Transport i bezpieczeństwo · 19.10.1998

Tire Identification and Recordkeeping

The tire identification and recordkeeping regulation requires new tire manufacturers and tire retreaders to label on one sidewall of each tire they produce a tire identification number that includes their manufacturer's or retreader's identification mark, a tire size symbol, an optional descriptive code, and the date of manufacture. The date of manufacture is expressed in the last 3 digits of the tire identification number. In response to petitions for rulemaking submitted by the Rubber Manufacturers Association and the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation, the agency proposes to amend the regulation to require the date of manufacture to be shown in four digits instead of the currently-required three, and to reduce the minimum size of the digits from the current 6 millimeters (mm) (\1/4\ inch) to 4 mm (\5/32\ inch). The agency believes that the four-symbol date code would, if adopted, permit better traceability of tires during recalls and would allow easier identification of older tires. NHTSA also believes that reducing the size of the date code from 6 mm to 4 mm would not affect the readability of the date code digits. In addition, adoption of these proposals would enhanc