Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Tires

In June 2003, NHTSA published a final rule establishing upgraded tire performance requirements for new tires for use on vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less. This document responds to petitions for reconsideration of that final rule. After carefully considering the petitions, the agency is modifying certain performance requirements to better address snow tires and certain specialty tires. Specifically, we are amending the performance requirements for snow tires used on light vehicles. Further, we decided that the safety performance of certain other specialty tires is better addressed through the requirements of a different Federal safety standard.