Consumer Information; Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards

The Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards (UTQGS) contain detailed testing procedures for generating consumer information about the treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance of passenger car tires. To ensure the uniformity of treadwear grades, the grading procedures specify a 400-mile test course located near San Angelo, Texas. Two or four-vehicle convoys equipped with candidate tires travel along this course to evaluate the tire treadwear performance. Because flooding is currently affecting several water crossings along a portion of the test course, NHTSA is issuing this interim final rule to add an alternate treadwear test course route to avoid the inaccessible portions of the course. This change will not compromise the reliability of the treadwear grades, and will not impose or relax any substantive requirements or burdens on manufacturers. Although the addition of the alternative course route is effective immediately, in order to benefit from comments which interested parties and the public may have, the agency is requesting that comments be submitted to the docket for this rule. Following the close of the comment period, the agency will publish a document responding to the comments and, if appropriate, the agency will amend the provisions of this rule.