchapter), and must be
subjected to the bend test specified
therein.
*
*
*
*
*
(l) Acceptable results for physical,
flattening and bend tests. An acceptable
result for physical and flattening tests is
elongation of at least 20 percent for 2
inches of gauge length or at least 10
percent in other cases. Flattening is
required, without cracking, to 6 times
the wall thickness of the cylinder. An
acceptable result for the alternative
bend test is no crack when the cylinder
is bent inward around the mandrel until
the interior edges are not further apart
than the diameter of the mandrel.
*
*
*
*
*
49. In § 178.71, paragraphs (c) and
(o)(6) are revised to read as follows:
§ 178.71 Specifications for UN pressure
receptacles.
*
*
*
*
(c) Following the final heat treatment,
all cylinders, except those selected for
batch testing must be subjected to a
proof pressure or a hydraulic volumetric
expansion test.
*
*
*
*
*
(o) * * *
(6) The test pressure in bar, preceded
by the letters ‘‘PH’’ and followed by the
letters ‘‘BAR’’.
*
*
*
*
*
50. In § 178.320, in paragraph (a), the
definition of ‘‘Cargo tank wall’’ is revised
to read as follows:
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
*
§ 178.320 General requirements applicable
to all DOT specification cargo tank motor
vehicles.
(a) * * *
Cargo tank wall means those parts of
the cargo tank that make up the primary
lading retention structure, including
shell, bulkheads, and fittings and, when
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
closed, yield the minimum volume of
the completed cargo tank motor vehicle.
*
*
*
*
*
51. In § 178.345–1, paragraph (i)(2) is
revised to read as follows:
PART 180—CONTINUING
QUALIFICATION AND MAINTENANCE
OF PACKAGINGS
§ 178.345–1
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 5101–5128; 49 CFR
1.53.
General requirements.
*
*
*
*
*
(i) * * *
(2) The strength of the connecting
structure joining multiple cargo tanks in
a cargo tank motor vehicle must meet
the structural design requirements in
§ 178.345–3. Any void within the
connecting structure must be equipped
with a drain located on the bottom
centerline that is accessible and kept
open at all times. For carbon steel, selfsupporting cargo tanks, the drain
configuration may consist of a single
drain of at least 1.0 inch diameter, or
two or more drains of at least 0.5 inch
diameter, 6.0 inches apart, one of which
is located as close to the bottom
centerline as practicable. Vapors
trapped in a void within the connecting
structure must be allowed to escape to
the atmosphere either through the drain
or a separate vent.
*
*
*
*
*
52. In § 178.347–1, paragraphs (c) and
(d) introductory text are revised to read
as follows:
§ 178.347–1
General requirements.
*
*
*
*
*
(c) Any cargo tank motor vehicle built
to this specification with a MAWP
greater than 35 psig or any cargo tank
motor vehicle built to this specification
designed to be loaded by vacuum must
be constructed and certified in
accordance with Section VIII of the
ASME Code (IBR, see § 171.7 of this
subchapter). The external design
pressure for a cargo tank loaded by
vacuum must be at least 15 psi.
(d) Any cargo tank motor vehicle built
to this specification with a MAWP of 35
psig or less or any cargo tank motor
vehicle built to this specification
designed to withstand full vacuum but
not equipped to be loaded by vacuum
must be constructed in accordance with
Section VIII of the ASME Code.
*
*
*
*
*
53. In § 178.347–4, paragraph (b) is
revised to read as follows:
§ 178.347–4
Pressure relief.
*
*
*
*
*
(b) Type and construction. Vacuum
relief devices are not required for cargo
tank motor vehicles that are designed to
be loaded by vacuum in accordance
with § 178.347–1(c) or built to
withstand full vacuum in accordance
with § 178.347–1(d).
*
*
*
*
*
PO 00000
Frm 00027
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
54a. The authority citation for part
180 continues to read as follows:
54b. In § 180.417, paragraph (b)(1)(v)
is revised to read as follows:
§ 180.417 Reporting and record retention
requirements.
*
*
*
*
*
(b) * * *
(1) * * *
(v) Minimum thickness of the cargo
tank shell and heads when the cargo
tank is thickness tested in accordance
with § 180.407(d)(5), § 180.407(e)(3),
§ 180.407(f)(3), or § 180.407(i);
*
*
*
*
*
Issued in Washington, DC, on September
22, 2010, under authority delegated in 49
CFR part 106.
Magdy El-Sibaie,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous
Materials Safety, Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010–24274 Filed 9–28–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–60–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
49 CFR Part 571
[Docket No. NHTSA–2010–0132]
RIN 2127–AK17
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards; New Pneumatic Tires for
Motor Vehicles With a GVWR of More
Than 4,536 Kilograms (10,000 Pounds)
and Motorcycles
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking
(NPRM).
AGENCY:
This NPRM proposes to
upgrade Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) No. 119, which
specifies requirements for new truck
tires. We propose to amend FMVSS No.
119 to adopt more stringent endurance
test requirements and a new high speed
test for several heavy load range tires for
vehicles with gross vehicle weight
rating (GVWR) of more than 4,536
kilograms (10,000 pounds). We are also
proposing that FMVSS No. 119 require
that the tire sidewall be labeled with the
tire’s maximum speed rating.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
You should submit your
comments early enough to ensure that
the Docket receives them not later than
November 29, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
(identified by the NHTSA Docket ID
Number above) by any of the following
methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
online instructions for submitting
comments.
• Mail: Docket Management Facility:
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590–0001.
• Hand Delivery or Courier: West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., between
9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
• Fax: 202–493–2251.
Instructions: For detailed instructions
on submitting comments and additional
information on the rulemaking process,
see the Public Participation heading of
the Supplementary Information section
of this document. Note that all
comments received will be posted
without change to https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided. Please
see the Privacy Act heading below.
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search
the electronic form of all comments
received into any of our dockets by the
name of the individual submitting the
comment (or signing the comment, if
submitted on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). You may
review DOT’s complete Privacy Act
Statement in the Federal Register
published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR
19477–78).
Docket: For access to the docket to
read background documents or
comments received, go to https://
www.regulations.gov or the street
address listed above. Follow the online
instructions for accessing the dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
technical issues, you may call George
Soodoo, NHTSA Office of Rulemaking
(Telephone: 202–366–2720) (Fax: 202–
493–2739). For legal issues, you may
call Steve Wood, NHTSA Office of Chief
Counsel (Telephone: 202–366–2992)
(Fax: 202–366–3820). The mailing
address for these officials is: National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building,
Washington, DC 20590.
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
DATES:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Table of Contents
I. Background
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
II. Overview of Endurance Test and High
Speed Test Proposals
a. Endurance Test
b. High Speed Test
III. NHTSA Tire Testing
a. Test Program
b. Summary
IV. Proposed Endurance Test
a. Test Speed
b. Load
c. Inflation Pressure
d. Duration
e. Ambient Temperature
f. Endurance Test Conclusions
V. Proposed High Speed Test
a. Test Speed and Break-In Procedure
b. Load
c. Inflation Pressure
d. Duration
e. Ambient Temperature
VI. Tire Maximum Speed Marking
VII. Other Issues
a. Alternatives Considered
1. International Standards
2. ASTM Truck/Bus Tire Test Development
Task Group
3. Rubber Manufacturers Association
b. Deep Tread Truck Tires
c. Correction of Table III
d. Separate Standard
VIII. Proposed Effective Date
IX. Costs and Benefits
X. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices
XI. Public Participation
I. Background
This NPRM proposes to upgrade
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) No. 119 (49 CFR 571.119)
which, prior to the passage of the
Transportation Recall Enhancement,
Accountability and Documentation
(TREAD) Act of 2000, had a wide
application to new pneumatic tires for
vehicles other than passenger cars. In
response to the TREAD Act,1 a June 26,
2003 final rule upgraded the standard’s
requirements 2 for tires designed for
multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks
and buses with a GVWR of 4,536
kilograms (kg) (10,000 pounds (lb)) or
less, and moved those enhanced
requirements to a new Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard No. 139 for new
pneumatic radial tires for light vehicles.
Requirements for load range C, D, and
E tires used on light trucks and vans
formerly set forth in FMVSS No. 119
were thus moved from that standard to
1 Section 10 of the TREAD Act stated that the
Secretary of Transportation shall conduct a
rulemaking to revise and update the tire standards
published at 49 CFR 571.109 and 49 CFR 571.119.
The Act provided that the Secretary shall complete
the rulemaking under this section not later than
June 1, 2002. November 1, 2000, Public Law 106–
414, 114 Stat. 1800.
2 68 FR 38116; June 26, 2003, Docket NHTSA–03–
15400; response to petitions for reconsideration, 71
FR 877, January 6, 2006, Docket 2005–23439;
technical amendments, 72 FR 49207, August 28,
2007, Docket 2007–29083. See also final rule,
correcting amendments, 73 FR 72357; November 28,
2008, Docket 2007–29083.
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
60037
FMVSS No. 139.3 The June 26, 2003
final rule changed the title, scope,
purpose and application sections of
FMVSS No. 119 to reflect that the
standard thereafter applied to only tires
for motorcycles and vehicles with a
GVWR greater than 4,536 kg (10,000 lb),
but made no changes to FMVSS No.
119’s performance requirements for
those tires.4
NHTSA stated in the NPRM
developing FMVSS No. 139 that the
TREAD Act deadline to complete the
tire upgrade by June 2002 did not allow
the agency time to study and analyze
sufficiently the different issues
presented by medium and heavy vehicle
tires, and that NHTSA will examine
these types of tires after completion of
the FMVSS No. 139 rulemaking (67 FR
10050, 10061; March 5, 2002). In today’s
document, we are proceeding to propose
to make more stringent FMVSS No.
119’s endurance test, adopt a new high
speed test for several load range tires
used on heavy vehicles, and require that
the tire sidewall be labeled with the
tire’s maximum speed rating.
The agency is initiating this
rulemaking to upgrade radial truck tires
that have a load range of F, G, H, J, and
L, and that are not for speed-restricted
service (‘‘non-speed-restricted service
tires’’). Tires used for speed-restricted
service, known as ‘‘speed-restricted
service tires,’’ are those with a maximum
speed rating of 90 km/h (55 mph) or
less. Non-speed-restricted service tires
3 The term ‘‘load range’’ with a letter (C, D, E, etc.)
is used to identify the load and inflation limits of
tires used on light or heavy trucks, which increase
in alphabetical sequence. For example, a load range
E tire is able to handle greater loads and higher
inflation pressures than a load range D tire.
4 FMVSS No. 119 has been in effect since the
original rule was published in 1973. The original
standard applied to tires used on vehicles other
than passenger cars, which included pickup trucks,
multipurpose passenger vehicles, vans, and heavy
vehicles. As a result of the TREAD Act mandate to
upgrade FMVSS No. 109 and FMVSS No. 119, the
agency revised the applicability of the tire
standards to reflect the weight of the vehicle on
which the tire is used. Given the increased
consumer use to light trucks and vans (LTVs) for
passenger transportation purposes over the past 20
years, the agency believed it was important to revise
the applicability of the standards. As a result, the
new tire standard for light vehicle tires, FMVSS No.
139, which was published in 2003, applies to tires
used on vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating
of 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) or less, and FMVSS No.
119 now applies to tires for vehicles with a gross
vehicle weight rating of over 4,536 kg (10,000
pounds). (It is noted that other tires required to
comply with No. 119 are new pneumatic light truck
tires with tread depth of 18/32 inch or greater, light
truck bias-ply tires, bias-ply tires used on vehicles
with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kg (10,000 lb), and
tires for use on special-use trailer (ST, farm
implement and 8–12 rim or lower diameter code).
The tires affected by this rulemaking are those used
on heavy vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536
kg (10,000 lb) that are not for speed-restricted
service.)
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
60038
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
are those with a maximum speed rating
above 90 km/h (55 mph). ‘‘Maximum
speed rating’’ is the maximum speed, as
specified by the manufacturer, at which
the tire can carry a load corresponding
to its maximum load rating for single
usage at the corresponding inflation
pressure.5 We have commenced this
rulemaking primarily because we have
tentatively determined that the FMVSS
No. 119 performance tests developed in
1973 should be updated to reflect the
increased operational speeds and
duration of truck tires in commercial
service. NHTSA has tentatively
determined that this NPRM would have
a beneficial effect on safety in that it
would increase tire durability as tires
are held to more stringent standards
than currently required.
FMVSS No. 119
FMVSS No. 119 specifies performance
and marking requirements for tires for
use on motorcycles and on motor
vehicles with a GVWR of more than
4,536 kg (10,000 lb). Heavy vehicle tires
regulated by FMVSS No. 119 are used
in a wide variety of vehicle
applications, such as delivery trucks,
line haul trucks, transit buses, and
logging trucks. FMVSS No. 119 includes
a static test for tire strength, and
dynamic tests for tire endurance and
high-speed performance. The endurance
test evaluates resistance to heat buildup
when the tire is run at stepped-up loads
at or near its rated load nonstop for a
total of 47 hours. A high-speed test
evaluates resistance to heat buildup
when the tire is run at a certain
percentage of its maximum load at
stepped-up speeds for a specified
interval at each speed.6 FMVSS No.
119’s high-speed performance
requirement applies only to motorcycle
tires and those with a rim diameter code
of 14.5 or less (tires made to fit rims of
diameter of 14.5 inches or less). Since
this size restriction excludes all heavy
vehicle tires currently listed in the Tire
and Rim Association 2009 Year Book,
the endurance test is currently the only
dynamic test to which heavy vehicle
tires must comply.
Today’s NPRM would upgrade
FMVSS No. 119 by proposing to adopt
a more stringent endurance test, add a
new high speed test, and include
maximum speed rating labeling
requirements for new radial tires used
on heavy truck and bus applications,
i.e., load range F, G, H, J, and L tires that
5 This NPRM would define these terms in FMVSS
No. 119 to differentiate the types of service for
which tires are used and the requirements in the
standard that would apply to the different types of
tire.
6 See, e.g., S6.2 of FMVSS No. 139.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
are not for speed-restricted service,
which the agency believes comprise
about 98 percent of the truck tires sold
in the United States. These load range
tires are typically used on heavy trucks
for regional haul and long haul
operations as well as on motorcoaches,
and these load range tires have speed
ratings ranging from 55–81 mph. Higher
load range tires (i.e., load ranges M and
N) are more often used in heavy mixeduse service (on/off-road operations in
lower speed applications), such as
construction, logging, crane, and rigging
operations. However, the agency is also
considering requiring non-speedrestricted, load range M radial tires to
comply with the upgraded endurance
and new high speed test because some
of these tires are used in similar
applications in which the load range L
tires are used. The agency is not
proposing to upgrade non-speedrestricted service load range N radial
tires since they represent less than 1
percent of the heavy vehicle tire market
and are typically used in lower speed
operations.
II. Overview of Endurance Test and
High Speed Test Proposals
The proposed upgrade to the
endurance test and the proposed
adoption of a high speed test are based
on the results of NHTSA’s heavy truck
tire tests, discussed later in the ‘‘NHTSA
Tire Testing’’ section of this preamble.
a. Endurance Test
The purpose of the endurance test is
to evaluate heavy truck tire performance
at highway speeds for a long duration.
The endurance test in FMVSS No. 119
applies to truck tires with load ranges F
through N that are not for speedrestricted service. The test parameters
used for the endurance test in FMVSS
No. 119 include test speed, load,
inflation pressure, duration, and
ambient temperature. This NPRM
proposes to upgrade the endurance test
by changing some of these parameters to
achieve more stringent conditions when
testing load range F, G, H, J, and L radial
tires that are not for speed-restricted
service. Current endurance test
parameters for load range N radial tires,
load range F, G, H, J, L, M, and N tires
that are for speed-restricted service,
bias-ply tires, light truck tires (tread
depth 18/32 inch or more), and
motorcycle tires, would remain
unchanged in the standard.
Test Speed
The current test speed for the
endurance test in FMVSS No. 119
depends on the load range of the tire.
Load range F tires are tested at 64 km/
PO 00000
Frm 00029
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
h (40 mph) on the 67-inch diameter test
road wheel; load range G tires are tested
at 56 km/h (35 mph); and tires with a
load range H, J, L, M, or N are tested at
48 km/h (30 mph). NHTSA proposes to
raise the test speed for the endurance
test to 80 km/h (50 mph) for load range
F, G, H, J, and L tires. This represents
a 25 percent increase in speed for a load
range F tire, a 43 percent increase for a
load range G tire, and a 67 percent
increase for load range H, J, and L tires
that are not for speed-restricted service.
Load
The current test loads for the
endurance test in FMVSS No. 119,
identical for all the load ranges F
through N, are specified as a percentage
of the maximum load rating of the tire,
and are 66 percent, 84 percent, and 101
percent. The loads are applied in a
stepped fashion for durations of 7 hours,
16 hours, and 24 hours, respectively.
NHTSA proposes to change the load
combination for the endurance test to
85/90/100 percent of the tire’s
maximum load rating labeled on the
tire’s sidewall, from the 66/84/101
percent combination currently required.
Inflation Pressure
The current test inflation pressure
specified in FMVSS No. 119 is the
inflation pressure corresponding to the
maximum load rating labeled on the
tire’s sidewall. NHTSA proposes to set
the test inflation pressure at 80 percent
of the sidewall-labeled inflation
pressure that corresponds to the tire’s
maximum load rating. This represents a
20 percent decrease from the current
endurance test, which requires tires to
be fully inflated.
Duration
The current duration for the
endurance test in FMVSS No. 119 is 47
hours: 7 hours at 66 percent load, 16
hours at 84 percent load, and 24 hours
at 101 percent load. NHTSA proposes to
leave FMVSS No. 119’s endurance test
duration at 47 hours.
Ambient Temperature
The ambient temperature specified for
the endurance test in FMVSS No. 119 is
35 °C (95 °F). NHTSA proposes to add
an ambient temperature tolerance, and
thus proposes an ambient of 35 °C ± 3
°C (95 °F ± 5 °F) for the endurance test.
b. High Speed Test
The high speed test evaluates tire
performance at higher speeds for shorter
durations. FMVSS No. 119’s high speed
test currently applies only to motorcycle
tires and to tires with rim diameters of
14.5 inches or below, and does not
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
apply to truck tires. The test parameters
used for the high speed test in FMVSS
No. 119 and in other tire standards
include speed, load, inflation pressure,
duration, and ambient temperature. This
NPRM proposes to adopt a high speed
test for load range F, G, H, J, and L tires
that are not for speed-restricted service,
as these are typically installed on
vehicles in regional or long-haul service.
The high-speed test would be initiated
after a 2-hour break-in at 80 km/h (50
mph) and 85 percent of maximum load
rating, with inflation pressure at 90
percent of maximum.
Test Speed
NHTSA proposes to set the test speed
for the high-speed test at the tire’s
maximum speed less 20 km/h (12 mph)
for step 1, maximum speed less 10 km/
h (6 mph) for step 2, and at maximum
speed for the final step. This would be
a new approach for testing tires under
the Federal motor vehicle safety
standards, as motorcycle and passenger
car tires are tested to one unvarying set
of test speeds. The approach proposed
in this NPRM is similar to that used by
the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (ECE) tire
Regulations which establish tire test
speeds based on the maximum rated
speed of the tire, and is along the lines
of a suggestion from the Rubber
Manufacturers Association (RMA).7
Load
NHTSA proposes to set the test load
for the high-speed test at 85 percent of
the maximum load rating for the tire.
The maximum load rating would be
based on the tire sidewall marking per
single tire use application.
Inflation Pressure
NHTSA proposes that the high-speed
test inflation pressure be set at 90
percent of the sidewall-labeled inflation
pressure that corresponds to the tire’s
maximum load rating.
Duration
NHTSA proposes a 90-minute
duration for FMVSS No. 119’s highspeed test, consisting of three 30-minute
speed steps at the proposed test speeds.
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
Ambient Temperature
NHTSA proposes an ambient
temperature range of 35 °C ± 3 °C (95
°F ± 5 °F) for the FMVSS No. 119 high
speed test upgrade.
7 See Docket No. NHTSA 2002–13707–0016.1,
RMA Perspective on the FMVSS 119 Revisions and
Updates Mandated by the TREAD Act.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
III. NHTSA Tire Testing
a. Test Program
After passage of the TREAD Act,
NHTSA began testing new heavy truck
tires to assess the performance of
current tires in endurance and high
speed tests, and how load, inflation
pressure, speed and duration affect tire
performance. We tested more than 430
new heavy truck tires with load ranges
G through N that were designed for
commercial vehicle applications. The
tires selected included a mixture of tire
brands, models and sizes.
Testing was performed in two phases.
In Phase I, new load range G tires were
tested for durability (‘‘endurance’’) and
robustness at speed (‘‘high speed’’).
Since the purpose of Phase I testing was
to assess the current level of
performance for truck tires, the test
matrix for this phase included both
destructive (extended duration) and
non-destructive tests. The purpose of
Phase II testing was to generate data
with which specific proposals could be
developed for an NPRM to upgrade
FMVSS No. 119. In Phase II, the test
conditions were further refined from
Phase I, and the group of tires tested
was expanded to include load ranges H,
J, L and N. Additional testing was also
conducted for tires with load ranges F,
J, and L, and speed ratings less than 75
mph.
All of the tires tested were
commercially available at the time of
testing. For both Phases I and II, NHTSA
developed test matrices that included
the performance parameters of speed,
load, inflation pressure, and test
duration. The test matrices were
developed with a series of test
conditions that increased in severity for
tire performance. The ambient
temperature used in the testing for both
Phase I and Phase II was 35 °C ± 3 °C
(95 °F ± 5 °F). All tires were conditioned
at the ambient temperature of 35 °C ± 3
°C (95 °F ± 5 °F) for 3 hours prior to
testing. Testing was conducted on a 67inch diameter curved test road wheel.8
Phase I Testing
In Phase I, NHTSA conducted testing
on 180 new, size 11R22.5, load range G,
8 Throughout this preamble, we use test speeds in
miles per hour (mph) when presenting the test
matrices, the test conditions, and the test results for
the baseline tests, as specified in the current
FMVSS No. 119. However, for the other tests in
both the endurance and high speed test matrices,
we selected test speeds in kilometers per hour (km/
h) to be consistent with the metrification of the
Federal motor vehicle safety standards. Some of the
Tables presented in the preamble show speeds in
miles per hour only, to facilitate comparison with
the baseline test speeds.
PO 00000
Frm 00030
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
60039
heavy truck tires with a rib-type tread.9
The 11R22.5 tire size was chosen due to
its use in on-road applications for heavy
vehicles: tire size 11R22.5 represents
approximately 24 percent and 22
percent of the original equipment and
replacement tire markets, respectively.
We tested tires from brands Hankook,
Dayton, Bridgestone, and General, all
with tire size 11R22.5, load range G, and
rib-type treads. Based on suggestions 10
from the Rubber Manufacturers
Association (RMA), the Tire Industry
Association (TIA), and the Tread
Rubber/Tire Repair Materials
Manufacturers Group (TRMG), we tested
only rib-type tires, typically used on
steer axle and trailer axle positions, to
focus on a single tread type. Tires were
tested to determine levels of endurance
and high-speed performance under a
variety of test conditions.
Phase I Endurance Test:
For the endurance test, we selected
120 new load range G tires from
Hankook, Dayton, Bridgestone and
General. The Phase I endurance test
matrix consisted of 10 groups of varied
test conditions, or ‘‘Test Methods,’’ 11 as
shown below in Table 1, ‘‘Phase I
Endurance Test Matrix.’’ Other than in
Test Methods 1 and 1A, three samples
of each tire brand were tested for each
Test Method (TM) in the matrix. Test
Method 1 used one sample of each tire
brand, and Test Method 1A used two
samples of each tire brand.
Each TM consisted of a combination
of the selected tire load, inflation
pressure, test speed, and a specified
duration at each load condition. Testing
was performed so that each TM varied
in severity by changing the load,
inflation pressure or speed.
The applied test loads ranged from 66
percent of the maximum load rating to
110 percent of the maximum load
rating. The loads used are similar to
those used in the light vehicle tire
research program that was conducted in
2001–2002 to support the upgrade of the
endurance test for FMVSS No. 139. The
stepped-up load combinations included
85, 90, and 100 percent; 90, 100, and
110 percent; and 100, 110, and 115
percent, which allowed the agency to
understand limits of performance for
light vehicle tires, including light truck
tires with load ranges C, D, and E. For
this research on medium and heavy
duty truck tires, the agency also wanted
9 In the tire size description, the ‘‘11’’ represents
the tire section width in inches, the ‘‘R’’ identifies
the tire as a radial tire, and the ‘‘22.5’’ represents
the tire rim diameter code, which equates to a rim
diameter of 22.5 inches.
10 See Docket No. NHTSA–2002–13707.
11 Test Method 1A is considered a part of Test
Method 1.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
60040
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
to understand the upper limits of
performance for these tires when they
are tested at normal loading conditions
and at loads beyond their maximum
load rating. As a result, we included
stepped-up loads to 90/100/110 percent
of the maximum load rating of the tires,
since this represents an overloading
condition for a truck tire on the test
road-wheel.
Inflation pressures ranged from 80 to
100 percent of the maximum inflation
pressure stated on the sidewall of the
tires. The current endurance test in
FMVSS No. 119 requires that the tire be
tested at 100 percent of its maximum
inflation pressure, but the agency sought
to evaluate truck tires’ performance
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
when tested at some level of underinflation, because that condition is
occurring in real-world operation.12 We
chose 80 percent of the maximum
inflation pressure as the lowest value for
this testing, primarily because the truck
industry considers a tire at that level of
under-inflation to be significantly
under-inflated.
The test speeds ranged from 56 km/
h (35 mph) to 120 km/h (75 mph),
which we believe represented the
typical operating range of speeds for
trucks using tires with the specified
12 See Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration, Final Report, ‘‘Commercial Vehicle
Tire Condition Sensors,’’ November 2003, at 7.
PO 00000
Frm 00031
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
load ranges. Each tire was conditioned
at the ambient test temperature of 35 °C
± 3 °C (95 °F ± 5 °F) for three hours. No
break-in procedure was performed on
tires tested for endurance performance
since none is performed in the existing
FMVSS No. 119 endurance test
procedure. Table 1, ‘‘Phase I Endurance
Test Matrix,’’ below shows the test
parameters used for the endurance test
in Phase I and the structure of the test
duration for the three samples in each
Test Method. We note that for TMs 2–
9, tire sample number 3 was tested for
an additional amount of time after the
rest of the TM was completed, which is
why Table 1 shows an extra line for
sample number 3 for these TMs.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
PO 00000
Frm 00032
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4725
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
60041
EP29SE10.005</GPH>
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
The test parameters for the baseline
tests (Test Method 1, load step 1–3)
represent the current FMVSS No. 119
level for the endurance test. The tires
(one sample of each tire brand) were
tested at 56 km/h (35 mph), with a load
of 66 percent of maximum load rating
for 7 hours, 84 percent of maximum
load rating for 16 hours, 101 percent of
maximum load for 24 hours, and with
an inflation pressure of 100 percent of
the maximum inflation pressure value
labeled on the sidewall. After the end of
the 47-hour test, the tires were tested for
an additional 48 hours, at a load of 110
percent of maximum load rating, and
with the test parameters of speed,
inflation pressure, and ambient
temperature unchanged. Therefore, the
total duration for the baseline
endurance tests in Test Method 1 was
95 hours (47 hours per FMVSS No. 119
plus an additional 48 hours).
There were no failures in the baseline
tests completed on the first of three
samples for each tire brand. We then
conducted a second baseline test by
increasing the test speed for the
remaining two samples to 80 km/h (50
mph) for the entire test, as shown in
Test Method 1A. The inflation pressure
and load parameters for the second
baseline test were the same as in Test
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
Method 1. The test load for the
remaining two samples was 110 percent
of maximum load rating for the last 48
hours of the test. The objective of the
baseline tests in Test Method 1A was to
determine how well tires performed
under conditions slightly more stringent
than the current endurance test in
FMVSS No. 119.
As shown in Test Methods 2 through
9 (Table 1, above), test severity was
increased by increasing the test speed,
increasing the test loads, and reducing
the inflation pressure. Road-wheel tests
(not to failure) were conducted for 47
hours on two samples. The third sample
was tested to 95 hours or until failure,
whichever occurred first, with the load
for the last 48 hours of the test being the
same load applied in the last step for the
47-hour portion of the test.
All tires were inspected for belt
separation, tread separation, and any
other visual evidence of damage. For
Test Method 10, all three tire samples
were tested to 95 hours or until failure,
whichever occurred first.
Phase I Endurance Test Results:
Of the 120 new tires tested for
endurance performance under a variety
of test conditions, 24 experienced
failures. Of the 24 failures, 15 failed as
a result of tread separation, 2 failed as
PO 00000
Frm 00033
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
a result of belt separation; 2 failed as a
result of shoulder split; and 2 failed as
a result of chunking. The remaining 3
failures consisted of other failure types
such as tread splitting and sidewall
separation. Table 2, ‘‘Phase I Endurance
Test Results,’’ summarizes the results for
the endurance test on the four tire
brands tested. Data for individual tests
have been placed in the docket
(NHTSA–2002–13707).
The Test Methods included in Table
2 are the same test methods for which
the test conditions are shown in detail
in Table 1. The test results in Table 2
show that the first sample for each of
the four tire brands completed 95 hours
for the baseline test in Test Method 1.
The remaining two tire samples for each
brand were tested to Test Method 1A,
using the same test parameters, except
for the test speed, which was increased
from 56 km/h (35 mph) to 80 km/h (50
mph). Also note that for Test Methods
2 through 10, the first two samples of
each Test Method were tested to 47
hours, while the third sample was tested
to 95 hours. Four test errors occurred,
where the test road-wheel stopped due
to equipment or mechanical failure.
These test errors are noted in Table 2
with an asterisk.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
EP29SE10.006</GPH>
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
60042
60043
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
TABLE 2—PHASE I ENDURANCE TEST RESULTS
Tire brands (hours completed)
Target (hours)
Hankook
Dayton
Test Method No.
Bridgestone
General
Sample No.
1
1 ....................................................
1A .................................................
2 ....................................................
3 ....................................................
4 ....................................................
5 ....................................................
6 ....................................................
7 ....................................................
8 ....................................................
9 ....................................................
10 ..................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
95
........
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
........
95
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
........
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
........
47
1
47
47
47
47
47
47
12
........
95
47
47
47
47
47
47
44*
47
50
........
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
46*
95
........
47
47
47
43
47
47
47
28
27
........
95
47
47
47
44
47
47
47
28
3
........
95
95
95
37
53
95
69
95
23
14
95
........
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
31*
........
95
47
47
47
44*
47
47
47
47
27
........
95
95
95
37
95
95
95
92
95
30
95
........
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
42
25
........
95
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
36
........
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
32
41
24
Note: * Test error.
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
Overall, the tires tested performed
well throughout the endurance test
matrix, particularly Test Methods 1
through 8, for which each tire brand had
at least one sample that completed 47
hours of those Test Methods. The results
indicate that decreased inflation
pressure and increased speed of Test
Method 9, and the even higher speed of
Test Method 10, define the upper
boundary of current new tire
performance. For Test Methods 8 and 9,
the inflation pressure was decreased to
80 percent of maximum inflation
pressure, and the test speed was
increased from 88 km/h (55 mph) to 100
km/h (63 mph). In addition, the test
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
loads were increased in Test Method 9
to 90/100/110 percent of the tire’s
maximum load rating. For Test Method
10, inflation was increased to 100
percent and test speed raised to 120 km/
h (75 mph), the same test speed used in
the endurance test for light vehicle tires
in FMVSS No. 139. The results indicate
that higher speeds and lower inflation
pressure appear to have the most impact
on tire failure compared with changes in
test load or duration.
Phase I High Speed Test:
We tested 60 new load range G tires
from major tire manufacturers Hankook,
Dayton, Bridgestone, and General for
high speed performance. Since the
PO 00000
Frm 00034
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
FMVSS No. 119 high speed
requirements currently apply only to
tires with a rim diameter code of 14.5
or less and to motorcycle tires, the
performance levels for the high speed
baseline tests in our heavy truck tire test
program (see Test Method A of Table 3
below, ‘‘Phase I High Speed Test
Matrix’’) were set at the FMVSS No. 119
levels of performance for those tires,
simply as a starting point for the test
program. Test conditions were varied to
produce different levels of severity by
changing the load, inflation pressure
and speed. See Table 3, ‘‘Phase I High
Speed Test Matrix,’’ below for a
summary of the high speed test matrix.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
Test severity, as defined by more
severe running conditions (i.e. increased
load, higher speed, or reduced inflation
pressure), increased from Test Method
A to Test Method E. In Test Method A,
the first three speed steps represent the
current conditions in FMVSS No. 119
(specified for applicable tires) and the
next three test speeds represent speed
conditions beyond those currently in
FMVSS No. 119. The tires were tested
to a stepped-up speed profile starting at
120 km/h (75 mph), with a load
condition of 88 percent of maximum
load rating for 30 minutes. The test
speed was increased in 5-mph
increments every 30 minutes until
failure or a speed of 160 km/h (100
mph) was achieved, whichever occurred
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
first. Therefore, the target completion
time for the baseline high speed test was
3 hours for a total of six speed steps for
Test Method A only. The primary
reason for testing beyond 137 km/h (85
mph) in the baseline tests was to assess
the upper boundary of high speed
performance for heavy truck tires.
The initial test speed for Test
Methods B through E was set to 120 km/
h (75 mph), and increased to 130 km/
h (81 mph) and 140 km/h (88 mph) in
30-minute intervals for a total of three
test steps. The 10-km/h increments were
used to increase the speed severity
moderately for tire samples as they
advanced through the different test
methods. For each tire brand tested, the
first two samples were tested for three
PO 00000
Frm 00035
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
30-minute speed steps, for a total test
duration of 1.5 hours. The third sample
was tested for an additional hour at the
last speed step of 140 km/h (88 mph),
resulting in a test duration of 2.5 hours.
The test load was based on the
maximum load rating for the subject tire
as labeled on the sidewall. The test load
ranged from 80 percent of maximum
load rating to 90 percent of maximum
load rating. Inflation pressures ranged
from 90 percent to 100 percent of
maximum pressure labeled on the
sidewall.
Each tire was conditioned for the test
at an ambient temperature of 35 °C ± 3
°C (95 °F ± 5 °F) for three hours, and
then broken in for two hours under 88
percent of maximum load and 100
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
EP29SE10.007</GPH>
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
60044
60045
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
percent maximum inflation pressure at
80 km/h (50 mph).13 The tire was
allowed to cool to 35 °C ± 3 °C (95 °F
± 5 °F) and the inflation pressure was
adjusted to applicable pressure
immediately before the test. The breakin procedure was performed to bring the
tire to operating temperature, which
allows the tire to flex, expand and
contract such that air within the tire
may fully permeate into the tire cavity.
The break-in procedure also removes
mold release agents and flashings
result of tread separation, and 1 failed
due to belt separation. Most of these
failures occurred in Test Method A at
test speeds of 152 km/h (95 mph) or at
160 km/h (100 mph). Table 4 below,
‘‘Phase I High Speed Test Results (Hours
Completed),’’ shows how the tires
performed, as tested under each test
method. The Test Methods included in
Table 4 are the same Test Methods for
which the test conditions are shown in
detail in Table 3.
produced by the molding process,
which could contribute to variability in
the test.
At the completion of the test, tires
were visually inspected for belt
separation, tread separation, and
evidence of damage.
Phase I High Speed Test Results:
Of the 60 new tires tested for high
speed performance under a variety of
test conditions, 7 experienced test
failures. Of these 7 failures, 4 failed as
a result of tread chunking, 2 failed as a
TABLE 4—PHASE I HIGH SPEED TEST RESULTS (HOURS COMPLETED)
Tire Brands (hours completed)
Target hours
Hankook
Dayton
Test Method
Bridgestone
General
Sample No.
1
A
B
C
D
E
...................................................
...................................................
...................................................
...................................................
...................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
3.0
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
3.0
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
3.0
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
3.0
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
3.0
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
3.0
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.3
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
2.8
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
1.8
2.9
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
3.0
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
2.9
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
3.0
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
3.0
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
2.8
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
Test Method A was extended so that
samples would be tested to the baseline
FMVSS No. 119 conditions and then
tested at increased speeds. For Test
Method A, speed was increased beyond
the FMVSS No. 119 test speeds to 90,
95, and 100 mph, in 30-minute
increments (the total test duration target
was three hours). Inflation pressure and
load were unchanged. Each sample was
tested at 88 percent of maximum load
rating, 100 percent inflation pressure
and to speeds that were increased in 30minute increments to a stepped profile,
initiating at 120 km/h (75 mph) and
concluding at 160 km/h (100 mph) or
failure, whichever occurred first.
Overall, the new tires tested to the
high-speed matrix performed well, as
shown in Table 4. All of the 7 tires that
failed completed at least 1.5 hours,
which represents the first three 30minute speed steps of the targeted test
duration. Test Method A was designed
to test tires to 100 mph or failure,
whichever occurred first. The results for
Test Method A reveal that all of the tires
were able to withstand speeds of up to
90 mph, when inflated at 100 percent of
maximum inflation pressure. The
results also show that all of the tires
tested to Test Methods B through E were
able to complete the 1.5 hours at test
speeds of 120, 130, and 140 km/h (75,
81 and 88 mph). In addition, when
tested to an additional hour at the last
speed step of 140 km/h (88 mph), all the
tires tested, except one Dayton tire, were
able to complete the entire 2.5 hours of
the high-speed test.
Phase II Testing
While Phase I testing provided
NHTSA with a general understanding of
the current level of performance for new
heavy duty truck tires, Phase II testing
refined the test matrices to develop
possible, practicable, proposals to
upgrade the endurance and high speed
tests in FMVSS No. 119. In Phase II,
NHTSA tested 365 new tires. Testing
also was expanded to include test tires
of additional tire sizes (385/65 R 22.5
and 315/80 R 22.5), load ranges (F, H,
J, L, and N tires, and load range G ‘‘bias
ply’’ type tires), brands from other
manufacturers (Continental, Goodyear,
Michelin, Kumho, and Yokohama), and
steer, drive, and all-position tread types,
as shown in Table 5.
These tires included speed ratings
ranging from 56 mph to 75 mph. Most
of the tires were tested for both
endurance performance and for highspeed performance. Some tire models
were tested in 2005, and certain tire
models tested were retested in 2008 to
validate their performance. In the
results section, superscripts were used
to identify which tires were tested first.
FMVSS No. 119 does not apply to
speed-restricted service and bias-ply
tires, therefore those tires were not
included in the costs and benefits
analysis section. The data for those tires
were collected to learn about their
performance levels. Of the 365 tires
tested, 159 tires were tested to the
proposed methods. Seventy-eight tires
were tested for Endurance and 81 were
tested for High Speed performance.
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
TABLE 5—PHASE II TIRE INFORMATION
Max speed
(mph)
Group No.
Manufacture/model
Tire size and LR
1 ................
2 ................
3 ................
Goodyear G647 RSS ...................................................
Michelin XRV ................................................................
Bridgestone R293 .........................................................
225/70R19.5 LR F ..................................
225/70R19.5 LR F ..................................
11R24.5 LR G .........................................
13 Traditionally, a high speed test has an initial
break-in step that involves a tire running on the
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
roadwheel under specified conditions to allow for
tire growth. The endurance test does not need a
PO 00000
Frm 00036
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
Application
75
75
75
Regional/P&D
Long haul
Long haul
break-in step primarily because the 47-hour test
duration allows time for break-in during the test.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
60046
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
TABLE 5—PHASE II TIRE INFORMATION—Continued
Max speed
(mph)
Group No.
Manufacture/model
Tire size and LR
4 ................
5 ................
6 ................
7 ................
8 ................
9 ................
10 ..............
11 ..............
12 ..............
13 ..............
14 ..............
15 ..............
16 ..............
17 ..............
18 ..............
19 ..............
20 ..............
21 ..............
22 ..............
23 ..............
24 ..............
25 ..............
26 ..............
27 ..............
Bridgestone M1X 711 ...................................................
General D460 ...............................................................
Michelin XZY3 ..............................................................
General S580 ...............................................................
Goodyear G167 ............................................................
Goodyear G395 ............................................................
Goodyear Marathon LHT ..............................................
Kumho 943 ...................................................................
Kumho KRS02 ..............................................................
Yokohama TY303 .........................................................
Yokohama RY023 ........................................................
Bridgestone R184 CZ ...................................................
Bridgestone L320 .........................................................
Goodyear Unisteel G291 ..............................................
Goodyear G286 (wb) ....................................................
Michelin XZY3 (wb) ......................................................
Michelin XTA ................................................................
Kumho KRT02 ..............................................................
Yokohama RY253 (wb) ................................................
Continental HMS 45+ ...................................................
Michelin XZUS ..............................................................
Michelin XZA2 Energy ..................................................
Milestar TRX (bias-ply) .................................................
Prime X Rockmaster ....................................................
11R24.5 LR G .........................................
11R24.5 LR G .........................................
11R24.5 LR G .........................................
11R24.5 LR H .........................................
11R24.5 LR H .........................................
11R24.5 LR H .........................................
245/70R17.5 LR H ..................................
11R24.5 LR H .........................................
11R24.5 LR H .........................................
11R24.5 LR H .........................................
11R24.5 LR H .........................................
215/75R17.5 LR H ..................................
11.00R24.5 LR H ....................................
315/80R22.5 LR J ...................................
385/65R22.5 LR J ...................................
385/80R22.5 LR J ...................................
215/75R17.5 LR J ...................................
235/75R17.5 LR J ...................................
385/65R22.5 LR J ...................................
315/80R22.5 LR L ..................................
315/80R22.5 LR L ..................................
315/80R22.5 LR L ..................................
N/A LR G ................................................
N/A LR N ................................................
75
75
65
75
75
75
62
75
75
75
75
65
65
75
68
65
62
62
65
56
65
75
N/A
N/A
Application
Long haul
Long haul
Mixed service
Long haul
Long haul
Long haul
N/A
Regional/P&D
N/A
Long haul
Long haul
High Load Trailer
Mixed service
Regional/P&D
Mixed service
Mixed service
L. haul/Regional
Regional/P&D
Long haul
Mixed service
Regional/P&D
Long haul
N/A
N/A
Note: (wb) means it is a wide-base tire; * means speed-restricted service tire.
Phase II Endurance Test
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
NHTSA tested new tires with load
ranges F, G, H, J, L and N from several
major tire manufacturers. Table 6,
‘‘Phase II Endurance Test Matrix,’’ shows
the endurance test conditions used for
Phase II testing. These test conditions
were selected based on our analysis of
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
the Phase I results. We varied the
severity of the test conditions by
adjusting load, inflation pressure and/or
speed. For each test method, the test
load was stepped-up through 85, 90,
and 100 percent of maximum load
rating. Inflation pressures ranged from
80 percent to 90 percent of maximum
inflation pressure stated on the
PO 00000
Frm 00037
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
sidewall. Test speeds ranged from 80
km/h (50 mph) to 100 km/h (62 mph).
Each tire was conditioned at ambient
temperature 35 °C ± 3 °C (95 °F ± 5 °F)
for three hours. All the tires were tested
for a total duration of 71 hours
consisting of the 47 hours of the current
FMVSS No. 119 endurance test plus an
additional 24 hours.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
The results of the endurance tests for
new tires in Phase I indicated that
higher speeds and lower inflation
pressure appear to have the most impact
on tire failure compared with changes in
test load or duration. Based on these
results, in the Phase II program NHTSA
decided to moderately increase the
severity of its endurance test matrix
over the current requirements in FMVSS
No. 119. The least severe test condition,
Test Method 1, had the lowest test
speed (80 km/h or 50 mph), and the
highest inflation pressure (90 percent of
maximum inflation pressure). The most
severe test condition, Test Method 6,
had the highest test speed (100 km/h or
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
62 mph), and the lowest inflation
pressure (80 percent of maximum
inflation pressure).
Phase II Endurance Test Results
Tables 7 through 14 of this preamble,
below, summarize the results of the
endurance testing in Phase II. The
results indicate that as the test severity
increased, in going from Test Method 1
to Test Method 6, tire failure rate
increased. Tires tested under Test
Method 1 were more likely to achieve
the target of 71 hours compared to tires
tested to Test Method 6. All of the load
range G (radial) and H tires tested under
Test Methods 1 and 2 achieved the
target of 71 hours, whereas only a few
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
60047
of the load range G tires and none of the
load range H tires tested to Test
Methods 5 and 6 were able to achieve
the target of 71 hours. The dashes in the
tables represent Test Methods that were
not performed for that specified tire.
Three tire groups (Nos. 10, 20, and 21)
were speed-rated 62 mph. These groups
were tested with a variation in speed.
Samples #1 from these three tire groups
were tested at 50 mph. If sample #1 did
not complete the 71-hour test, sample
#2 was tested at 45 mph and sample #3
was tested at 40 mph. If sample #1
completed the 71-hour test at 50 mph,
the remaining samples were tested at
the same speed.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
EP29SE10.008</GPH>
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
60048
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
TABLE 7—PHASE II ENDURANCE TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE F
Proposed (hours)
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Goodyear 647 RSS
Test Method No.
Michelin XRV
Sample No.
1
2 ...........................................................................................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
47
47
47
71
71
71
71
71
71
TABLE 8—PHASE II ENDURANCE TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE G
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Proposed (hours)
Bridgestone
R293—Steer
Test Method No.
Bridgestone MIX
711—Drive
General D460—
Drive
Sample No.
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
47
47
47
47
47
47
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
2
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
71
71
71
71
71
24
71
71
71
71
71
71
71
71
71
71
44
33
71
71
71
71
40
33
71
71
71
71
37
33
71
71
65
71
32
34
........
71
........
........
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
........
TABLE 9—PHASE II ENDURANCE TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE H
Group Samples (Hours Completed)
Proposed (hours)
Goodyear G395—
Steer
Goodyear G167—
Drive
Test Method No.
Kumho 943—Drive
Kumho KRS02—
Drive
Yokohama
RY023—Steer
Sample No.
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
................................................
................................................
................................................
................................................
................................................
................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
71
71
41
71
18
13
71
71
35
55
19
25
71
71
50
56
19
17
71
71
46
47
24
19
71
71
69
48
5
8
71
71
71
56
27
7
71
71
........
........
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
........
TABLE 10—PHASE II ENDURANCE TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE H
Group Samples (Hours Completed)
Proposed (hours)
Goodyear Marathon
LHT
Bridgestone R184
CZ
Test Method No.
Bridgestone L320
Yokohama TY303
General S580
Sample No.
1
2 ................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
47
47
47
22
30
35
71
71
71
71
71
71
71
71
71
71
71
71
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
Samples 2 and 3 from Goodyear LHT were tested at 45 and 40 mph.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:16 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
PO 00000
Frm 00039
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
60049
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
TABLE 11—PHASE II ENDURANCE TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE J
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Proposed (hours)
Yokohama RY253
(wb)—All Pos.
1 Michelin
XZY3
(wb)—All Pos.
Goodyear G286
(wb)—Steer
Test Method No.
2 Michelin
XZY3
(wb)—All Pos.
Goodyear Unisteel
G291
Sample No.
1
1
2
3
4
................................................
................................................
................................................
................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
71
71
55
42
71
71
45
43
71
71
42
34
7
7
2
........
4
5
2
........
7
7
5
........
71
65
6
........
71
44
70
........
71
71
44
........
........
71
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
71
........
........
........
65
........
........
........
71
........
........
Superscripts 1 and 2: 1 represents tires tested in 2005; 2 represents tires tested in 2008.
TABLE 12—PHASE II ENDURANCE TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE J
Group Samples (Hours Completed)
2 Yokohama
Proposed (hours)
RY253
Michelin XTA
Kumho KRT02
(wb)
Test Method No.
Sample No.
1
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
47
2 .......................................................................................
2
47
47
71
71
71
71
71
71
27
56
71
Samples 2 and 3 from Kumho KRT02 were tested at 45 and 40 mph.
TABLE 13—PHASE II ENDURANCE TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE L
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Proposed (hours)
1 Conti.
HMS45 +
Steer
1 Michelin
XZUS—
All Pos.
Test Method No.
1 Michelin
Conti.HMS45 + ¥
Steer
XZA2
Energy—All
2 Michelin
XZUS—
All Pos.
Sample No.
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
................................................
................................................
................................................
................................................
................................................
................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
19
29
8
14
3
4
21
20
9
14
2
4
20
30
4
17
3
3
30
30
........
........
........
........
28
32
........
........
........
........
33
48
........
........
........
........
........
64
........
........
........
........
........
59
........
........
........
........
........
56
........
........
........
........
........
55
........
........
........
........
........
46.7
........
........
........
........
........
43
........
........
........
........
........
55
........
........
........
........
........
40
........
........
........
........
........
41
........
........
........
........
Note: Superscript 1 represents tires tested in 2005, 2 represents tires tested in 2008.
TABLE 14—PHASE II ENDURANCE TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE G BIAS PLY (TRAILER APPLICATION) AND N
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Proposed (hours)
(G-Bias) Milestar
TRX
(G-Bias) Milestar
TRX
Test Method No.
(G-Bias) Milestar
TRX
(N) Prime X
Rockmaster
Sample No.
1
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
1 ....................................................................................
2 ....................................................................................
3 ....................................................................................
Test results also indicate that some
higher load range J, L, and N tires were
overall less likely to achieve their target
of 71 hours than the load range G and
H tires. Some load range J and L tires
are also used on inter-city coach buses
(motorcoaches), which are operated at
highway speeds. (Tire industry data
show that load range J and L tires
comprise 8 percent of the new truck tire
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
71
52
45
71
10
71
71
48
35
71
71
54
71
66
67
70
62
55
71
71
3
71
53
71
64
67
71
5
........
........
6
........
........
4
........
........
market share (see Docket NHTSA–2002–
13707, item 18.1).) Nineteen out of the
24 (79%) load range J tires met the
proposed 47-hour test. Five out of the 9
(56%) load range L tires tested met the
proposed conditions. The load range J
and L tires we tested had speed ratings
ranging from 62 to 75 mph, and all 9
tires speed-rated 75 mph met the
proposed 47-hour endurance test
PO 00000
Frm 00040
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
requirements. The agency assumes that
most load range J and L tires are speedrated 75 mph, and that the tires would
thus meet the proposed endurance
requirements. The agency is seeking
comment on the percentage of these
tires that are speed-rated 75 mph.
All of the tires were not tested to
every test method for several reasons.
For load range G and H tires, the
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
Bridgestone and Goodyear tires were
tested to Test Method 1 through Test
Method 6. The Continental D 460,
Kumho 943, Kumho KRS02, and
Yokohama RY023 tires were not tested
to Test Method 1 and Test Methods 3
through 6, primarily because failures
from the other groups began to surface
when tested to Test Method 3. In similar
fashion, tires for load range J, L, N, and
G (bias ply), were not tested once a
pattern of failures indicated that a
particular test method was beginning to
result in failures for those tires.
We tested new tires of load ranges F,
G, H, J, and L from several major tire
manufacturers. Test conditions varied in
severity by adjusting load, inflation
pressure and/or speed. The applied load
was based on the single maximum load
for the subject tire, stated on the
sidewall. The applied load ranged from
85 percent of maximum load rating to
90 percent of maximum load rating. In
Test Method (TM) C, the least severe
test method, the test load was set to 85
percent of maximum load rating, and
inflation pressure at 95 percent of
maximum. In the most severe Test
Method (B), the load was set at 90
percent of maximum load rating, and
inflation at 90 percent of maximum.
Inflation pressures ranged from 90
percent to 95 percent of maximum
pressure stated on the sidewall.
Generally, test speeds were 100/110/120
km/h (62/68/75 mph). Each tire was
conditioned at an ambient temperature
of 35 °C ± 3 °C (95 °F ± 5 °F) for three
hours, broken in for two hours at 80 km/
h (50 mph) under 88 percent of
maximum load rating, and then run for
duration of 2.5 hours. The duration for
the final speed step of 120 km/h (75
mph) was 1.5 hours, which represents
an additional hour beyond the normal
speed step of 30 minutes.
Phase II High Speed Test
Based on the results of the high speed
tests of new tires in Phase I,14 we
Phase II High Speed Test Results
Tables 16 through 24, below,
summarize the results of the high-speed
revised the high speed test matrix for
Phase II by reducing the test speeds to
speeds that are more representative of
the upper limit for heavy vehicle
application. Table 15 below summarizes
the test conditions used for the high
speed test in Phase II.
test for new tires tested in Phase II, and
indicate that heavy truck tires
performed well under the test matrix of
Phase II. For the 138 tires tested for
high-speed durability, only 10 tires
failed to meet the set target of 2.5 hours
at speed. For example, the Goodyear
Drive tire samples 1, 2, and 3 (load
range H) under Test Method C,
completed 2.5, 2.4 and 2.1 hours,
respectively (see Table 17). Similarly,
the same tire brand completed 2.1, 2.4
and 1.9 hours under Test Method B.
Eighty-one out of the 138 tires were
tested to the proposed high speed
requirements. Ninety-nine percent (80/
81) met the 1.5-hour proposed
requirement, Test Method D. Several
14 Most failures occurred in Test Method A at test
speeds of 152 km/h (95 mph) or at 160 km/h (100
mph).
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
PO 00000
Frm 00041
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
EP29SE10.009</GPH>
60050
60051
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
tire models from Bridgestone and
Goodyear tire brands were tested first
and yielded very positive results under
Test Methods C and D, which were less
severe because of the lower loading
conditions. Additional tire brands
(Bridgestone, Continental, Michelin,
Kumho and Yokohama) were tested to
Test Methods C and D to validate the
test conditions for use in a potential
upgrade for the heavy truck tire
standard.
TABLE 16—PHASE II HIGH SPEED TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE F
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Target (hours)
Goodyear 647
RSS—Steer
Test Method No.
Michelin XRV—All
Pos.
Sample No.
1
D ...........................................................................................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
TABLE 17—PHASE II HIGH SPEED TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE G
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Target Hours
Bridgestone
R293—Steer
Bridgestone MIX
711—Drive
Test Method No.
General D460—
Drive
Michelin XZY3
Sample No.
1
A
B
C
D
...................................................
...................................................
...................................................
...................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
TABLE 18—PHASE II HIGH SPEED TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE H
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Target Hours
Goodyear G395—
Steer
Goodyear G167—
Drive
Test Method No.
Kumho 943—Drive
Kumho KRS02—
Drive
Yokohama
RY023—Steer
Sample No.
1
A
B
C
D
................................................
................................................
................................................
................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
1.6
2.1
2.5
2.5
2.2
2.4
2.4
2.2
1.9
1.9
2.1
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
........
........
2.5
2.5
TABLE 19—PHASE II HIGH SPEED TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE H
Group Samples (Hours Completed)
Target Hours
Goodyear
Marathon LHT
Bridgestone R184
CZ
Test Method No.
Bridgestone L320
Yokohama
TY303—Drive
Sample No.
1
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
C ...................................................
D ...................................................
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
........
2.3
........
2.5
........
1.6
........
2.5
........
2.5
........
2.5
........
1.3
........
1.8
........
1.8
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
Jkt 220001
PO 00000
Frm 00042
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
60052
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
TABLE 20—PHASE II HIGH SPEED TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE J
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Target (hours)
Goodyear Unisteel
G291—All Pos.
Test Method No.
Yokohama RY253
(wb)—All Pos.
Michelin XZY3
(wb)—All Pos.
Sample No.
1
D .......................................................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
TABLE 21—PHASE II HIGH SPEED TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE J
Target Hours
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Michelin XTA
Test Method No.
Kumho KRT02
Sample No.
1
D ...........................................................................................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.3
2.5
2.5
TABLE 22—PHASE II HIGH SPEED TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE L
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Target Hours
Continental HMS
45+
Test Method No.
Michelin XZUS—All
Pos.
Michelin XZA2
Energy—All Pos.
Sample No.
1
D .......................................................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.25
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
TABLE 23—PHASE II HIGH SPEED TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE J, NO BREAK-IN STEP
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Target (hours)
Michelin XZY3
(wb)—All Pos.
Test Method No.
Goodyear Unisteel
G291—All Pos.
Yokohama RY253
(wb)—All Pos.
Sample No.
1
D .......................................................................................
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
1.5
2. 5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
TABLE 24—PHASE II HIGH SPEED TEST RESULTS, LOAD RANGE L, NO BREAK-IN STEP
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
Target (hours)
Michelin XZUS—All
Pos.
Test Method No.
Michelin XZA2
Energy—All Pos.
Sample No.
1
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
D ...........................................................................................................................
b. Summary
The results of the endurance and high
speed tests indicated that the test
requirements of FMVSS No. 119 can be
upgraded for radial tires to specify more
stringent, yet practicable, levels of
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:16 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.15
2.5
2.3
2.5
2.5
2.5
performance that ensure better
durability in real-world applications.
Based on these test results, NHTSA
proposes to upgrade the endurance
performance requirement and establish
a new high-speed performance
PO 00000
Frm 00043
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
requirement for radial tires of load
ranges F, G, H, J, and L, that are not for
speed-restricted service, which
comprise about 98 percent of the truck
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
tires sold in the United States.15 These
tires are typically used for regional haul
and long haul operations and on
motorcoaches. The remaining 2 percent
represent the higher load rating tires
and bias ply tires, which are more often
used in mixed service (on/off-road
operations in lower speed applications),
such as construction, logging, crane, and
rigging operations. However, the agency
is also considering requiring non-speedrestricted, load range M radial tires to
comply with the upgraded endurance
and new high speed tests because some
of these tires are used in similar
applications as load range L tires. The
agency is not proposing any new
requirements for load range N tires,
which represent less than 1 percent of
new tires sold and are typically used in
lower speed operations. The agency is
also not proposing any new
requirements for bias ply tires, primarily
because they are typically not installed
on new heavy vehicles and they
represent a very small portion of the
tires sold as replacement tires. These
tires would continue to be required to
comply with the current requirements.
In addition, the agency is not proposing
updated requirements for light truck
tires with tread depth 18⁄32 inch or
greater or for speed-restricted tires;
these tires, used on light truck
applications, are load range E category,
and are not the focus of this rulemaking.
The agency is not proposing any new
requirements for bias ply tires, primarily
60053
because we are not aware that they are
installed on new heavy vehicles, and we
aimed at upgrading radial tires, which
represent the vast majority of the tires
used on heavy vehicles.
IV. Proposed Endurance Test
NHTSA is proposing to upgrade
FMVSS No. 119’s requirements for load
ranges F, G, H, J, and L tires that are not
for speed-restricted service by setting
more stringent requirements for the
endurance test. NHTSA proposes that
the endurance test be conducted using
the parameters shown in Table 25. The
proposed and current endurance test
parameters may be compared as shown
in Tables 25 and 26 below:
TABLE 25—PROPOSED FMVSS NO. 119 ENDURANCE TEST CONDITIONS
Load ranges
Load
(% max)
Steps
1
2
3
F, G, H, J, and L ......................................................................................
Speed
(km/h)
Inflation
pressure
(% max)
80
....................
80
....................
Duration
(hrs)
85
90
100
7
16
24
TABLE 26—CURRENT FMVSS NO. 119 ENDURANCE TEST CONDITIONS
Load (% max)
Inflation
pressure
(% max)
Speed
(km/h)
Load ranges
Duration (hrs)
7
F .........................................................................................................................
G ........................................................................................................................
H, J, L, M, N ......................................................................................................
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
a. Test Speed
NHTSA proposes to raise the test
speed for the endurance test to 80 km/
h (50 mph) for load range F, G, H, J, and
L tires, which are not for speedrestricted service. This represents a 25
percent increase in speed for a load
range F tire, a 43 percent increase for a
load range G tire, and a 67 percent
increase for load range H, J, and L tires.
It is noted that these tests are performed
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
..................
100
..................
24
..................
66
..................
..................
84
..................
..................
101
..................
on a curved road wheel, a 67-inch
diameter steel drum, on which the tire
being tested runs as on a treadmill.
Because the road wheel is curved, it
subjects the tire to reverse deflection
compared to a tire running on a flat
surface, which makes the tire run hotter
(and is therefore a more severe test).
According to American Society for
Testing and Materials International
(ASTM International) research on
equivalent flat-to-curved speeds based
on equivalent belt-edge temperatures, a
load range G truck tire tested on a 67inch diameter road wheel at 85 km/h
(53 mph) experiences belt-edge
temperatures similar to what a tire
experiences when tested on a flat road
surface at 120 km/h (75 mph). Thus, it
was determined that the effects on the
tire in the two situations will be similar,
even though the one tire is rotating at 85
km/h (53 mph) and the other at 120 km/
h (75 mph). (‘‘Phase 1—Final Report,’’
ASTM Truck/Bus Tire Test
Development Task Group, 9/5/06,
Docket No. NHTSA–2002–13707–10.)
In NHTSA’s Phase II testing, tires
were tested to speeds of 80, 90, and 100
km/h (50, 56, and 62 mph) as potential
upgrades to the current test speeds.
Only 3 of 30 tire samples were able to
complete a 71-hour, or even a 47-hour
test, at 100 km/h (62 mph). At 90 km/
h (56 mph), all except three of the load
range G and H tires were able to
complete 47 hours. At 80 km/h (50
mph), all of the load range F, G and H
tires completed the 71-hour test without
failure, even at 80 percent inflation.
Load range J tires had mixed results,
and for load range L tires, only 7 of 21
tires tested were able to complete 47
hours of the endurance test.
Given these results, NHTSA believes
that a speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) for the
endurance test, when coupled with the
inflation pressure and load parameters
percent, J–3 percent, L–5 percent, M and N is less
A tire would comply with the
proposed requirements if, at the end of
the endurance test as currently defined
by the standard, there is no visual
evidence of tread, sidewall, ply, cord,
inner liner, belt or bead separation,
chunking, open splices, cracking or
broken cords, and the tire pressure,
when measured at any time between 15
and 25 minutes after the end of the test,
is not less than 95% of the initial test
pressure.
15 New truck tire market share by load range is
as follows: F–5 percent, G–64 percent, H–23
64
56
48
16
than 1 percent. See Docket NHTSA–2002–13707,
item 18.1.
PO 00000
Frm 00044
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
60054
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
we are proposing, represents a
substantial and realistic upgrade over
current requirements for commercial
vehicle tires. In selecting this test speed,
we considered the maximum speed
rating of the tires we tested and those
typically used in commercial vehicle
applications, including motorcoaches,
and found that, according to tire
manufacturer catalogs,16 the majority of
the tires in these usage categories were
rated at 120 km/h (75 mph). All the test
tires that were rated at 120 km/h (75
mph) and some that were rated at 110
km/h (68 mph) or lower completed the
proposed 47-hour Endurance test
without failure. Even though load range
J and L tires comprise only about 6
percent of the commercial vehicle tire
market, NHTSA is aware that load range
J and L tires are used on some
commercial inter-city coach buses
(motorcoaches), operated on interstate
highways, and their use as such
highlights the need to propose
upgrading the endurance test speed for
these tires. The agency is aware that
while some load range J and L tires are
rated at a maximum speed of 120 km/
h (75 mph), many others are rated at
speeds between 88 km/h (55 mph) and
110 km/h (68 mph). As a result, the
agency solicits comment on the
appropriateness of the 80 km/h (50
mph) test speed for load range F, G, H,
J, and L tires in the endurance test.
The agency is also considering
requiring non-speed-restricted, load
range M radial tires to comply with the
upgraded endurance test because some
of these wide base tires may be used in
similar applications that load range L
tires are used. Given that the maximum
speed rating of these tires allows them
to be used in high speed operations,
possibly instead of two lower load range
tires, the agency believes that they
should be considered for inclusion in
the upgrade since they could be used in
different vehicle applications than the
typical speed-restricted, load range M
radial tires. Accordingly, the agency
solicits comment on requiring nonspeed-restricted, load range M radial
tires to comply with the upgraded
endurance test.
We are unaware of non-speed
restricted, radial, load range N tires
being used in high speed operations,
thus we are not proposing that they be
required to comply with this upgrade.
NHTSA does not propose to raise the
endurance test speed for non-speedrestricted, load range N tires from 48
km/h (30 mph), given their typical use
on heavy vehicles, and our concern that
16 Tire catalogs were found online (www.—) at
manufacturer Web sites.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
increasing the speed would not be
practicable. Due to their design and
typical application to heavy vehicles
used in mixed (on/off-road) service at
slow speeds, load range N tires
performed poorly even at the lowest test
speed used by NHTSA. As stated
previously, these tires make up about 1
percent of the total market for truck
tires. NHTSA believes there is no
demonstrated safety need to upgrade
these tires to comply with a more
stringent endurance test, given the
typical uses of the tires.
b. Load
NHTSA proposes to change the load
combination for the endurance test to
85, 90, and 100 percent of the tire’s
maximum load rating, from the 66, 84,
and 101 percent combination currently
required. NHTSA’s Phase II testing
specified test loads at 85, 90, and 100
percent for the same durations as
currently required in FMVSS No. 119.
Increasing the first two load steps from
66 and 84 percent increased the
stringency of the first 23 hours of the
proposed test, and makes them
consistent with the loads specified in
FMVSS No. 139’s endurance test for
light vehicle tires. NHTSA believes
increasing the test load combination
from 66, 84, 101 percent to 85, 90, and
100 percent of the tire’s maximum load
rating represents an overall upgrade of
the loading condition for FMVSS No.
119.
Tire failure on a vehicle in service can
occur due to under-inflation or
overloading, or both. Heavy vehicle tires
are used predominantly on commercial
vehicles, such as transit buses, tractor
trailer combination vehicles, and readymix concrete trucks, for which loading
to the vehicle’s gross vehicle weight
rating is typical of normal use. Noncommercial heavy vehicles such as
recreational vehicles (motor homes) and
school buses also use truck tires. Unlike
passenger cars and other light vehicles,
which are rarely loaded to their
maximum vehicle weight, heavy
vehicles are often used in commercial
service where the vehicle is loaded to its
rated cargo or passenger load to
maximize the profitability of the
vehicle’s operation. Hence, the first two
steps of the proposed endurance test
reflect the tire’s performance conditions
at which it is expected to be used in
normal service.
c. Inflation Pressure
NHTSA proposes to set inflation
pressure at 80 percent of the sidewalllabeled inflation pressure that
corresponds to the tire’s maximum load
rating. This represents a 20 percent
PO 00000
Frm 00045
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
decrease from the current endurance
test, which requires tires to be fully
inflated. Data from a tire pressure
survey conducted by FMCSA suggests
that tires on commercial vehicles
(particularly trailers) are often run
under-inflated by at least 140 kPa (20
psi).17 For a load range G tire, which has
a maximum inflation pressure of 760
kPa (110 psi), this level of underinflation represents roughly an 18
percent loss of inflation pressure.
NHTSA believes that conducting the
endurance test at some level of underinflation instead of fully inflated better
reflects real-world conditions. NHTSA
testing found that all load range G and
H tires were able to complete the
endurance test at an inflation of 80
percent of maximum, even at 80 km/h
(50 mph).18 Load range J tires, which
have a higher maximum load rating than
load range G and H tires, showed mixed
results, while higher load range L and
N tires experienced failure rates at both
the 90 percent and 80 percent levels of
inflation.
NHTSA believes that testing at this
level of under-inflation represents an
appropriate upgrade of the severity of
the endurance test for load range F
through L truck tires. We note that the
endurance tests in the light vehicle tire
standards, FMVSS Nos. 109 and 139, are
conducted with the tire under-inflated
to 25 percent below its maximum
inflation pressure. NHTSA is aware that
the tire industry considers 20 percent
under-inflation to be essentially flat for
truck tires, which are designed to run
close to their maximum inflation.
d. Duration
NHTSA proposes not to amend
FMVSS No. 119’s endurance test
duration of 47 hours. The current 47hour test at 56 km/h (35 mph) results in
a distance traveled for a load range G
tire of 2,632 km (1,645 miles), and
increasing the speed to 80 km/h (50
mph) increases the traveled distance to
3,760 km (2,350 miles), a 43 percent
increase in distance. NHTSA’s Phase II
testing extended the endurance test
duration to 71 hours so researchers
could assess how long beyond the 47hour duration the tires were able to
17 The FMCSA study, ‘‘Commercial Vehicle Tire
Condition Sensors’’ (Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration, Nov. 2003), looked at a total of
6,087 units and 35,128 tire samples and found,
among other things, that approximately 7 percent of
the sampled heavy vehicles have at least one tire
under-inflated by 20 psi or more.
18 We also note that at higher test speeds, tire
performance appears noticeably sensitive to
inflation pressures. At 100 km/h, more failures
occurred at the 80 percent inflation level, and time
to failure was also shorter at that inflation level
compared to 100 percent inflation.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
perform. Because the failure rate did not
change significantly in testing tires
beyond 47 hours,19 this indicates that
the tires’ performance to the endurance
test is less sensitive to changes in
duration than to changes in speed and
inflation pressure. Thus, we believe that
extending the duration beyond the 47
hours already required will not provide
additional performance benefits.
e. Ambient Temperature
NHTSA proposes to add a ±3 °C (±5
°F) tolerance to the current ambient
temperature specified for FMVSS No.
119’s endurance test, 35 °C (95 °F). Tire
test laboratories benefit from an ambient
temperature tolerance. The proposed ±3
°C (±5 °F) tolerance for the ambient
temperature is consistent with FMVSS
No. 109 and FMVSS No. 139 in
providing a ±3 °C (±5 °F) tolerance
needed to facilitate the operations at the
tire laboratories.20
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
f. Endurance Test Conclusions
The agency tentatively concludes that
the proposed requirements for the
endurance test better reflect the reality
of tire usage than the current FMVSS
No. 119 requirements. The proposed
parameters for the endurance test,
particularly the increased test speed and
the reduced inflation pressure, reflect
conditions that a heavy vehicle tire is
more likely to experience in normal
service.
Based on research performed by the
ASTM, a tire operated at a highway
speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) experiences
an equivalent level of stringency when
tested at 85 km/h (53 mph) on a curved
test wheel.21 We believe that the
agency’s proposed endurance test speed
of 80 km/h (50 mph) on the curved test
wheel is therefore a realistic speed.
The proposed inflation pressure for
the endurance test is 80 percent of the
maximum sidewall pressure, compared
with 100 percent currently specified in
FMVSS No. 119. According to the
results of FMCSA’s tire pressure
19 When a tire failed, it generally failed well
before 47 hours, rather than completing the 47
hours and then failing.
20 In FMVSS No. 139, NHTSA requires an
ambient temperature for road-wheel testing of not
less than 32 °C and not more than 38 °C.
21 ASTM Truck/Bus Tire Test Development Task
Group, Phase I—Final Report, September 7, 2006.
Available at Docket No. NHTSA–2002–13707, Item
10.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
monitoring survey cited above, on 6,087
heavy vehicle units with over 35,000
tires sampled, approximately 20 percent
of the vehicles had at least one tire that
was under-inflated by 20 psi or more.
As a result, testing with some level of
under-inflation reflects the reality of
what heavy truck tires typically
experience in service.
The agency’s testing to the proposed
endurance test showed that 85 percent
of all the load range F, G, H, J, and L
tires tested completed the 47-hour
portion of the test, with the load range
J and L tires speed-rated less than 75
mph comprising 11 out of 12 of the
failures under 47 hours. All the load
range G and H tires tested completed the
47-hour portion of the test without any
failures. However, even though the load
range G and H tires met the proposed
requirements when tested for a duration
of 47 hours, NHTSA expects that some
manufacturers of load range G and H
tires may make some design changes to
these tires to maintain an adequate
margin of compliance. We expect that
design changes will be needed for some
load range J and L tires, particularly
those with a maximum speed rating
lower than 120 km/h (75 mph), to
enable them to comply with the
proposed Endurance test requirements
at 80 km/h (50 mph). The agency seeks
comments on the appropriateness of the
proposed endurance test parameters for
these tires.
V. Proposed High Speed Test
In its tire testing program, NHTSA
performed high speed tests on load
range F, G and H tires because these are
the ones predominantly used on
commercial vehicles and are the most
likely of all higher load range tires to be
operated at the speed conditions
proposed for this test. NHTSA
performed high speed tests on load
range J and L tires even though the tires
have a small market share (about 8
percent), because some of these tires
have a maximum speed rating of 75
mph and are used on motorcoaches.22
22 The same size tire can become a load range G,
H, or J tire depending on its construction and on
its inflation pressure (e.g., for a 315/80R22.5 tire,
the maximum load rating (3,750 kg or 8,270 lbs) for
the load range J tire is achieved at an inflation
pressure of 830 kPa (120 psi), and the maximum
load rating (3,450 kg or 7,610 lbs) when used in the
load range H application is achieved at an inflation
pressure of 760 kPa (110 psi)). A comparison of the
PO 00000
Frm 00046
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
60055
NHTSA did not perform high speed
tests on speed-restricted load range M or
N tires, because we were aware that
these tires are not typically operated at
these speed conditions. After careful
review of the testing results and of the
information on the use of load range J
and L tires on coach buses, NHTSA
proposes to include in FMVSS No. 119
a high speed test for load range F, G, H,
J, and L tires, that are not for speedrestricted service. In addition, the
agency is also considering requiring
non-speed-restricted, load range M
radial tires to comply with the upgraded
endurance and new high speed tests
because some of these tires are used in
high speed operations. Bias ply and load
range N tires that are for speed
restricted-service would not be
subjected to a high speed test.
NHTSA proposes that the high speed
test would be initiated after a 2-hour
break-in at 80 km/h (50 mph) and 85
percent of maximum load rating, with
inflation pressure at 90 percent of
maximum. The break-in procedure
conditions a new tire for testing since it
exercises the tire components and
increases the tire temperature, which
results in some growth in the rubber
components of the tire. This tire growth
results in a slight decrease in the tire’s
inflation pressure at the end of the
break-in period and leads to less growth
and negligible pressure decrease at the
end of the 90-minute high speed test.
There is currently a high speed test in
FMVSS No. 119, but it applies only to
motorcycle tires and to non-speedrestricted tires with a rim diameter code
of 14.5 or less marked load range A, B,
C, or D. Therefore, heavy vehicle tires
with a load range of F or above have not
been required to meet the high speed
test requirements in the current
standard. Table 22 shows test
parameters for the proposed high speed
test.
load/inflation pressure values in the 2007 Tire and
Rim Association Year Book for the proposed highspeed test conditions (85 percent of maximum load
rating, 90 percent of maximum inflation pressure)
indicates that the tires are well within the load
limits specified for the test inflation pressure. For
the tire size example used above, the test load for
a load range J tire would be 3,188 kg or 7,030 lbs
(85 percent of maximum load rating) and the test
inflation pressure would be 747 kPa (108 psi),
which is well above the inflation pressure of 670
kPa needed to support that test load according to
the Year Book.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
60056
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
TABLE 27–HIGH SPEED TEST CONDITIONS
Steps
Load ranges
Speed
(km/h)
Break-in
1
2
3
80
Max—20
Max—10
Max
F, G, H, J, and L ................................................................................................
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
A tire would comply with the
proposed requirements if, at the end of
the high speed test, there is no visual
evidence of tread, sidewall, ply, cord,
inner liner, or bead separation,
chunking, open splices, cracking, or
broken cords,23 and the tire pressure,
when measured at any time between 15
and 25 minutes after the end of the test,
must not be less than 95% of the initial
test pressure. Load range M tires are not
included in the high speed test table but
the agency seeks comments on whether
those non-speed-restricted, radial tires,
should be required to comply with the
new proposed high speed test
requirements. We are unaware of nonspeed restricted, radial, load range N
tires being used in high speed
operations, thus we tentatively conclude
that they not be required to comply with
this upgrade.
a. Test Speed and Break-In Procedure
NHTSA proposes to set the test speed
for the high-speed test at the tire’s
maximum speed less 20 km/h (12 mph)
for step 1, maximum speed less 10 km/
h (6 mph) for step 2, and at maximum
speed for the final step. This approach
is similar to the approach used by the
United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (ECE) tire Regulations, which
establish tire test speeds based on the
maximum rated speed of the tire. It is
also consistent with RMA’s suggestion
to the agency that tires should only be
tested for high speed performance up to
their maximum speed rating.24 We are
proposing this approach, instead of
establishing one set of test speeds as a
minimum requirement for all tires as we
have done for motorcycle and passenger
car tires, because unlike motorcycle and
passenger car tires, heavy vehicle tires
are designed for a wide range of
applications and have a narrow range of
maximum speed ratings.
The truck tires for which we are
proposing a high speed test in FMVSS
No. 119 have speed ratings ranging only
from 100–120 km/h (62–75 mph), which
are typical operating speeds for the
heavy vehicles on which these tires are
23 We note that all of these terms are defined in
the current standard.
24 Docket No. NHTSA 2002–13707–0016.1.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
installed. If one set of test speeds were
applied to these tires regardless of the
speed rating, a tire speed rated at the
lower end of the range could be
subjected to test speeds above the speed
rating of the tire, which could be
inappropriate. (An example of this
situation is a tire speed rated to 62 mph
tested at a speed of 75 mph.)
Conversely, subjecting a tire that is
speed rated at the higher end of the
range to a test speed substantially below
the speed rating of the tire might undertest the tire and fail to evaluate its high
speed performance. Therefore, we are
proposing to establish test speeds based
on the tire’s speed rating because we
believe that it results in a high speed
test that better reflects the limits of the
tire’s performance.
However, we disagree with RMA’s
suggestion that the high speed test
procedure should exclude the break-in
step, which is normally the first step
when conducting a high speed test. The
regulatory text of this NPRM does not
remove the break-in step from the
procedure but we are soliciting
comments on whether it is appropriate
to do so. The agency’s tire testing
included a break-in step and we plan to
gather additional data on tires tested
without the break-in step to determine
whether there is a difference in the tire’s
performance.
We have tentatively decided to retain
the break-in step because the step helps
to condition the rubber components of
new tires through initial flexing that
allows the tire to expand and grow prior
to testing. As a result, tire growth is
minimized during the test, which in
turn minimizes the decrease of the test
pressure at the end of the test. Further,
the high speed test for light vehicle tires
has a break-in step. When we issued the
upgraded light vehicle tire standard in
2003, the agency included the tire
break-in procedure in FMVSS No. 139’s
high speed test procedure with the
support of the tire industry (68 FR
38151). Since the high speed test
proposed today would be a new test for
heavy vehicle tires, we are proposing to
adopt a break-in procedure similar to
that of light vehicle tires. As noted
above, Phase II high speed testing
PO 00000
Frm 00047
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
Duration
(minutes)
120
30
30
30
Load
(% max)
Inflation
pressure
(% max)
85
90
85
90
included the break-in step to evaluate
high speed performance, testing that
involved testing most tires above their
maximum speed rating.
Phase II testing used test speeds of
100, 110, and 120 km/h (62, 68, and 75
mph). The truck tires tested (load range
G and H) performed well, and most
were able to complete the 2.5-hour
target duration without failure. All
except one of the tires tested to the highspeed test in Phase II completed the first
1.5 hours without failure.
The agency solicits comments on the
performance of tires to a high speed test,
and is particularly interested in the
performance of load range J and L tires.
We are aware that while some load
range J and L tires have maximum rated
speeds at 120 km/h (75 mph), some are
rated below that speed. Further,
according to Tire and Rim Association
Yearbook, manufacturers may
recommend that tires may be used at
speeds higher than the tire
manufacturer’s rated speed if the load
and pressure are adjusted. As a result,
the agency seeks comment on the
appropriateness of the test speeds for
load range F, G, H, J, and L tires in the
high speed test. The agency tentatively
concludes that a high speed test at the
proposed test speeds represents an
important and practicable improvement
to FMVSS No. 119 in the safety
requirements of load range F, G, H, J,
and L tires that are not for speedrestricted service.
In addition, the agency is considering
requiring load range M tires speed rated
75 mph to comply with the high speed
test because some of these wide base
tires may be used in similar applications
load range L tires are used. Given that
the maximum speed rating of these tires
allows them to be used in high speed
operations, possibly instead of two
lower load range tires, the agency
believes that they should be considered
for inclusion in the upgrade since they
could be used in different vehicle
applications than the typical load range
M and N tires. Accordingly, the agency
seeks comment on the appropriateness
of requiring load range M tires speed
rated 75 mph to comply with the high
speed test.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
b. Load
NHTSA proposes to set the test load
for the high speed test at 85 percent of
the maximum load rating for the tire.
NHTSA’s testing specified test loads at
85 and 90 percent. Most tires tested
were able to complete the 90 percent
load rating application without any
failure,25 and additional tire types tested
to 85 percent load were also able to
complete 1.5 hours without failure.
We chose to select a different load for
the high speed test so as not to duplicate
the load conditions used in the
endurance test. The recent update of the
high speed test in the FMVSS No. 139
specifies a test load of 85 percent of the
tire’s maximum load rating. NHTSA
tentatively concludes that a test load of
85 percent of the maximum load rating
of the tire will provide a necessary
improvement, while setting a realistic
level of performance for load range F, G,
H, J, and L tires that are not for speedrestricted service.
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
c. Inflation Pressure
NHTSA proposes that the high speed
test inflation pressure be set at 90
percent of the sidewall-labeled inflation
pressure that corresponds to the tire’s
maximum load rating. For Phase II
testing, NHTSA researchers selected
inflation pressures of 90 and 95 percent
to assess the tire’s high-speed
performance at slight levels of under
inflation. The high speed test in the
light vehicle tire standards, FMVSS Nos.
109 and 139, is conducted with the tire
under inflated to about 8 percent below
its maximum inflation pressure.
Therefore, for this Phase II testing,
inflation pressures of 5 and 10 percent
below maximum were considered
reasonable levels. Inflation test
pressures in this range, with a test load
of 85 percent, do not result in the tire
being overloaded for the given inflation
pressure. Based on the test results where
only 10 out of 102 tires were unable to
finish the 150 minute test, NHTSA
proposes that the high speed inflation
pressure be set at 90 percent of the
sidewall-labeled inflation pressure that
corresponds to the tire’s maximum load
rating per sidewall labeling.
d. Duration
NHTSA proposes a 90-minute
duration for FMVSS No. 119’s high
speed test, to be applied to load range
F, G, H, J and L tires, that are not for
speed-restricted service. The current
25 However, the Goodyear brand drive axle tire
appeared sensitive to load, as it failed more at 90
percent load. The failure of these tires to reach the
test target of 2.5 hours duration raised some
concerns that other drive axle tires with lug-type
treads may not pass at 90 percent load.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
duration for the high speed test in
FMVSS Nos. 119 and 139 is 90 minutes,
consisting of three 30-minute speed
steps. High speed tests are typically of
relatively short duration, given that the
purpose of the test is to assess the tire’s
performance close to its upper design
limit of speed. Overall, 90 percent of the
test tires performed well at the 100, 110,
and 120 km/h (62, 68, and 75 mph)
speeds, and were able to complete 90
minutes of the test without any
failures.26 Therefore, NHTSA proposes
to extend FMVSS No. 119’s high speed
test to apply to load range F, G, H, J and
L tires, that are not for speed-restricted
service, with a total 90-minute duration.
e. Ambient Temperature
NHTSA proposes an ambient
temperature range of 35 °C ±3 °C (95 °F
±5 °F) for the FMVSS No. 119 high
speed test upgrade. The ambient
temperature specified for FMVSS No.
119’s high-speed test is currently 35 °C
(95 °F) without any temperature
tolerance. Because an ambient
temperature tolerance provides test
laboratories with needed flexibility, we
propose specifying a 6 °C tolerance for
the ambient temperature instead of a
single temperature. The agency
tentatively concludes that this proposal
for FMVSS No. 119’s high speed test is
reasonable and appropriate.
VI. Tire Maximum Speed Marking
FMVSS No. 119 currently requires
certain information to be marked on the
tire sidewall. S6.5(d) of the standard
requires that each tire’s maximum load
rating for single and dual applications
and the corresponding inflation
pressure be labeled on the sidewall,
which provides information to the
vehicle operator to ensure proper
selection and use of tires. These load
and inflation pressure values are also
used by NHTSA to determine test values
for compliance testing purposes.
The tire’s maximum speed rating is
currently not required to be labeled on
the sidewall,27 except for tires that are
speed-restricted to 90 km/h (55 mph) or
below. For speed-restricted tires, S6.5(e)
of the standard requires that the label on
the sidewall be as follows: ‘‘Max Speed
26 NHTSA’s Phase II testing extended the highspeed test to 2.5 hours to assess the limits of
performance based on current truck tire technology,
but not specifically with the aim of developing a
proposal for a longer high-speed test.
27 Currently the maximum speed ratings for most
tires are listed only in tire manufacturers’ catalogs.
Some tire manufacturers identify their tires by
maximum speed, maximum speed limit, or
allowable speed range, while others may not
publish the speed capability of their tires. Common
maximum speed ratings for tires found in catalogs
are 50, 56, 60, 62, 65, 68, 70, 75, and 81 mph.
PO 00000
Frm 00048
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
60057
__ km/h (__ mph).’’ 28 For tires that are
not speed-restricted, the end user does
not know from the tire sidewall labeling
the design maximum speed capability of
the tire for the specified maximum load
rating and corresponding inflation
pressure. We believe that having the
maximum speed rating labeled on the
sidewall would benefit the end user,
especially as the speed capability in any
one load range can vary.
As such, the agency is proposing a
requirement for a maximum speed
rating label for radial truck tires with
load ranges F and above. The agency is
proposing the same speed labeling
format as the one described in S6.5(e)—
which requires each tire to be labeled,
‘‘Max Speed __ km/h (__ mph)’’—subject
to aspects discussed below. The agency
believes that a maximum speed label
that includes a numerical value would
be less subject to misunderstanding by
consumers.
Numerical Value Versus a Symbol
We are aware that some tire
manufacturers now voluntarily label the
non-speed restricted heavy vehicle tires
they sell in the U.S. with speed
restrictions that use a different format,
i.e., speed symbols, to indicate the tire’s
speed.29 For heavy vehicle tires, the
speed symbols and the corresponding
speed category used internationally are:
F—80 km/h (50 mph); G—90 km/h (55
mph); J—100 km/h (62 mph); K—110
km/h (68 mph); and L—120 km/h (75
mph). We have tentatively determined
that the speed symbol format is less
desirable than labeling the tire with a
numerical value, because the consumer
is more likely to understand the
meaning of the latter than that of a letter
symbol. Further, the letter format could
be lead to confusion given that the
current load range label required on
heavy vehicle tires uses a similar
lettering scheme (load ranges F, G, H, J,
L, M and N) that includes letters that are
identical in some instances to the speed
symbols used on heavy vehicles (speed
symbols F, G, J, K, and L). The
corresponding speed for these speed
symbols are typically listed in the
industry publications such as the
annual Year Book of the Tire and Rim
Association or the Japan Automobile
Tyre Manufacturers Association.
28 Tire manufacturers currently may include the
speed rating, voluntarily, for tires that are not speed
restricted to 90 km/h or less.
29 As discussed later in this preamble, the Rubber
Manufacturers Association has suggested to NHTSA
that the agency require all radial tires with a load
range of F and higher (that are not speed restricted)
be labeled with a service description identified by
an international labeling system.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
60058
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
We recognize that many large trucking
fleets work closely with tire dealers,
who have ready access to the industry
publications and who recommend the
best tires for the fleets based on vehicle
use and in-service conditions. However,
since many of the small fleets and
owner-operated fleets make their own
tire purchasing decisions without such
help, labeling that is clear and easy to
understand (the numerical value)
should help users purchase the
appropriate tires for their vehicles,
know the speed restrictions of the tire,
and use the tires in accordance with
those speed restrictions.
Multiples of 10 km/h
We propose to require that
manufacturers must label their tires
with maximum rated speeds in
multiples of 10 km/h (e.g., 100, 110, or
120 km/h). The proposed new high
speed test specifies test speeds that are
multiples of 10 km/h: the test speed for
the high-speed test would be the tire’s
maximum speed less 20 km/h (12 mph)
for step 1, the tire’s maximum speed
less 10 km/h (6 mph) for step 2, and at
maximum speed for the final step.
NHTSA believes that compliance testing
for High Speed performance would be
conducted more efficiently and be less
subject to test-speed problems, if the
markings are in multiples of 10 km/h.
Terminology
We note that some manufacturers use
the term ‘‘Maximum Speed’’ in their tire
catalogs, while others use ‘‘Speed
Rating.’’ We seek comment on whether
‘‘Speed Rating’’ should be used on the
label, instead of or in addition to ‘‘Max
Speed.’’
VII. Other Issues
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
a. Alternatives Considered
1. International Standards
The ECE regulation that is applicable
to truck tires is ECE Regulation 54,
Uniform Provisions Concerning the
Approval of Pneumatic Tyres for
Commercial Vehicles and Their
Trailers. It applies to both heavy truck
tires and light truck tires, as was the
case for FMVSS No. 119 prior to the
establishment of FMVSS No. 139. It
includes a load/speed endurance test
that is similar to the existing FMVSS
No. 119 endurance test for medium/
heavy truck tires. The test parameters
for load, inflation pressure, and
duration are identical to those specified
in FMVSS No. 119, except for the
ambient temperature, which is specified
at 25 °C ± 5 °C, compared with the
specification of 35 °C ± 3 °C as proposed
for the revision to FMVSS No. 119. The
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
other difference between the two
standards is that ECE Regulation 54 uses
the tire’s speed category to determine its
test speed, whereas FMVSS No. 119
uses the tire’s load range to determine
its test speed. The test speeds in ECE
Regulation 54 are approximately 48–56
km/h (30–35 mph) lower than the
maximum speed rating of the tire,
which results in test speeds that are in
a speed range not very much different
from the test speed required in FMVSS
No. 119 for non-speed-restricted tires.
Test speeds in ECE Regulation 54 range
from 32–72 km/h (20–45 mph) whereas
the Endurance test speeds in FMVSS
No. 119 range from 48–64 km/h (30–40
mph). Hence, the severity of the ECE
regulation for heavy vehicle tires is
about the same as for tires under the
current FMVSS No. 119. Additionally,
the ECE has no high speed test for truck
tires. In short, ECE Regulation 54
contains test parameters and
performance requirements that are, in
some cases, similar to the current
FMVSS No. 119, but that we believe are
in other cases less stringent.
The agency is not aware of other truck
tire standards that are different from
ECE Regulation 54 or FMVSS No. 119,
since many national regulations
typically adopt some version of the ECE
regulation or the FMVSS.
2. ASTM Truck/Bus Tire Test
Development Task Group
The ASTM Truck/Bus Tire Test
Development Task Group recommended
that the agency consider the artificial
stresses and temperature impacts that
are introduced into tire testing when
tires (particularly medium truck tires
and larger) are tested on a 67-inch
diameter test road-wheel, as compared
to a flat surface. The task group has been
working to develop a tire temperature
prediction model for two critical crown
area temperatures, tread centerline and
belt edge, based on comparisons of tire
temperatures obtained from tests of five
load range G tires 30 on a 67-inch
diameter curved road wheel, on a flat
track test surface, and on an outdoor test
track. (‘‘Phase 1–Final Report,’’ ASTM
Truck/Bus Tire Test Development Task
Group, 9/5/06, Docket No. NHTSA–
2002–13707–10. ‘‘Phase I & II Review,’’
ASTM Truck/Bus Tire Test
Development Task Group, 5/15/08,
Docket No. NHTSA–2002–13707–14.)
As a result of this work, the task group
found that, for the five load range G tires
it tested: (a) The average predicted
30 The test tires, from Bridgestone, Goodyear, and
Michelin, included three drive axle tires with a
tread depth of 30/32 inch; one steer axle tire with
a tread depth of 18/32 inch; and one trailer axle tire
with a tread depth of 12/32 inch.
PO 00000
Frm 00049
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
temperature increases an average of 39
°C (70 °F) at the tread centerline and 22
°C (40 °F) at the tire’s belt edge when
tested on a 67-inch diameter curved
road-wheel as compared to temperatures
obtained from tires tested on a flat
surface; (b) equivalent tread centerline
temperatures were obtained between
tires tested on a curved road-wheel at 67
km/h (42 mph) and tires tested on a flat
roadway surface at 120 km/h (75 mph);
and (c) equivalent tread belt edge
temperatures were obtained between
tires tested on a curved road-wheel at 79
km/h (49 mph) and tires tested on a flat
roadway speed at 120 km/h (75 mph).
The task group recommended that
NHTSA develop a standard based on
maintaining equivalent tire crown area
temperatures (i.e., centerline, shoulder,
and belt edge) between flat and curve
test surfaces.
It should be noted that in 2008, the
Task Group also completed a Phase II,
which included load range J and L tires
to validate the applicability of the truck
tire test conditions to additional tire
sizes and service applications such as
inter-city buses and refuse trucks and
ready mix cement trucks. ASTM
concluded from the results of Phase II
that for tires with a maximum speed
rating below 120 km/h (75 mph) the
Endurance test speed should be reduced
from 80 km/h (50 mph) to 72 km/h (45
mph).
NHTSA is aware that a tire operated
on a curved road-wheel, compared to a
tire operated on a flat road surface,
experiences higher centerline and belt
edge temperatures due to several factors,
e.g., severe reverse curvature at the tire
contact patch; distortion of the tire
contact patch shape; and over-deflection
of the tire sidewall. NHTSA’s tests are
conducted on a curved road-wheel.
There appears to be several anomalies in
the results from the ASTM model, such
as the centerline temperatures being
higher for the 18/32-inch tread depth
tire compared with the centerline
temperatures for the 30/32-inch tread
depth tire. (A tire with a greater tread
depth generally runs hotter than one
with a lower tread depth.) There are also
test conditions where the model
predicted lower tire temperatures when
tested on the road-wheel than the tire
temperatures when tested on the flat
track machine and the test track. In
addition, the test duration for the tires
the task group tested was limited to 60
minutes to achieve a steady-state
temperature, which does not reflect the
level of stringency a tire experiences
during a 47-hour test as performed
under the current FMVSS No. 119
endurance test.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
Nevertheless, we note that our
rulemaking proposal to upgrade the
endurance test includes parameters that
are on the same order of magnitude as
those provided in the task group’s
recommendations. Our proposal
includes an endurance test speed of 80
km/h (50 mph) on a curved road-wheel,
up to 100 percent maximum load rating,
80 percent of the maximum inflation
pressure, and 35 °C (95 °F) ambient
temperature. From the results in our
Phase II endurance and high-speed tests,
we tentatively believe that these
parameters are reasonable and
practicable and consistent with the task
group’s recommendation.
3. Rubber Manufacturers Association
On May 14, 2009, RMA submitted
information to the agency regarding an
upgrade of FMVSS No. 119 (see Docket
No. NHTSA 2002–13707–0016.1 (RMA
Perspective on the FMVSS 119
Revisions and Updates Mandated by the
TREAD Act)). RMA’s information
included suggestions for a number of
matters regulated by FMVSS No. 119,
including the endurance and high speed
tests, and had data from tests it had
conducted (although from only one
manufacturer). The suggestions are
briefly described below.
RMA suggested that NHTSA mandate
that all radial tires with a load range of
F and higher (that are not for speedrestricted service) be labeled with a
service description identified by an
international labeling system, in support
of global harmonization and that it be
used as the basis for testing.31 RMA
suggested that the endurance test speed
in the upgraded FMVSS No. 119 be
based on that speed symbol. RMA
suggested that tires with speed symbols
of J, K, L, and M be tested at a speed
equal to the difference between the
speed symbol and 40 km/h (25 mph). If
the tire has a speed symbol L, which
deciphered is a speed rating of 120 km/
h (75 mph), the endurance test speed
would be 80 km/h (50 mph), or if a tire
has a speed symbol J, which deciphered
is a speed rating of 100 km/h (62 mph),
the endurance test speed would be 60
km/h (37 mph).
RMA suggested that if a high speed
test is adopted in FMVSS No. 119, the
test should be a stepped-up speed test
with three 30-minute steps. The test
speeds RMA suggested would be
indexed to the corresponding speed
symbol of the tire (i.e., step 1 test speed
31 The corresponding values for the maximum
load and speed symbols of that labeling system may
be found in literature published by entities such as:
Tire & Rim Association, European Tyre and Rim
Technical Organization, Japan Automobile Tyre
Manufacturers Association, and others.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
is 20 km/h below the speed symbol, step
2 test speed is 10 km/h below the speed
symbol, and step 3 test speed is run at
corresponding speed for that symbol).
Further, RMA believed that the high
speed test should be conducted without
the initial break-in step. According to
RMA, there are data supporting that the
tire growth during the break-in step was
negligible, and that the step was thus
unnecessary.
Test conditions such as inflation
pressure, load, duration, and ambient
temperature in RMA’s suggested tests
(endurance and high speed) would be
the same as NHTSA’s proposed test
conditions. Other issues discussed by
RMA may be found in the docket
submission.
Some of RMA’s suggestions have been
incorporated into this NPRM. As
discussed above, NHTSA has proposed
requiring tires to have a maximum
speed rating label on their sidewalls so
that users will know a tire’s maximum
speed capability. Thus, a labeling
proposal in included in this NPRM.
However, as explained above, the
agency believes that using an
international labeling system to identify
the tire’s maximum load and speed
ratings would not benefit end users in
the U.S. because the literature used to
reference these values may not be
readily available for all users, and
because the lettering system may be
confusing. Accordingly, the NPRM
proposes that a numerical value be
labeled rather than a symbol.
This NPRM incorporates RMA’s
suggestion that a high speed test should
comprise a stepped-up speed test with
three 30-minute steps using test speeds
indexed to the corresponding speed
rating of the tire. However, as explained
earlier in this document, this NPRM
does not propose RMA’s suggestion to
remove the break-in step from the high
speed test but we are soliciting
comments on whether it is appropriate
to do so.
With regard to RMA’s suggestion
about the endurance test, at this time
the agency does not believe that all tires
should be tested to 40 km/h (25 mph)
less than the tire’s maximum speed
rating in the endurance test. RMA used
research findings from the ASTM as a
basis for the suggestion to establish the
test speeds. ASTM found that there was
an equivalence in belt edge
temperatures for tires tested on a flat
road surface at 120 km/h (75 mph) and
on a curved road wheel at 80 km/h (50
mph). Hence, this 40-km/h (25-mph)
differential was used by RMA in its
recommendations for the test speeds
NHTSA should propose for the
endurance test.
PO 00000
Frm 00050
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
60059
The RMA test data used to support its
recommendations was limited,
generated from only one of its members,
Bridgestone Firestone. Also, the mix of
tires in the RMA data did not reflect the
real-world mix of heavy vehicle tires
sold in the U.S. Although the ASTM
findings appear to support the finding
that a 40-km/h (25-mph) differential
exists in test speeds in the 120-km/h
(75-mph) range, NHTSA does not have
enough information to conclude that
these findings can be extrapolated to
include speeds much lower than 120
km/h (75 mph). The agency is currently
reviewing data from lower speed rated
tires 100 km/h (62 mph). We request
data from tire manufacturers on the
performance of lower speed rated tires,
particularly for the proposed endurance
test, and comments from the public on
RMA’s submission to the docket.
We believe that the NPRM’s proposed
test conditions for the endurance test
are practicable and reasonable and
reflect our recognition of the severity of
the endurance test on the curved road
wheel.32 Our data show that some tires
that are speed rated 65 mph were able
to meet the proposed endurance test
when tested to 80 km/h (50 mph). The
vast majority of the tires we tested
completed the proposed 47-hour
endurance test at 80 km/h (50 mph)
without failure.
b. Deep Tread Truck Tires
The agency tested tires with tread
depths that are typical of on-road
service, and included drive axle tires
with tread depths of about 30/32 inch,
steel axle tires with tread depths of
about 18/32 inch, and trailer tires with
tread depths around 12/32 inch. We are
aware that there are deep tread truck
tires with a load range of H, J, or L that
have tread depths greater than 32/32
inch, but none of these tires was
included in our testing because they
appear to represent a very small
percentage of heavy truck tires. We are
soliciting public comments on the
applicability of the proposed endurance
and high speed requirements to deep
tread truck tires and welcome test data
submissions for the docket.
c. Correction of Table III
In Table III, ‘‘Endurance Test
Schedule,’’ of FMVSS No. 119, there are
several minor items of information that
have been inadvertently omitted from
the table over the course of years of
amendments to the standard, most
recently when the standard was
32 The endurance test is a more stringent test than
the high speed test, primarily because of the lower
inflation pressure and longer duration specified for
the test.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
60060
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
amended on June 26, 2003. The Table III
proposed in today’s NPRM corrects
those omissions, by including for tires
described as ‘‘All other,’’ a row for load
range A, B, C, and D tires, and a row for
load range E tires, which include biasply tires and others not covered under
FMVSS No. 139. Footnote text has also
been added to correspond to the
footnote superscripts 1 and 2. In
addition, the current Table III does not
include load range C and D for speedrestricted service and load range M on
the list of tires for non-speed-restricted
service but it does include load range N,
which is a higher load range tire. Load
range C and D were inadvertently
excluded from Table III. Also, load
range M has been inadvertently
excluded from Table III since both load
range M and N tires are included in the
list of speed-restricted tires required to
comply with FMVSS No. 119. The
agency seeks comments on including
load range M on the list of non-speedrestricted tires covered under the
standard. In addition, we are proposing
to change the superscript format from
numerical values 1 and 2 to alphabet
letters A and B to enhance clarity. We
are also seeking comments on this issue.
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
d. Separate Standard
We note for the reader that, assuming
we issue a final rule on this subject, the
final rule might separate the non-speedrestricted, radial tires of load ranges F,
G, H, J, and L, from the requirements
currently in FMVSS No. 119 that this
NPRM does not propose to upgrade. We
might set forth the upgraded
requirements for the non-speedrestricted, radial tires of load ranges F,
G, H, J, and L, in a new standard to
make clear the regulatory language
between those tires whose requirements
were not upgraded. The agency took the
same approach when it upgraded tires
for vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kg
(10,000 lb) or less, establishing FMVSS
No. 139. RMA has also endorsed this
approach in its letter to the agency; see
Docket No. NHTSA 2002–13707–0016.1,
p. 13.
VIII. Proposed Effective Date
NHTSA proposes that the proposed
requirements for load range F, G, and H
tires be effective two years after
publication of a final rule. The results
of the tire research indicate that most
load range G and H tires are able to meet
the proposed requirements with little if
any modification. Load range J tires
might need some design changes to
comply with the upgraded
requirements. Given the need for
modification and the small market share
of the tires, the agency proposes an
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
effective date of three years after
publication of a final rule for load range
J and L tires. In addition, the agency’s
proposal to establish new labeling
requirements for the maximum speed
rating of the tire would require changes
in some tire molds. We propose that the
new maximum speed rating labeling
requirements for load range F, G, H, J,
and L tires be effective 5 years after the
publication of the final rule. NHTSA
requests comment on the proposed lead
time for meeting the performance
requirements and the labeling
requirements.
IX. Costs and Benefits
According to Modern Tire Dealer, the
2008 sales for medium and heavy truck
original equipment and replacement
tires were 4.3 million and 15.5 million,
respectively. Comments are requested
on the number of tire sales by all (F, G,
H, J, and L) load ranges and speed
ratings. All of the G load range tires
tested passed the proposed criteria.
Also, all of the H load range tires tested,
except for one brand speed rated at 62
mph, passed the proposed criteria. For
the endurance test, of the six J load
range brand/models tested, all three
tires from three brand/models passed,
two of three from a fourth brand/model
passed, none of a fifth brand/model
passed, and three tires from a sixth
brand passed. Costs to bring the H and
J load range tires into compliance with
the proposal are not anticipated to be
greater than $15 per tire.
Out of the fifteen load range L tires
tested (three tires for each of five brand/
models), only seven tires passed the
proposed test and two did so with a
small margin based on the proposed 47
hours duration for the endurance test.
Comments are requested on the
technology needed and cost to make
other load range L tires pass the
proposed endurance test. At one end of
the cost spectrum, improved rubber
compounds could be a countermeasure
that could reduce heat retention with
costs at about an additional $0.25 per
pound. Since these tires have about 100
pounds of rubber this would add $25 in
costs to each L load range tire. At the
other end of the cost range, one could
assume these tires need to be made
significantly lighter to pass the test with
better materials. This would entail using
ultra high tensile strength steel costing
an additional $2 per pound. Those tires
now have 35 pounds of steel in them,
totaling $70. Combining these two
methods could add up to $95 per tire
(these tires typically cost about $525
each). Comments are also requested on
the costs associated with the new speed
labeling requirement.
PO 00000
Frm 00051
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
As discussed above, the costs to bring
load range H, J and L tires to compliance
with the proposed requirements are
estimated to range from $15 to $95 per
tire. The combined H, J, and L load
range tire sales comprised about 29
percent of the total medium and heavy
truck tire sales (19.8 million tires). Of
the 29 percent, about 23 percent or
4,554,000 are believed to be H load
range tires, about 3 percent or 594,000
are believed to be J load range tires, and
about 3 percent or 594,000 to be L load
range tires. There are an estimated
227,700 sales for H load range tires,
118,800 sales for J load range tires and
118,800 sales for L load range tires, all
with a speed rating of 62, 65 or 68 mph.
Applying the failure rate and cost per
tire to the estimated sales of H, J and L
load range tires with a speed rating of
62, 65 or 68 mph would result in a total
cost of $13,314,362.
NHTSA believes that this NPRM has
a beneficial effect on safety in that it
would ensure greater tire durability as
tires are held to more stringent
standards than currently required.
However, the agency has limited data on
the crashes in the crash databases
related to tires in these load ranges.
Comments are requested on the different
applications of various speed rating and
load range tires (e.g., over the road bus
operations, etc.).
X. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices
Executive Order 12866 and DOT
Regulatory Policies and Procedures
This rulemaking document was not
reviewed by the Office of Management
and Budget under E.O. 12866. It is not
considered to be significant under E.O.
12866 or the Department’s Regulatory
Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034;
February 26, 1979). This document
proposes upgrades to FMVSS No. 119
that we believe most tire manufacturers
will be able to meet without substantial
difficulty. NHTSA has prepared a
regulatory evaluation that discusses the
costs and other impacts of this proposed
rule.33
NHTSA believes that this NPRM has
a beneficial effect on safety in that it
would ensure greater tire durability as
tires are held to more stringent
standards than currently required.
However, there might be some cost
impacts for manufacturers of lower
speed rated load range J and L tires.
Some of these tires may not meet the
33 The evaluation may be obtained by contacting
Docket Management at the address or telephone
number provided at the beginning of this document.
You may also read the document via the Internet,
by following the instructions in the section below
entitled, ‘‘Public Participation.’’ The evaluation will
be listed in the docket summary.
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
proposed requirements in NHTSA’s test
program. Of the heavy-duty load range
J and L tires that did not uniformly pass
the upgrade testing, we anticipate that
the costs to bring them into compliance
would be no greater than $15 per load
range J tire and $95 per load range L
tire. Comments are requested on the
costs of meeting the proposed changes
to 571.119.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility
Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., as amended by
the Small Business Regulatory
Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) of
1996), whenever an agency is required
to publish a notice of proposed
rulemaking or final rule, it must prepare
and make available for public comment
a regulatory flexibility analysis that
describes the effect of the rule on small
entities (i.e., small businesses, small
organizations, and small governmental
jurisdictions). The Small Business
Administration’s regulations at 13 CFR
Part 121 define a small business, in part,
as a business entity ‘‘which operates
primarily within the United States.’’ (13
CFR 121.105(a)). No regulatory
flexibility analysis is required if the
head of an agency certifies the
rulemaking will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities. SBREFA
amended the Regulatory Flexibility Act
to require Federal agencies to provide a
statement of the factual basis for
certifying that a rule will not have a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
NHTSA has considered the effects of
this proposed rule under the Regulatory
Flexibility Act. I certify that this
proposed rule would not have a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
The proposed rule, which would apply
to new pneumatic tires, would affect tire
manufacturers and/or suppliers. The
agency does not believe that any of the
tire manufacturers affected by this
proposed rule are small businesses.
However, small tire retail outlets across
the country could in some small way be
impacted by the proposal, in that the
cost of some tires might increase.
The agency requests comments
concerning the economic impact of the
proposed rule on any small tire
manufacturers, tire retail outlets, or any
other entities which the agency has not
mentioned.
Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)
NHTSA has examined today’s
proposed rule pursuant to Executive
Order 13132 (64 FR 43255; Aug. 10,
1999) and concluded that no additional
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
consultation with States, local
governments, or their representatives is
mandated beyond the rulemaking
process. The agency has concluded that
the proposal does not have sufficient
federalism implications to warrant
consultation with State and local
officials or the preparation of a
federalism summary impact statement.
The proposed rule does not have
‘‘substantial direct effects on the States,
on the relationship between the national
government and the States, or on the
distribution of power and
responsibilities among the various
levels of government.’’
NHTSA rules can have preemptive
effect in two ways. First, the National
Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act
contains an express preemption
provision:
When a motor vehicle safety standard is in
effect under this chapter, a State or a political
subdivision of a State may prescribe or
continue in effect a standard applicable to
the same aspect of performance of a motor
vehicle or motor vehicle equipment only if
the standard is identical to the standard
prescribed under this chapter.
49 U.S.C. 30103(b)(1). It is this
statutory command that preempts any
non-identical State legislative and
administrative law 34 addressing the
same aspect of performance, not today’s
rulemaking.
Second, the Supreme Court has
recognized the possibility, in some
instances, of implied preemption of
State requirements imposed on motor
vehicle manufacturers, including
sanctions imposed by State tort law.
That possibility is dependent upon
there being an actual conflict between a
FMVSS and the State requirement. If
and when such a conflict exists, the
Supremacy Clause of the Constitution
makes the State requirements
unenforceable. See Geier v. American
Honda Motor Co., 529 U.S. 861 (2000),
finding implied preemption of State tort
law on the basis of a conflict discerned
by the court,35 not on the basis of an
intent to preempt asserted by the agency
itself.36
NHTSA has considered the nature
(e.g., the language and structure of the
regulatory text) and objectives of today’s
proposed rule and does not discern any
existing State requirements that conflict
34 The issue of potential preemption of State tort
law is addressed in the immediately following
paragraph discussing implied preemption.
35 The conflict was discerned based upon the
nature (e.g., the language and structure of the
regulatory text) and the safety-related objectives of
FMVSS requirements in question and the impact of
the State requirements on those objectives.
36 Indeed, in the rulemaking that established the
rule at issue in Geier, the agency did not assert
preemption.
PO 00000
Frm 00052
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
60061
with the proposed rule or the potential
for any future State requirements that
might conflict with it. Without any
conflict, there could not be any implied
preemption of State law, including State
tort law.
National Technology Transfer and
Advancement Act
Under the National Technology
Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995
(NTTAA) (Pub. L. 104–113), ‘‘all Federal
agencies and departments shall use
technical standards that are developed
or adopted by voluntary consensus
standards bodies, using such technical
standards as a means to carry out policy
objectives or activities determined by
the agencies and departments.’’
Voluntary consensus standards are
technical standards (e.g., materials
specifications, test methods, sampling
procedures, and business practices) that
are developed or adopted by voluntary
consensus standards bodies, such as the
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
The NTTAA directs us to provide
Congress, through OMB, explanations
when we decide not to use available and
applicable voluntary consensus
standards.
NHTSA was unable to find any
voluntary consensus standards relevant
to this rulemaking. Additionally, please
see section VI.A.1 above for discussion
of international standards considered by
the agency in this rulemaking.
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
of 1995 requires agencies to prepare a
written assessment of the costs, benefits
and other effects of proposed or final
rules that include a Federal mandate
likely to result in the expenditure by
State, local, or tribal governments, in the
aggregate, or by the private sector, of
more than $100 million annually
(adjusted for inflation with base year of
1995). This proposed rule will not result
in expenditures by State, local, or tribal
governments, in the aggregate, or by the
private sector in excess of $100 million
annually.
National Environmental Policy Act
NHTSA has analyzed this rulemaking
action for the purposes of the National
Environmental Policy Act. The agency
has determined that implementation of
this action will not have any significant
impact on the quality of the human
environment.
Executive Order 12988
With respect to the review of the
promulgation of a new regulation,
section 3(b) of Executive Order 12988,
‘‘Civil Justice Reform’’ (61 FR 4729,
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
60062
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
February 7, 1996) requires that
Executive agencies make every
reasonable effort to ensure that the
regulation: (1) Clearly specifies the
preemptive effect; (2) clearly specifies
the effect on existing Federal law or
regulation; (3) provides a clear legal
standard for affected conduct, while
promoting simplification and burden
reduction; (4) clearly specifies the
retroactive effect, if any; (5) adequately
defines key terms; and (6) addresses
other important issues affecting clarity
and general draftsmanship under any
guidelines issued by the Attorney
General. This document is consistent
with that requirement.
Pursuant to this Order, NHTSA notes
as follows.
The issue of preemption is discussed
above in connection with E.O. 13132.
NHTSA notes further that there is no
requirement that individuals submit a
petition for reconsideration or pursue
other administrative proceeding before
they may file suit in court.
Paperwork Reduction Act
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995 (PRA), a person is not required
to respond to a collection of information
by a Federal agency unless the
collection displays a valid OMB control
number. This proposed rule contains no
reporting requirements or requests for
information.
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
Plain Language
Executive Order 12866 and the
President’s memorandum of June 1,
1998, require each agency to write all
rules in plain language. Application of
the principles of plain language
includes consideration of the following
questions:
• Have we organized the material to
suit the public’s needs?
• Are the requirements in the rule
clearly stated?
• Does the rule contain technical
language or jargon that isn’t clear?
• Would a different format (grouping
and order of sections, use of headings,
paragraphing) make the rule easier to
understand?
• Would more (but shorter) sections
be better?
• Could we improve clarity by adding
tables, lists, or diagrams?
• What else could we do to make the
rule easier to understand?
If you have any responses to these
questions, please include them in your
comments on this proposal.
Regulation Identifier Number (RIN)
The Department of Transportation
assigns a regulation identifier number
(RIN) to each regulatory action listed in
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
the Unified Agenda of Federal
Regulations. The Regulatory Information
Service Center publishes the Unified
Agenda in April and October of each
year. You may use the RIN contained in
the heading at the beginning of this
document to find this action in the
Unified Agenda.
Privacy Act
Please note that anyone is able to
search the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our
dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the
comment, if submitted on behalf of an
association, business, labor union, etc.).
You may review DOT’s complete
Privacy Act Statement in the Federal
Register published on April 11, 2000
(Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477–
78), or you may visit https://
www.dot.gov/privacy.html.
XI. Public Participation
How do I prepare and submit
comments?
Your comments must be written and
in English. To ensure that your
comments are correctly filed in the
Docket, please include the docket
number of this document in your
comments. Your comments must not be
more than 15 pages long.37 We
established this limit to encourage you
to write your primary comments in a
concise fashion. However, you may
attach necessary additional documents
to your comments. There is no limit on
the length of the attachments.
Please submit your comments by a
method set forth in the ADDRESSES
section at the beginning of this
document.
Please note that pursuant to the Data
Quality Act, in order for substantive
data to be relied upon and used by the
agency, it must meet the information
quality standards set forth in the OMB
and DOT Data Quality Act guidelines.
Accordingly, we encourage you to
consult the guidelines in preparing your
comments. OMB’s guidelines may be
accessed at https://www.whitehouse.gov/
omb/fedreg/reproducible.html.
How do I submit confidential business
information?
If you wish to submit any information
under a claim of confidentiality, you
should submit three copies of your
complete submission, including the
information you claim to be confidential
business information, to the Chief
Counsel, NHTSA, at the address given
above under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT. When you send a comment
37 See
PO 00000
49 CFR 553.21.
Frm 00053
Fmt 4702
containing information claimed to be
confidential business information, you
should include a cover letter setting
forth the information specified in our
confidential business information
regulation.38
In addition, you should submit a
copy, from which you have deleted the
claimed confidential business
information, to the Docket by one of the
methods set forth above.
Will the Agency Consider Late
Comments?
We will consider all comments
received before the close of business on
the comment closing date indicated
above under DATES. To the extent
possible, we will also consider
comments received after that date.
Therefore, if interested persons believe
that any new information the agency
places in the docket affects their
comments, they may submit comments
after the closing date concerning how
the agency should consider that
information for the final rule.
If a comment is received too late for
us to consider in developing a final rule
(assuming that one is issued), we will
consider that comment as an informal
suggestion for future rulemaking action.
How Can I Read the Comments
Submitted By Other People?
You may read the materials placed in
the docket for this document (e.g., the
comments submitted in response to this
document by other interested persons)
at any time by going to https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for accessing the dockets.
You may also read the materials at the
DOT Docket .
List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 571
Imports, Motor vehicle safety, Motor
vehicles, Rubber and rubber products,
and Tires.
In consideration of the foregoing, we
propose to amend 49 CFR part 571 to
read as follows:
PART 571—FEDERAL MOTOR
VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS
1. The authority citation for Part 571
continues to read as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 322, 30111, 30115,
30166 and 30177; delegation of authority at
49 CFR 1.50.
2. Section 571.119 is amended by
revising S3(a), S6.1.2(b), S6.3, S6.5(e),
S7.1.2, S7.2(a), S7.2(e), S7.4, S7.4.1,
S7.4.2, and Table III, by removing and
reserving S3(b), and by adding
definitions to S4, in alphabetical order.
38 See
Sfmt 4702
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
49 CFR 512.
29SEP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
The revised and added paragraphs
read as follows:
§ 571.119 Standard No. 119; New
pneumatic tires for motor vehicles with a
GVWR of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000
pounds) and motorcycles.
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
*
*
*
*
*
S3. * * *
(a) New pneumatic light truck tires,
for use on motor vehicles with a GVWR
of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or
less manufactured after 1948, of the
following type: With a tread depth of
18/32 inch or greater, bias-ply with
tread depth of 18/32 inch or less, and
speed-restricted service.
(b) [Reserved]
*
*
*
*
*
S4. * * *
Bias ply tire means a pneumatic tire
in which the ply cords that extend to
the beads are laid at alternate angles
substantially less than 90 degrees to the
centerline of the tread.
*
*
*
*
*
Maximum speed rating means the
maximum speed, as specified by the tire
manufacturer, at which the tire can
carry a load corresponding to the
maximum load rating for single usage at
the corresponding inflation pressure.
*
*
*
*
*
Non-speed-restricted service tire
means a tire with a maximum speed
rating above 90 km/h (55 mph).
Radial ply tire means a pneumatic tire
in which the ply cords that extend to
the beads are laid at substantially 90
degrees to the centerline of the tread.
Speed-restricted service tire means a
tire with a maximum speed rating of 90
km/h (55 mph) or less.
*
*
*
*
*
S6.1.2 * * *
(b) The tire pressure, when measured
at any time between 15 minutes and 25
minutes after the end of the test, shall
not be less than 95 percent of the initial
pressure specified in S7.2(a), for the
endurance test, and in S7.4.2(a) for the
high speed test.
*
*
*
*
*
S6.3 High-speed performance. When
tested in accordance with the
procedures of S7.4, a tire shall meet the
requirements set forth in S6.1.1 and
S6.1.2(a) and (b). However, this
requirement applies only to motorcycle
tires, to non-speed restricted tires of
nominal rim diameter code 14.5 or less
marked load range A, B, C, or D, and to
non-speed restricted radial tires marked
load range F, G, H, J, or L.
*
*
*
*
*
S6.5 * * *
(e)(1) Subject to S6.5(e)(2), the speed
that corresponds to the maximum speed
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
rating for each speed-restricted service
tire and each non-speed-restricted
service radial tire of load range F, G, H,
J, and L shall be shown as follows:
Max speed ___ km/h (___ mph)
(2) For each non-speed-restricted
service radial tire of load range F, G, H,
J, and L, the speed shown shall be in a
multiple of 10 km/h.
*
*
*
*
*
S7.1.2 The tire must be capable of
meeting the requirements of S7.2 and
S7.4 when conditioned to a temperature
of 35 °C ± 3 °C (95 °F ± 5 °F) for 3 hours
before the test is conducted, and with an
ambient temperature maintained at 35
°C ± 3 °C (95 °F ± 5 °F) during all phases
of testing. The tire must be capable of
meeting the requirements of S7.3 when
conditioned at a temperature of 21 °C ±
3 °C (70 °F ± 5 °F) for 3 hours before
the test is conducted.
S7.2 Endurance. (a) Mount the tire
on a model rim assembly and inflate it
as follows: For a non-speed restricted
radial tire of load range F, G, H, J, or L,
inflate it to 80 percent of the inflation
pressure corresponding to the maximum
load rating marked on the tire. For all
other tires, inflate it to 100 percent of
the inflation pressure corresponding to
the maximum load rating marked on the
tire. Use the single maximum load value
when the tire is marked with both single
and dual maximum loads.
*
*
*
*
*
(e) Allow the tire to cool for between
15 and 25 minutes after running the tire
for the required time. Measure the tire
inflation pressure. Remove the tire from
the model rim assembly, and inspect the
tire for conditions specified in S6.1.2(a)
and (b).
*
*
*
*
*
S7.4 High-speed performance.
S7.4.1 Motorcycle tires, and nonspeed restricted tires of nominal rim
diameter code 14.5 or less marked load
range A, B, C, or D.
(a) Mount the tire on a test rim and
inflate it to the pressure corresponding
to the maximum load rating marked on
the tire. Use the single maximum load
value when the tire is marked with both
single and dual maximum load.
(b) Condition the tire and rim
assembly in accordance with S7.1.2.
(c) Before or after mounting the
assembly on a test axle, adjust the tire
pressure to that specified in S7.4.1(a).
(d) Mount the tire-rim assembly on an
axle and press it against a flat-faced
steel test wheel that is 1708 mm (67.23
inches) in diameter and at least as wide
as the tread of the tire
(e) Apply a force of 88 percent of the
maximum load rating marked on the tire
PO 00000
Frm 00054
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
60063
(use the single maximum load value
when the tire is marked with both single
and dual maximum loads), and conduct
the break-in procedure at 80 km/h (50
mph) for 2 hours.
(f) Remove the load, allow the tire to
cool to 35 °C ±3 °C (95 °F ±5 °F), and
then adjust the pressure to that specified
in S7.4.1(a).
(g) Reapply the same load, and
without interruption or readjustment of
inflation pressure, conduct the test at
120 km/h (75 mph) for 30 minutes, then
at 129 km/h (80 mph) for 30 minutes,
and then at 137 km/h (85 mph) for 30
minutes.
(h) Allow the tire to cool between 15
minutes and 25 minutes. Measure its
inflation pressure. Then, deflate the tire,
remove the tire from the test rim, and
inspect the tire for conditions specified
in S6.1.2 (a) and (b).
S7.4.2 Non-speed restricted radial
tires marked load range F, G, H, J, or L.
(a) Mount the tire on a test rim and
inflate it to the pressure corresponding
to 90 percent of the maximum load
rating marked on the tire. Use a single
maximum value when the tire is marked
with both single and dual maximum
load.
(b) Condition the tire in accordance
with S7.1.2.
(c) Before or after mounting the
assembly on a test axle, adjust the tire
pressure to that specified in S7.4.2(a).
(d) Mount the tire-rim assembly on an
axle and press it against a flat-faced
steel test wheel that is 1708 mm (67.23
inches) in diameter and at least as wide
as the tread of the tire.
(e) Apply a force of 85 percent of the
maximum load rating marked on the tire
(use the single maximum load value
when the tire is marked with both single
and dual maximum loads), and conduct
the break-in procedure at 80 km/h (50
mph) for 2 hours.
(f) Remove the load, allow the tire to
cool to 35 °C ± 3 °C (95 °F ± 5 °F), and
then adjust the pressure to S7.4.2(a).
(g) Reapply the same load, and
without interruption or readjustment of
inflation pressure, conduct the test at
maximum speed rating less 20 km/h for
30 minutes, then at maximum speed
rating less 10 km/h for 30 minutes, and
then at maximum speed rating for 30
minutes.
(h) Allow the tire to cool for between
15 minutes and 25 minutes. Measure its
inflation pressure. Then, deflate the tire,
remove the tire from the test rim, and
inspect the tire for conditions specified
in S6.1.2(a) and (b).
*
*
*
*
*
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
60064
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
TABLE III—ENDURANCE TEST SCHEDULE
Test wheel
speed
Description
Load range
km/h
Speed-restricted service:
90 km/h (55 mph) ...............................
80 km/h (50 mph) ...............................
56 km/h (35 mph) ...............................
Motorcycle .................................................
Radial .........................................................
All other .....................................................
14
26
Test load: Percent of maximum
load rating
All .............................................................
C, D .........................................................
E, F, G, H, J, L, M, N ..............................
All .............................................................
All .............................................................
F, G, H, J, L .............................................
A, B, C, D ................................................
E ..............................................................
F ...............................................................
G ..............................................................
H, J, L, M, N ............................................
I—7 hours
40
48
32
24
80
80
80
64
64
56
48
66
75
66
66
1 100
85
1 75
70
66
66
66
hours for tire sizes subject to high speed requirements S6.3 .
hours for tire sizes subject to high speed requirements S6.3.
Issued: September 23, 2010.
Joseph Carra,
Acting Associate Administrator for
Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2010–24347 Filed 9–28–10; 8:45 am]
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
BILLING CODE 4910–59–P
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Sep 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
PO 00000
Frm 00055
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 9990
E:\FR\FM\29SEP1.SGM
29SEP1
II—16 hours
84
97
84
84
2 108
90
2 97
88
84
84
84
III—24
hours
101
114
101
101
117
100
114
106
101
101
101
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 188 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 60036-60064]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24347]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
49 CFR Part 571
[Docket No. NHTSA-2010-0132]
RIN 2127-AK17
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; New Pneumatic Tires for
Motor Vehicles With a GVWR of More Than 4,536 Kilograms (10,000 Pounds)
and Motorcycles
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This NPRM proposes to upgrade Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) No. 119, which specifies requirements for new truck
tires. We propose to amend FMVSS No. 119 to adopt more stringent
endurance test requirements and a new high speed test for several heavy
load range tires for vehicles with gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)
of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds). We are also proposing
that FMVSS No. 119 require that the tire sidewall be labeled with the
tire's maximum speed rating.
[[Page 60037]]
DATES: You should submit your comments early enough to ensure that the
Docket receives them not later than November 29, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by the NHTSA Docket ID
Number above) by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: 202-493-2251.
Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments and
additional information on the rulemaking process, see the Public
Participation heading of the Supplementary Information section of this
document. Note that all comments received will be posted without change
to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading below.
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78).
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov or the street
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the
dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical issues, you may call
George Soodoo, NHTSA Office of Rulemaking (Telephone: 202-366-2720)
(Fax: 202-493-2739). For legal issues, you may call Steve Wood, NHTSA
Office of Chief Counsel (Telephone: 202-366-2992) (Fax: 202-366-3820).
The mailing address for these officials is: National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building, Washington, DC 20590.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Table of Contents
I. Background
II. Overview of Endurance Test and High Speed Test Proposals
a. Endurance Test
b. High Speed Test
III. NHTSA Tire Testing
a. Test Program
b. Summary
IV. Proposed Endurance Test
a. Test Speed
b. Load
c. Inflation Pressure
d. Duration
e. Ambient Temperature
f. Endurance Test Conclusions
V. Proposed High Speed Test
a. Test Speed and Break-In Procedure
b. Load
c. Inflation Pressure
d. Duration
e. Ambient Temperature
VI. Tire Maximum Speed Marking
VII. Other Issues
a. Alternatives Considered
1. International Standards
2. ASTM Truck/Bus Tire Test Development Task Group
3. Rubber Manufacturers Association
b. Deep Tread Truck Tires
c. Correction of Table III
d. Separate Standard
VIII. Proposed Effective Date
IX. Costs and Benefits
X. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices
XI. Public Participation
I. Background
This NPRM proposes to upgrade Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) No. 119 (49 CFR 571.119) which, prior to the passage of the
Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation
(TREAD) Act of 2000, had a wide application to new pneumatic tires for
vehicles other than passenger cars. In response to the TREAD Act,\1\ a
June 26, 2003 final rule upgraded the standard's requirements \2\ for
tires designed for multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses
with a GVWR of 4,536 kilograms (kg) (10,000 pounds (lb)) or less, and
moved those enhanced requirements to a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard No. 139 for new pneumatic radial tires for light vehicles.
Requirements for load range C, D, and E tires used on light trucks and
vans formerly set forth in FMVSS No. 119 were thus moved from that
standard to FMVSS No. 139.\3\ The June 26, 2003 final rule changed the
title, scope, purpose and application sections of FMVSS No. 119 to
reflect that the standard thereafter applied to only tires for
motorcycles and vehicles with a GVWR greater than 4,536 kg (10,000 lb),
but made no changes to FMVSS No. 119's performance requirements for
those tires.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Section 10 of the TREAD Act stated that the Secretary of
Transportation shall conduct a rulemaking to revise and update the
tire standards published at 49 CFR 571.109 and 49 CFR 571.119. The
Act provided that the Secretary shall complete the rulemaking under
this section not later than June 1, 2002. November 1, 2000, Public
Law 106-414, 114 Stat. 1800.
\2\ 68 FR 38116; June 26, 2003, Docket NHTSA-03-15400; response
to petitions for reconsideration, 71 FR 877, January 6, 2006, Docket
2005-23439; technical amendments, 72 FR 49207, August 28, 2007,
Docket 2007-29083. See also final rule, correcting amendments, 73 FR
72357; November 28, 2008, Docket 2007-29083.
\3\ The term ``load range'' with a letter (C, D, E, etc.) is
used to identify the load and inflation limits of tires used on
light or heavy trucks, which increase in alphabetical sequence. For
example, a load range E tire is able to handle greater loads and
higher inflation pressures than a load range D tire.
\4\ FMVSS No. 119 has been in effect since the original rule was
published in 1973. The original standard applied to tires used on
vehicles other than passenger cars, which included pickup trucks,
multipurpose passenger vehicles, vans, and heavy vehicles. As a
result of the TREAD Act mandate to upgrade FMVSS No. 109 and FMVSS
No. 119, the agency revised the applicability of the tire standards
to reflect the weight of the vehicle on which the tire is used.
Given the increased consumer use to light trucks and vans (LTVs) for
passenger transportation purposes over the past 20 years, the agency
believed it was important to revise the applicability of the
standards. As a result, the new tire standard for light vehicle
tires, FMVSS No. 139, which was published in 2003, applies to tires
used on vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kg
(10,000 pounds) or less, and FMVSS No. 119 now applies to tires for
vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of over 4,536 kg (10,000
pounds). (It is noted that other tires required to comply with No.
119 are new pneumatic light truck tires with tread depth of 18/32
inch or greater, light truck bias-ply tires, bias-ply tires used on
vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kg (10,000 lb), and tires
for use on special-use trailer (ST, farm implement and 8-12 rim or
lower diameter code). The tires affected by this rulemaking are
those used on heavy vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kg
(10,000 lb) that are not for speed-restricted service.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHTSA stated in the NPRM developing FMVSS No. 139 that the TREAD
Act deadline to complete the tire upgrade by June 2002 did not allow
the agency time to study and analyze sufficiently the different issues
presented by medium and heavy vehicle tires, and that NHTSA will
examine these types of tires after completion of the FMVSS No. 139
rulemaking (67 FR 10050, 10061; March 5, 2002). In today's document, we
are proceeding to propose to make more stringent FMVSS No. 119's
endurance test, adopt a new high speed test for several load range
tires used on heavy vehicles, and require that the tire sidewall be
labeled with the tire's maximum speed rating.
The agency is initiating this rulemaking to upgrade radial truck
tires that have a load range of F, G, H, J, and L, and that are not for
speed-restricted service (``non-speed-restricted service tires'').
Tires used for speed-restricted service, known as ``speed-restricted
service tires,'' are those with a maximum speed rating of 90 km/h (55
mph) or less. Non-speed-restricted service tires
[[Page 60038]]
are those with a maximum speed rating above 90 km/h (55 mph). ``Maximum
speed rating'' is the maximum speed, as specified by the manufacturer,
at which the tire can carry a load corresponding to its maximum load
rating for single usage at the corresponding inflation pressure.\5\ We
have commenced this rulemaking primarily because we have tentatively
determined that the FMVSS No. 119 performance tests developed in 1973
should be updated to reflect the increased operational speeds and
duration of truck tires in commercial service. NHTSA has tentatively
determined that this NPRM would have a beneficial effect on safety in
that it would increase tire durability as tires are held to more
stringent standards than currently required.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ This NPRM would define these terms in FMVSS No. 119 to
differentiate the types of service for which tires are used and the
requirements in the standard that would apply to the different types
of tire.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FMVSS No. 119
FMVSS No. 119 specifies performance and marking requirements for
tires for use on motorcycles and on motor vehicles with a GVWR of more
than 4,536 kg (10,000 lb). Heavy vehicle tires regulated by FMVSS No.
119 are used in a wide variety of vehicle applications, such as
delivery trucks, line haul trucks, transit buses, and logging trucks.
FMVSS No. 119 includes a static test for tire strength, and dynamic
tests for tire endurance and high-speed performance. The endurance test
evaluates resistance to heat buildup when the tire is run at stepped-up
loads at or near its rated load nonstop for a total of 47 hours. A
high-speed test evaluates resistance to heat buildup when the tire is
run at a certain percentage of its maximum load at stepped-up speeds
for a specified interval at each speed.\6\ FMVSS No. 119's high-speed
performance requirement applies only to motorcycle tires and those with
a rim diameter code of 14.5 or less (tires made to fit rims of diameter
of 14.5 inches or less). Since this size restriction excludes all heavy
vehicle tires currently listed in the Tire and Rim Association 2009
Year Book, the endurance test is currently the only dynamic test to
which heavy vehicle tires must comply.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ See, e.g., S6.2 of FMVSS No. 139.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's NPRM would upgrade FMVSS No. 119 by proposing to adopt a
more stringent endurance test, add a new high speed test, and include
maximum speed rating labeling requirements for new radial tires used on
heavy truck and bus applications, i.e., load range F, G, H, J, and L
tires that are not for speed-restricted service, which the agency
believes comprise about 98 percent of the truck tires sold in the
United States. These load range tires are typically used on heavy
trucks for regional haul and long haul operations as well as on
motorcoaches, and these load range tires have speed ratings ranging
from 55-81 mph. Higher load range tires (i.e., load ranges M and N) are
more often used in heavy mixed-use service (on/off-road operations in
lower speed applications), such as construction, logging, crane, and
rigging operations. However, the agency is also considering requiring
non-speed-restricted, load range M radial tires to comply with the
upgraded endurance and new high speed test because some of these tires
are used in similar applications in which the load range L tires are
used. The agency is not proposing to upgrade non-speed-restricted
service load range N radial tires since they represent less than 1
percent of the heavy vehicle tire market and are typically used in
lower speed operations.
II. Overview of Endurance Test and High Speed Test Proposals
The proposed upgrade to the endurance test and the proposed
adoption of a high speed test are based on the results of NHTSA's heavy
truck tire tests, discussed later in the ``NHTSA Tire Testing'' section
of this preamble.
a. Endurance Test
The purpose of the endurance test is to evaluate heavy truck tire
performance at highway speeds for a long duration. The endurance test
in FMVSS No. 119 applies to truck tires with load ranges F through N
that are not for speed-restricted service. The test parameters used for
the endurance test in FMVSS No. 119 include test speed, load, inflation
pressure, duration, and ambient temperature. This NPRM proposes to
upgrade the endurance test by changing some of these parameters to
achieve more stringent conditions when testing load range F, G, H, J,
and L radial tires that are not for speed-restricted service. Current
endurance test parameters for load range N radial tires, load range F,
G, H, J, L, M, and N tires that are for speed-restricted service, bias-
ply tires, light truck tires (tread depth 18/32 inch or more), and
motorcycle tires, would remain unchanged in the standard.
Test Speed
The current test speed for the endurance test in FMVSS No. 119
depends on the load range of the tire. Load range F tires are tested at
64 km/h (40 mph) on the 67-inch diameter test road wheel; load range G
tires are tested at 56 km/h (35 mph); and tires with a load range H, J,
L, M, or N are tested at 48 km/h (30 mph). NHTSA proposes to raise the
test speed for the endurance test to 80 km/h (50 mph) for load range F,
G, H, J, and L tires. This represents a 25 percent increase in speed
for a load range F tire, a 43 percent increase for a load range G tire,
and a 67 percent increase for load range H, J, and L tires that are not
for speed-restricted service.
Load
The current test loads for the endurance test in FMVSS No. 119,
identical for all the load ranges F through N, are specified as a
percentage of the maximum load rating of the tire, and are 66 percent,
84 percent, and 101 percent. The loads are applied in a stepped fashion
for durations of 7 hours, 16 hours, and 24 hours, respectively. NHTSA
proposes to change the load combination for the endurance test to 85/
90/100 percent of the tire's maximum load rating labeled on the tire's
sidewall, from the 66/84/101 percent combination currently required.
Inflation Pressure
The current test inflation pressure specified in FMVSS No. 119 is
the inflation pressure corresponding to the maximum load rating labeled
on the tire's sidewall. NHTSA proposes to set the test inflation
pressure at 80 percent of the sidewall-labeled inflation pressure that
corresponds to the tire's maximum load rating. This represents a 20
percent decrease from the current endurance test, which requires tires
to be fully inflated.
Duration
The current duration for the endurance test in FMVSS No. 119 is 47
hours: 7 hours at 66 percent load, 16 hours at 84 percent load, and 24
hours at 101 percent load. NHTSA proposes to leave FMVSS No. 119's
endurance test duration at 47 hours.
Ambient Temperature
The ambient temperature specified for the endurance test in FMVSS
No. 119 is 35 [deg]C (95 [deg]F). NHTSA proposes to add an ambient
temperature tolerance, and thus proposes an ambient of 35 [deg]C 3 [deg]C (95 [deg]F 5 [deg]F) for the endurance
test.
b. High Speed Test
The high speed test evaluates tire performance at higher speeds for
shorter durations. FMVSS No. 119's high speed test currently applies
only to motorcycle tires and to tires with rim diameters of 14.5 inches
or below, and does not
[[Page 60039]]
apply to truck tires. The test parameters used for the high speed test
in FMVSS No. 119 and in other tire standards include speed, load,
inflation pressure, duration, and ambient temperature. This NPRM
proposes to adopt a high speed test for load range F, G, H, J, and L
tires that are not for speed-restricted service, as these are typically
installed on vehicles in regional or long-haul service. The high-speed
test would be initiated after a 2-hour break-in at 80 km/h (50 mph) and
85 percent of maximum load rating, with inflation pressure at 90
percent of maximum.
Test Speed
NHTSA proposes to set the test speed for the high-speed test at the
tire's maximum speed less 20 km/h (12 mph) for step 1, maximum speed
less 10 km/h (6 mph) for step 2, and at maximum speed for the final
step. This would be a new approach for testing tires under the Federal
motor vehicle safety standards, as motorcycle and passenger car tires
are tested to one unvarying set of test speeds. The approach proposed
in this NPRM is similar to that used by the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (ECE) tire Regulations which establish tire test
speeds based on the maximum rated speed of the tire, and is along the
lines of a suggestion from the Rubber Manufacturers Association
(RMA).\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ See Docket No. NHTSA 2002-13707-0016.1, RMA Perspective on
the FMVSS 119 Revisions and Updates Mandated by the TREAD Act.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Load
NHTSA proposes to set the test load for the high-speed test at 85
percent of the maximum load rating for the tire. The maximum load
rating would be based on the tire sidewall marking per single tire use
application.
Inflation Pressure
NHTSA proposes that the high-speed test inflation pressure be set
at 90 percent of the sidewall-labeled inflation pressure that
corresponds to the tire's maximum load rating.
Duration
NHTSA proposes a 90-minute duration for FMVSS No. 119's high-speed
test, consisting of three 30-minute speed steps at the proposed test
speeds.
Ambient Temperature
NHTSA proposes an ambient temperature range of 35 [deg]C 3 [deg]C (95 [deg]F 5 [deg]F) for the FMVSS No. 119
high speed test upgrade.
III. NHTSA Tire Testing
a. Test Program
After passage of the TREAD Act, NHTSA began testing new heavy truck
tires to assess the performance of current tires in endurance and high
speed tests, and how load, inflation pressure, speed and duration
affect tire performance. We tested more than 430 new heavy truck tires
with load ranges G through N that were designed for commercial vehicle
applications. The tires selected included a mixture of tire brands,
models and sizes.
Testing was performed in two phases. In Phase I, new load range G
tires were tested for durability (``endurance'') and robustness at
speed (``high speed''). Since the purpose of Phase I testing was to
assess the current level of performance for truck tires, the test
matrix for this phase included both destructive (extended duration) and
non-destructive tests. The purpose of Phase II testing was to generate
data with which specific proposals could be developed for an NPRM to
upgrade FMVSS No. 119. In Phase II, the test conditions were further
refined from Phase I, and the group of tires tested was expanded to
include load ranges H, J, L and N. Additional testing was also
conducted for tires with load ranges F, J, and L, and speed ratings
less than 75 mph.
All of the tires tested were commercially available at the time of
testing. For both Phases I and II, NHTSA developed test matrices that
included the performance parameters of speed, load, inflation pressure,
and test duration. The test matrices were developed with a series of
test conditions that increased in severity for tire performance. The
ambient temperature used in the testing for both Phase I and Phase II
was 35 [deg]C 3 [deg]C (95 [deg]F 5 [deg]F).
All tires were conditioned at the ambient temperature of 35 [deg]C
3 [deg]C (95 [deg]F 5 [deg]F) for 3 hours
prior to testing. Testing was conducted on a 67-inch diameter curved
test road wheel.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ Throughout this preamble, we use test speeds in miles per
hour (mph) when presenting the test matrices, the test conditions,
and the test results for the baseline tests, as specified in the
current FMVSS No. 119. However, for the other tests in both the
endurance and high speed test matrices, we selected test speeds in
kilometers per hour (km/h) to be consistent with the metrification
of the Federal motor vehicle safety standards. Some of the Tables
presented in the preamble show speeds in miles per hour only, to
facilitate comparison with the baseline test speeds.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phase I Testing
In Phase I, NHTSA conducted testing on 180 new, size 11R22.5, load
range G, heavy truck tires with a rib-type tread.\9\ The 11R22.5 tire
size was chosen due to its use in on-road applications for heavy
vehicles: tire size 11R22.5 represents approximately 24 percent and 22
percent of the original equipment and replacement tire markets,
respectively. We tested tires from brands Hankook, Dayton, Bridgestone,
and General, all with tire size 11R22.5, load range G, and rib-type
treads. Based on suggestions \10\ from the Rubber Manufacturers
Association (RMA), the Tire Industry Association (TIA), and the Tread
Rubber/Tire Repair Materials Manufacturers Group (TRMG), we tested only
rib-type tires, typically used on steer axle and trailer axle
positions, to focus on a single tread type. Tires were tested to
determine levels of endurance and high-speed performance under a
variety of test conditions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ In the tire size description, the ``11'' represents the tire
section width in inches, the ``R'' identifies the tire as a radial
tire, and the ``22.5'' represents the tire rim diameter code, which
equates to a rim diameter of 22.5 inches.
\10\ See Docket No. NHTSA-2002-13707.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phase I Endurance Test:
For the endurance test, we selected 120 new load range G tires from
Hankook, Dayton, Bridgestone and General. The Phase I endurance test
matrix consisted of 10 groups of varied test conditions, or ``Test
Methods,'' \11\ as shown below in Table 1, ``Phase I Endurance Test
Matrix.'' Other than in Test Methods 1 and 1A, three samples of each
tire brand were tested for each Test Method (TM) in the matrix. Test
Method 1 used one sample of each tire brand, and Test Method 1A used
two samples of each tire brand.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ Test Method 1A is considered a part of Test Method 1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each TM consisted of a combination of the selected tire load,
inflation pressure, test speed, and a specified duration at each load
condition. Testing was performed so that each TM varied in severity by
changing the load, inflation pressure or speed.
The applied test loads ranged from 66 percent of the maximum load
rating to 110 percent of the maximum load rating. The loads used are
similar to those used in the light vehicle tire research program that
was conducted in 2001-2002 to support the upgrade of the endurance test
for FMVSS No. 139. The stepped-up load combinations included 85, 90,
and 100 percent; 90, 100, and 110 percent; and 100, 110, and 115
percent, which allowed the agency to understand limits of performance
for light vehicle tires, including light truck tires with load ranges
C, D, and E. For this research on medium and heavy duty truck tires,
the agency also wanted
[[Page 60040]]
to understand the upper limits of performance for these tires when they
are tested at normal loading conditions and at loads beyond their
maximum load rating. As a result, we included stepped-up loads to 90/
100/110 percent of the maximum load rating of the tires, since this
represents an overloading condition for a truck tire on the test road-
wheel.
Inflation pressures ranged from 80 to 100 percent of the maximum
inflation pressure stated on the sidewall of the tires. The current
endurance test in FMVSS No. 119 requires that the tire be tested at 100
percent of its maximum inflation pressure, but the agency sought to
evaluate truck tires' performance when tested at some level of under-
inflation, because that condition is occurring in real-world
operation.\12\ We chose 80 percent of the maximum inflation pressure as
the lowest value for this testing, primarily because the truck industry
considers a tire at that level of under-inflation to be significantly
under-inflated.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ See Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Final
Report, ``Commercial Vehicle Tire Condition Sensors,'' November
2003, at 7.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The test speeds ranged from 56 km/h (35 mph) to 120 km/h (75 mph),
which we believe represented the typical operating range of speeds for
trucks using tires with the specified load ranges. Each tire was
conditioned at the ambient test temperature of 35 [deg]C 3
[deg]C (95 [deg]F 5 [deg]F) for three hours. No break-in
procedure was performed on tires tested for endurance performance since
none is performed in the existing FMVSS No. 119 endurance test
procedure. Table 1, ``Phase I Endurance Test Matrix,'' below shows the
test parameters used for the endurance test in Phase I and the
structure of the test duration for the three samples in each Test
Method. We note that for TMs 2-9, tire sample number 3 was tested for
an additional amount of time after the rest of the TM was completed,
which is why Table 1 shows an extra line for sample number 3 for these
TMs.
[[Page 60041]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP29SE10.005
[[Page 60042]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP29SE10.006
The test parameters for the baseline tests (Test Method 1, load
step 1-3) represent the current FMVSS No. 119 level for the endurance
test. The tires (one sample of each tire brand) were tested at 56 km/h
(35 mph), with a load of 66 percent of maximum load rating for 7 hours,
84 percent of maximum load rating for 16 hours, 101 percent of maximum
load for 24 hours, and with an inflation pressure of 100 percent of the
maximum inflation pressure value labeled on the sidewall. After the end
of the 47-hour test, the tires were tested for an additional 48 hours,
at a load of 110 percent of maximum load rating, and with the test
parameters of speed, inflation pressure, and ambient temperature
unchanged. Therefore, the total duration for the baseline endurance
tests in Test Method 1 was 95 hours (47 hours per FMVSS No. 119 plus an
additional 48 hours).
There were no failures in the baseline tests completed on the first
of three samples for each tire brand. We then conducted a second
baseline test by increasing the test speed for the remaining two
samples to 80 km/h (50 mph) for the entire test, as shown in Test
Method 1A. The inflation pressure and load parameters for the second
baseline test were the same as in Test Method 1. The test load for the
remaining two samples was 110 percent of maximum load rating for the
last 48 hours of the test. The objective of the baseline tests in Test
Method 1A was to determine how well tires performed under conditions
slightly more stringent than the current endurance test in FMVSS No.
119.
As shown in Test Methods 2 through 9 (Table 1, above), test
severity was increased by increasing the test speed, increasing the
test loads, and reducing the inflation pressure. Road-wheel tests (not
to failure) were conducted for 47 hours on two samples. The third
sample was tested to 95 hours or until failure, whichever occurred
first, with the load for the last 48 hours of the test being the same
load applied in the last step for the 47-hour portion of the test.
All tires were inspected for belt separation, tread separation, and
any other visual evidence of damage. For Test Method 10, all three tire
samples were tested to 95 hours or until failure, whichever occurred
first.
Phase I Endurance Test Results:
Of the 120 new tires tested for endurance performance under a
variety of test conditions, 24 experienced failures. Of the 24
failures, 15 failed as a result of tread separation, 2 failed as a
result of belt separation; 2 failed as a result of shoulder split; and
2 failed as a result of chunking. The remaining 3 failures consisted of
other failure types such as tread splitting and sidewall separation.
Table 2, ``Phase I Endurance Test Results,'' summarizes the results for
the endurance test on the four tire brands tested. Data for individual
tests have been placed in the docket (NHTSA-2002-13707).
The Test Methods included in Table 2 are the same test methods for
which the test conditions are shown in detail in Table 1. The test
results in Table 2 show that the first sample for each of the four tire
brands completed 95 hours for the baseline test in Test Method 1. The
remaining two tire samples for each brand were tested to Test Method
1A, using the same test parameters, except for the test speed, which
was increased from 56 km/h (35 mph) to 80 km/h (50 mph). Also note that
for Test Methods 2 through 10, the first two samples of each Test
Method were tested to 47 hours, while the third sample was tested to 95
hours. Four test errors occurred, where the test road-wheel stopped due
to equipment or mechanical failure. These test errors are noted in
Table 2 with an asterisk.
[[Page 60043]]
Table 2--Phase I Endurance Test Results
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tire brands (hours completed)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Target (hours)
Hankook
Dayton
Bridgestone
General
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test Method No. Sample No.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1............................... 95 ...... ...... 95 ...... ...... 95 ...... ...... 95 ...... ...... 95 ...... ......
1A.............................. ...... 95 95 ...... 95 95 ...... 95 95 ...... 95 95 ...... 95 95
2............................... 47 47 95 47 47 95 47 47 95 47 47 95 47 47 95
3............................... 47 47 95 1 47 95 47 47 95 47 47 95 47 47 95
4............................... 47 47 95 47 47 95 47 47 37 47 47 37 47 47 95
5............................... 47 47 95 47 47 95 43 44 53 47 44* 95 47 47 95
6............................... 47 47 95 47 47 95 47 47 95 47 47 95 47 47 95
7............................... 47 47 95 47 47 95 47 47 69 47 47 95 47 47 95
8............................... 47 47 95 47 44* 95 47 47 95 47 47 92 47 47 32
9............................... 47 47 95 47 47 95 28 28 23 47 47 95 42 47 41
10.............................. 47 47 95 12 50 46* 27 3 14 31* 27 30 25 36 24
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: * Test error.
Overall, the tires tested performed well throughout the endurance
test matrix, particularly Test Methods 1 through 8, for which each tire
brand had at least one sample that completed 47 hours of those Test
Methods. The results indicate that decreased inflation pressure and
increased speed of Test Method 9, and the even higher speed of Test
Method 10, define the upper boundary of current new tire performance.
For Test Methods 8 and 9, the inflation pressure was decreased to 80
percent of maximum inflation pressure, and the test speed was increased
from 88 km/h (55 mph) to 100 km/h (63 mph). In addition, the test loads
were increased in Test Method 9 to 90/100/110 percent of the tire's
maximum load rating. For Test Method 10, inflation was increased to 100
percent and test speed raised to 120 km/h (75 mph), the same test speed
used in the endurance test for light vehicle tires in FMVSS No. 139.
The results indicate that higher speeds and lower inflation pressure
appear to have the most impact on tire failure compared with changes in
test load or duration.
Phase I High Speed Test:
We tested 60 new load range G tires from major tire manufacturers
Hankook, Dayton, Bridgestone, and General for high speed performance.
Since the FMVSS No. 119 high speed requirements currently apply only to
tires with a rim diameter code of 14.5 or less and to motorcycle tires,
the performance levels for the high speed baseline tests in our heavy
truck tire test program (see Test Method A of Table 3 below, ``Phase I
High Speed Test Matrix'') were set at the FMVSS No. 119 levels of
performance for those tires, simply as a starting point for the test
program. Test conditions were varied to produce different levels of
severity by changing the load, inflation pressure and speed. See Table
3, ``Phase I High Speed Test Matrix,'' below for a summary of the high
speed test matrix.
[[Page 60044]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP29SE10.007
Test severity, as defined by more severe running conditions (i.e.
increased load, higher speed, or reduced inflation pressure), increased
from Test Method A to Test Method E. In Test Method A, the first three
speed steps represent the current conditions in FMVSS No. 119
(specified for applicable tires) and the next three test speeds
represent speed conditions beyond those currently in FMVSS No. 119. The
tires were tested to a stepped-up speed profile starting at 120 km/h
(75 mph), with a load condition of 88 percent of maximum load rating
for 30 minutes. The test speed was increased in 5-mph increments every
30 minutes until failure or a speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) was achieved,
whichever occurred first. Therefore, the target completion time for the
baseline high speed test was 3 hours for a total of six speed steps for
Test Method A only. The primary reason for testing beyond 137 km/h (85
mph) in the baseline tests was to assess the upper boundary of high
speed performance for heavy truck tires.
The initial test speed for Test Methods B through E was set to 120
km/h (75 mph), and increased to 130 km/h (81 mph) and 140 km/h (88 mph)
in 30-minute intervals for a total of three test steps. The 10-km/h
increments were used to increase the speed severity moderately for tire
samples as they advanced through the different test methods. For each
tire brand tested, the first two samples were tested for three 30-
minute speed steps, for a total test duration of 1.5 hours. The third
sample was tested for an additional hour at the last speed step of 140
km/h (88 mph), resulting in a test duration of 2.5 hours.
The test load was based on the maximum load rating for the subject
tire as labeled on the sidewall. The test load ranged from 80 percent
of maximum load rating to 90 percent of maximum load rating. Inflation
pressures ranged from 90 percent to 100 percent of maximum pressure
labeled on the sidewall.
Each tire was conditioned for the test at an ambient temperature of
35 [deg]C 3 [deg]C (95 [deg]F 5 [deg]F) for
three hours, and then broken in for two hours under 88 percent of
maximum load and 100
[[Page 60045]]
percent maximum inflation pressure at 80 km/h (50 mph).\13\ The tire
was allowed to cool to 35 [deg]C 3 [deg]C (95 [deg]F
5 [deg]F) and the inflation pressure was adjusted to
applicable pressure immediately before the test. The break-in procedure
was performed to bring the tire to operating temperature, which allows
the tire to flex, expand and contract such that air within the tire may
fully permeate into the tire cavity. The break-in procedure also
removes mold release agents and flashings produced by the molding
process, which could contribute to variability in the test.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ Traditionally, a high speed test has an initial break-in
step that involves a tire running on the roadwheel under specified
conditions to allow for tire growth. The endurance test does not
need a break-in step primarily because the 47-hour test duration
allows time for break-in during the test.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the completion of the test, tires were visually inspected for
belt separation, tread separation, and evidence of damage.
Phase I High Speed Test Results:
Of the 60 new tires tested for high speed performance under a
variety of test conditions, 7 experienced test failures. Of these 7
failures, 4 failed as a result of tread chunking, 2 failed as a result
of tread separation, and 1 failed due to belt separation. Most of these
failures occurred in Test Method A at test speeds of 152 km/h (95 mph)
or at 160 km/h (100 mph). Table 4 below, ``Phase I High Speed Test
Results (Hours Completed),'' shows how the tires performed, as tested
under each test method. The Test Methods included in Table 4 are the
same Test Methods for which the test conditions are shown in detail in
Table 3.
Table 4--Phase I High Speed Test Results (Hours Completed)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tire Brands (hours completed)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Target hours
Hankook
Dayton
Bridgestone
General
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test Method Sample No.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A............................... 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.3 2.8 2.5 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.8
B............................... 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5
C............................... 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5
D............................... 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5
E............................... 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 1.8 1.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 2.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test Method A was extended so that samples would be tested to the
baseline FMVSS No. 119 conditions and then tested at increased speeds.
For Test Method A, speed was increased beyond the FMVSS No. 119 test
speeds to 90, 95, and 100 mph, in 30-minute increments (the total test
duration target was three hours). Inflation pressure and load were
unchanged. Each sample was tested at 88 percent of maximum load rating,
100 percent inflation pressure and to speeds that were increased in 30-
minute increments to a stepped profile, initiating at 120 km/h (75 mph)
and concluding at 160 km/h (100 mph) or failure, whichever occurred
first.
Overall, the new tires tested to the high-speed matrix performed
well, as shown in Table 4. All of the 7 tires that failed completed at
least 1.5 hours, which represents the first three 30-minute speed steps
of the targeted test duration. Test Method A was designed to test tires
to 100 mph or failure, whichever occurred first. The results for Test
Method A reveal that all of the tires were able to withstand speeds of
up to 90 mph, when inflated at 100 percent of maximum inflation
pressure. The results also show that all of the tires tested to Test
Methods B through E were able to complete the 1.5 hours at test speeds
of 120, 130, and 140 km/h (75, 81 and 88 mph). In addition, when tested
to an additional hour at the last speed step of 140 km/h (88 mph), all
the tires tested, except one Dayton tire, were able to complete the
entire 2.5 hours of the high-speed test.
Phase II Testing
While Phase I testing provided NHTSA with a general understanding
of the current level of performance for new heavy duty truck tires,
Phase II testing refined the test matrices to develop possible,
practicable, proposals to upgrade the endurance and high speed tests in
FMVSS No. 119. In Phase II, NHTSA tested 365 new tires. Testing also
was expanded to include test tires of additional tire sizes (385/65 R
22.5 and 315/80 R 22.5), load ranges (F, H, J, L, and N tires, and load
range G ``bias ply'' type tires), brands from other manufacturers
(Continental, Goodyear, Michelin, Kumho, and Yokohama), and steer,
drive, and all-position tread types, as shown in Table 5.
These tires included speed ratings ranging from 56 mph to 75 mph.
Most of the tires were tested for both endurance performance and for
high-speed performance. Some tire models were tested in 2005, and
certain tire models tested were retested in 2008 to validate their
performance. In the results section, superscripts were used to identify
which tires were tested first. FMVSS No. 119 does not apply to speed-
restricted service and bias-ply tires, therefore those tires were not
included in the costs and benefits analysis section. The data for those
tires were collected to learn about their performance levels. Of the
365 tires tested, 159 tires were tested to the proposed methods.
Seventy-eight tires were tested for Endurance and 81 were tested for
High Speed performance.
Table 5--Phase II Tire Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Max speed
Group No. Manufacture/model Tire size and LR (mph) Application
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.............................. Goodyear G647 RSS...... 225/70R19.5 LR F. 75 Regional/P&D
2.............................. Michelin XRV........... 225/70R19.5 LR F. 75 Long haul
3.............................. Bridgestone R293....... 11R24.5 LR G..... 75 Long haul
[[Page 60046]]
4.............................. Bridgestone M1X 711.... 11R24.5 LR G..... 75 Long haul
5.............................. General D460........... 11R24.5 LR G..... 75 Long haul
6.............................. Michelin XZY3.......... 11R24.5 LR G..... 65 Mixed service
7.............................. General S580........... 11R24.5 LR H..... 75 Long haul
8.............................. Goodyear G167.......... 11R24.5 LR H..... 75 Long haul
9.............................. Goodyear G395.......... 11R24.5 LR H..... 75 Long haul
10............................. Goodyear Marathon LHT.. 245/70R17.5 LR H. 62 N/A
11............................. Kumho 943.............. 11R24.5 LR H..... 75 Regional/P&D
12............................. Kumho KRS02............ 11R24.5 LR H..... 75 N/A
13............................. Yokohama TY303......... 11R24.5 LR H..... 75 Long haul
14............................. Yokohama RY023......... 11R24.5 LR H..... 75 Long haul
15............................. Bridgestone R184 CZ.... 215/75R17.5 LR H. 65 High Load Trailer
16............................. Bridgestone L320....... 11.00R24.5 LR H.. 65 Mixed service
17............................. Goodyear Unisteel G291. 315/80R22.5 LR J. 75 Regional/P&D
18............................. Goodyear G286 (wb)..... 385/65R22.5 LR J. 68 Mixed service
19............................. Michelin XZY3 (wb)..... 385/80R22.5 LR J. 65 Mixed service
20............................. Michelin XTA........... 215/75R17.5 LR J. 62 L. haul/Regional
21............................. Kumho KRT02............ 235/75R17.5 LR J. 62 Regional/P&D
22............................. Yokohama RY253 (wb).... 385/65R22.5 LR J. 65 Long haul
23............................. Continental HMS 45+.... 315/80R22.5 LR L. 56 Mixed service
24............................. Michelin XZUS.......... 315/80R22.5 LR L. 65 Regional/P&D
25............................. Michelin XZA2 Energy... 315/80R22.5 LR L. 75 Long haul
26............................. Milestar TRX (bias-ply) N/A LR G......... N/A N/A
27............................. Prime X Rockmaster..... N/A LR N......... N/A N/A
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: (wb) means it is a wide-base tire; * means speed-restricted service tire.
Phase II Endurance Test
NHTSA tested new tires with load ranges F, G, H, J, L and N from
several major tire manufacturers. Table 6, ``Phase II Endurance Test
Matrix,'' shows the endurance test conditions used for Phase II
testing. These test conditions were selected based on our analysis of
the Phase I results. We varied the severity of the test conditions by
adjusting load, inflation pressure and/or speed. For each test method,
the test load was stepped-up through 85, 90, and 100 percent of maximum
load rating. Inflation pressures ranged from 80 percent to 90 percent
of maximum inflation pressure stated on the sidewall. Test speeds
ranged from 80 km/h (50 mph) to 100 km/h (62 mph). Each tire was
conditioned at ambient temperature 35 [deg]C 3 [deg]C (95
[deg]F 5 [deg]F) for three hours. All the tires were
tested for a total duration of 71 hours consisting of the 47 hours of
the current FMVSS No. 119 endurance test plus an additional 24 hours.
[[Page 60047]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP29SE10.008
The results of the endurance tests for new tires in Phase I
indicated that higher speeds and lower inflation pressure appear to
have the most impact on tire failure compared with changes in test load
or duration. Based on these results, in the Phase II program NHTSA
decided to moderately increase the severity of its endurance test
matrix over the current requirements in FMVSS No. 119. The least severe
test condition, Test Method 1, had the lowest test speed (80 km/h or 50
mph), and the highest inflation pressure (90 percent of maximum
inflation pressure). The most severe test condition, Test Method 6, had
the highest test speed (100 km/h or 62 mph), and the lowest inflation
pressure (80 percent of maximum inflation pressure).
Phase II Endurance Test Results
Tables 7 through 14 of this preamble, below, summarize the results
of the endurance testing in Phase II. The results indicate that as the
test severity increased, in going from Test Method 1 to Test Method 6,
tire failure rate increased. Tires tested under Test Method 1 were more
likely to achieve the target of 71 hours compared to tires tested to
Test Method 6. All of the load range G (radial) and H tires tested
under Test Methods 1 and 2 achieved the target of 71 hours, whereas
only a few of the load range G tires and none of the load range H tires
tested to Test Methods 5 and 6 were able to achieve the target of 71
hours. The dashes in the tables represent Test Methods that were not
performed for that specified tire.
Three tire groups (Nos. 10, 20, and 21) were speed-rated 62 mph.
These groups were tested with a variation in speed. Samples 1
from these three tire groups were tested at 50 mph. If sample
1 did not complete the 71-hour test, sample 2 was
tested at 45 mph and sample 3 was tested at 40 mph. If sample
1 completed the 71-hour test at 50 mph, the remaining samples
were tested at the same speed.
[[Page 60048]]
Table 7--Phase II Endurance Test Results, Load Range F
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed (hours)
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
-----------------------------------------------
Goodyear 647 RSS
Michelin XRV
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Test Method No. Sample No.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2....................................... 47 47 47 71 71 71 71 71 71
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 8--Phase II Endurance Test Results, Load Range G
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed (hours)
Bridgestone R293--
Steer
Bridgestone MIX 711--
Drive
General D460--Drive
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test Method No. Sample No.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1....................................................... 47 47 47 71 71 71 71 71 71 ...... ...... ......
2....................................................... 47 47 47 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71
3....................................................... 47 47 47 71 71 71 71 71 65 ...... ...... ......
4....................................................... 47 47 47 71 71 71 71 71 71 ...... ...... ......
5....................................................... 47 47 47 71 71 44 40 37 32 ...... ...... ......
6....................................................... 47 47 47 24 71 33 33 33 34 ...... ...... ......
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 9--Phase II Endurance Test Results, Load Range H
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group Samples (Hours Completed)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed (hours)
Goodyear G395--Steer
Goodyear G167--Drive
Kumho 943--Drive
Kumho KRS02--Drive
Yokohama RY023--Steer
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test Method No. Sample No.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1............................................... 47 47 47 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
2............................................... 47 47 47 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71
3............................................... 47 47 47 41 35 50 46 69 71 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
4............................................... 47 47 47 71 55 56 47 48 56 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
5............................................... 47 47 47 18 19 19 24 5 27 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
6............................................... 47 47 47 13 25 17 19 8 7 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 10--Phase II Endurance Test Results, Load Range H
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group Samples (Hours Completed)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed (hours)
Goodyear Marathon LHT
Bridgestone R184 CZ
Bridgestone L320
Yokohama TY303
General S580
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test Method No. Sample No.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2............................................... 47 47 47 22 30 35 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71 71
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Samples 2 and 3 from Goodyear LHT were tested at 45 and 40 mph.
[[Page 60049]]
Table 11--Phase II Endurance Test Results, Load Range J
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tire Brands (Hours Completed)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed (hours)
Yokohama RY253 (wb)--
All Pos.
Goodyear G286 (wb)--
Steer
\1\ Michelin XZY3
(wb)--All Pos.
Goodyear Unisteel G291
\2\ Michelin XZY3
(wb)--All Pos.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
