Briefing

Tyre standards: addressing safety, climate change and noise

November 5, 2008

Background briefing on the EC proposal for Tyres in Type-approval Requirements for the General Safety of Motor Vehicles COD 2008/100.

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At first sight there may appear to be little difference between models of tyre. But tyres strongly influence the environmental performance of vehicles: the majority of road traffic noise comes from tyre/road contact, and tyres determine 20-30% of a vehicle’s fuel consumption and hence CO₂ emissions due to rolling resistance.

The proposed Regulation offers a unique opportunity to address many of the environmental impacts of tyres: to cut road traffic noise; fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions; resource use and waste. These measures save fuel, increase tyre life and reduce noise whilst also ensuring a high level of safety.

The standards set by this Regulation for tyre rolling noise, rolling resistance and TPMS must reflect currently available technology and, in a second phase, set the pace for future improvement to make a substantial contribution to EU climate and health protection goals before 2020

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