34800 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 8, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 

1 49 CFR 571.105, 571.121, 571.122, 571.126, 

571.135, 571.136, 571.139, 571.500. 

2See 49 CFR 571.139. 

3See 49 CFR 575.104. 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

49 CFR Parts 571 and 575 

[Docket No. NHTSA–2020–0067] 

RIN 2127–AL92 

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety 

Standards, Consumer Information; 

Standard Reference Test Tire 

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: This final rule amends several 

Federal motor vehicle safety standards 

and consumer information regulations 

to update the standard reference test tire 

(SRTT) used therein. The SRTT is used 

in those standards and regulations as a 

baseline tire to rate tire treadwear, 

define snow tires based on traction 

performance, and evaluate pavement 

surface friction. This rule is necessary 

because the only manufacturer of the 

currently referenced SRTT ceased 

production of the tire. Referencing a 

new SRTT ensures the availability of a 

test tire for testing purposes. 

DATES: The effective date of this final 

rule is July 8, 2022. The incorporation 

by reference of the publications listed in 

the rule has been approved by the 

Director of the Federal Register as of 

July 8, 2022. 

Petitions for reconsideration: Petitions 

for reconsideration of this final rule 

must be received not later than July 25, 

2022. 

ADDRESSES: Petitions for reconsideration 

of this final rule must refer to the docket 

and notice number set forth above and 

be submitted to the Administrator, 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. For 

hand delivery or courier delivery, 

delivery is only possible between 9:00 

a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. To be 

sure someone is there to help you, 

please call (202) 366–9332 before 

coming. 

If you wish to submit any information 

under a claim of confidentiality, you 

should submit the following to the 

NHTSA Office of Chief Counsel, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 

20590: (1) a complete copy of the 

submission; (2) a redacted copy of the 

submission with the confidential 

information removed; and (3) either a 

second complete copy or those portions 

of the submission containing the 

material for which confidential 

treatment is claimed and any additional 

information that you deem important to 

the Chief Counsel’s consideration of 

your confidentiality claim. A request for 

confidential treatment that complies 

with 49 CFR part 512 must accompany 

the complete submission provided to 

the Chief Counsel. For further 

information, submitters who plan to 

request confidential treatment for any 

portion of their submissions are advised 

to review 49 CFR part 512, particularly 

those sections relating to document 

submission requirements. Failure to 

adhere to the requirements of part 512 

may result in the release of confidential 

information to the public docket. In 

addition, you should submit two copies 

from which you have deleted the 

claimed confidential business 

information, to the Administrator. To 

facilitate social distancing during 

COVID–19, NHTSA is temporarily 

accepting confidential business 

information electronically. Please see 

https://www.nhtsa.gov/coronavirus/ 

submission-confidential-businessinformation for details. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You 

may contact Hisham Mohamed, Office 

of Crash Avoidance Standards, by 

telephone at (202) 366–0307 or David 

Jasinski, Office of the Chief Counsel, by 

telephone at (202) 366–2992. The 

mailing address of both of these officials 

is: National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Executive Summary 

II. Background 

A. SRTT Information 

B. Surface Friction Determination 

C. Snow Tire Definition 

D. Proposed UTQGS Amendments 

E. Proposed Effective Date 

III. Summary of Comments and NHTSA’s 

Response 

A. Revision Date of ASTM F2493 

B. Maximum Age and Storage 

Requirements for NHTSA’s SRTT Use 

C. Other Issues 

D. Effective Date 

IV. Conclusion 

V. Regulatory Analyses 

I. Executive Summary 

The purpose of this final rule is to 

replace references to the 14-inch 

Standard Reference Test Tire (SRTT) 

with references to a new 16-inch SRTT. 

As the name suggests, the SRTT is a test 

tire that is not manufactured for general 

use. The 14-inch SRTT is used by 

NHTSA in three ways. First, as part of 

the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety 

Standards (FMVSS) (49 CFR part 571), 

it is used to verify the surface friction 

of test surfaces for braking and 

electronic stability control standards. 

Second, it is used as a traction reference 

for the determination of whether a tire 

may be considered a ‘‘snow tire’’ under 

FMVSS No. 139 (49 CFR 571.139). 

Third, the SRTT is used in NHTSA’s 

Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards 

(UTQGS) consumer information 

program as the course reference tire as 

part of NHTSA’s base course wear rating 

(BCWR) determination for the treadwear 

course. 

Because Michelin, the only 

manufacturer of the 14-inch SRTT, has 

ceased production of the tire in 2020, 

NHTSA must find a suitable 

replacement tire. After substantial 

testing by NHTSA and several test 

partners, NHTSA has determined that 

the 16-inch SRTT is a suitable 

replacement. The testing program has 

determined equivalent values for test 

surface friction, the snow tire 

determination, and the BCWR 

determination that do not change the 

severity of any requirements and ensure 

that tire consumer ratings tested using 

either SRTT are comparable. 

II. Background 

A. SRTT Information 

This rulemaking addresses the 

standard reference test tire (SRTT) 

manufactured according to 

specifications set forth in an ASTM 

International (ASTM) standard, E1136, 

‘‘Standard Specification for P195/75R14 

Radial Standard Reference Test Tire’’ 

(14-inch SRTT). The 14-inch SRTT is a 

size P195/75R14 all-season steel-belted 

radial tire. The dimensions, weight, 

materials, and other physical properties 

of the tire are specified in E1136. The 

tire is not intended for general use, but 

as the name indicates, is used for 

testing. 

NHTSA uses the 14-inch SRTT to 

evaluate test surface friction 1 for safety 

standards relating to braking because 

the narrow specifications for the tire 

(size, component materials, etc.) ensure 

consistent, repeatable performance. The 

14-inch SRTT is also incorporated in the 

definition of a ‘‘snow tire’’ in FMVSS 

No. 139,2 which is defined as a tire that 

attains a traction index greater than or 

equal to 110 compared to the 14-inch 

SRTT when using the ASTM F1805 

snow traction test. The SRTT is also 

used as part of the Uniform Tire Quality 

Grading Standards (UTQGS),3 an 

information program to assist 

consumers in making informed 

decisions when purchasing tires. The 

UTQGS apply to passenger car tires and 


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4The treadwear course is a 400-mile course of 

public roads near San Angelo, Texas. 

5 86 FR 42762. 

6See ‘‘Discontinued Tire Will Lead to ASTM 

Standard Changes’’ (July 30, 2015), available at 

https://www.astm.org/cms/drupal-7.51/newsroom/ 

discontinued-tire-will-lead-astm-standard-changes 

(last accessed April 13, 2021). 

7See ‘‘New ASTM Specification Presents 

Requirements for Standard Reference Test Tire’’ 

(April 1, 2007), available at https://www.astm.org/ 

cms/drupal-7.51/newsroom/new-astmspecification-presents-requirements-standardreference-test-tire (last accessed April 13, 2021). 

8See Docket No. NHTSA–2020–0067–0002. 

9PFC is also sometimes referred to as peak 

braking coefficient or PBC. 

10See Docket No. NHTSA–2020–0067–0002. 

11Each value derived using the formula was 

rounded to the hundredths position, rounding up 

if necessary. This ensures that the updated FMVSS 

test surface PFC specification will be no more 

stringent than it is now, consistent with NHTSA’s 

intent in this rulemaking. 

require motor vehicle and tire 

manufacturers and tire brand name 

owners to provide consumers with 

information about their tires’ relative 

performance regarding treadwear, 

traction, and temperature resistance. 

The SRTT is used as the course 

monitoring tire (CMT) for the treadwear 

course.4 Because tire performance over 

the test course can change daily due to 

variability in road surface, temperature, 

humidity, and precipitation, the CMTs 

are run alongside candidate tires being 

tested. The performance of the CMT is 

used to determine the base course wear 

rate (BCWR), which is published four 

times per year by NHTSA and is used 

to determine a course severity 

adjustment factor that is applied during 

tire treadwear testing. 

In an August 5, 2021 notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NPRM),5 NHTSA 

proposed amendments to the FMVSSs 

and tire regulations to replace references 

to the 14-inch SRTT with references to 

a newer 16-inch SRTT. The 14-inch 

SRTT was first introduced in the 1980s. 

The 14-inch SRTT was manufactured by 

one company, Michelin North America, 

Inc (Michelin) and was sold under its 

Uniroyal brand. Michelin has ceased 

production of the 14-inch SRTT because 

it has become difficult for Michelin to 

obtain the materials necessary to 

manufacture the SRTT.6 ASTM has 

developed an updated specification for 

an SRTT designated F2493 (16-inch 

SRTT). The 16-inch SRTT is a size 

P225/60R16 97S radial standard 

reference test tire. The 16-inch SRTT is 

considered to be more representative of 

current tires because of its larger size 

and new material and design features 

that lead to traction that is more typical 

of modern passenger car tires.7 To the 

best of NHTSA’s knowledge, the 16-inch 

SRTT is manufactured only by Michelin 

and sold under its Uniroyal brand. 

NHTSA determined that the 16-inch 

SRTT was the only suitable replacement 

that had been suggested. 

However, because the 16-inch SRTT 

is a larger size and uses more modern 

design and materials, it is likely that the 

16-inch SRTT will not perform 

identically to the 14-inch SRTT. 

Therefore, NHTSA, in cooperation with 

Transport Canada, Natural Resources 

Canada, representatives of ASTM 

committees F09 on tires and E17 on 

vehicle-pavement systems, the U.S. Tire 

Manufacturers Association (including 

Michelin, currently the sole 

manufacturer of SRTTs), and the Rubber 

Association of Canada, conducted 

testing to determine the consequences of 

replacing the 14-inch SRTT with the 16- 

inch SRTT. The results of the testing by 

these entities, in addition to NHTSA’s 

own testing, substantially contributed to 

the August 2021 proposal to replace the 

14-inch SRTT with the 16-inch SRTT.8

B. Surface Friction Determination 

NHTSA first incorporated the 14-inch 

SRTT into the Federal Motor Vehicle 

Safety Standards (FMVSSs) in a 1995 

rule adopting FMVSS No. 135, the light 

vehicle braking standard. The SRTT is 

used to determine the friction of the test 

surface using the 1990 version of the 

ASTM E1337 test method. The ASTM 

E1337 test method involves mounting 

the SRTT to a test trailer, bringing the 

trailer to a test speed of 40 mph (64 km/ 

h), and applying the brake to produce 

the maximum braking force prior to 

wheel lockup. 

When NHTSA was informed that 

production of the 14-inch SRTT was to 

be discontinued, NHTSA evaluated the 

16-inch SRTT to determine whether it 

would be a suitable replacement. 

NHTSA carefully considered the effect 

of the 16-inch SRTT on the 

determination of peak friction 

coefficient (PFC).9 NHTSA was 

concerned, and subsequent testing 

verified, that the use of the 16-inch 

SRTT without further changes to the 

FMVSSs would increase the stringency 

of the braking and ESC FMVSSs. The 

reason for this was that the different 

materials used in the 16-inch SRTT and 

the increased size of the tire would 

result in the 16-inch SRTT having better 

traction performance than the 14-inch 

SRTT. If the 16-inch SRTT has 

improved traction performance relative 

to the 14-inch SRTT, then the same 

surface would have a higher PFC when 

tested with the 16-inch SRTT. 

Alternatively stated, obtaining an 

identical PFC value using the 16-inch 

SRTT would require a road surface with 

lower friction. Testing braking systems 

using stopping distance on road surfaces 

with lower friction would require 

improved braking performance to stop 

in the same distance, which is not an 

outcome intended by this rulemaking. 

Consequently, NHTSA sought a 

conversion factor to evaluate PFC of a 

test surface using the 16-inch SRTT 

without altering the severity of any 

braking or ESC FMVSSs. 

ASTM developed a formula to 

correlate PFC determinations using the 

14-inch and 16-inch SRTTs. NHTSA 

also commissioned confirmatory testing 

with its contactor, Transportation Test 

Center Inc. (TRC), which further verified 

the conversion formula used in the 2019 

version of ASTM E1337.10 This formula 

was included in a 2019 update to ASTM 

E1337. In the NPRM, NHTSA proposed 

to replace the 1990 version of ASTM 

E1337 currently incorporated by 

reference with the 2019 version. 

Furthermore, NHTSA used the formula 

in the 2019 version of E1337 to derive 

new PFC values for all FMVSSs when 

evaluated using the 16-inch SRTT. 

Those values are listed in Table 1 

below.11

TABLE 1—PFC CONVERSION VALUES; FROM 14-INCH TO 16-INCH SRTT 

FMVSS section PFC value using 

14-inch SRTT 

New PFC 

value using 

16-inch SRTT 

FMVSS No. 105 S6.9.2(a) (high friction testing) ............................................................................................. 0.9 1.02 

FMVSS No. 105 S6.9.2(b) (low friction testing) .............................................................................................. 0.5 0.55 

FMVSS No. 121 S5.3.1.1, S5.7.1, S6.1.7 (high friction testing) 12 ................................................................. 0.9 1.02 

FMVSS No. 121 S5.3.6.1, S6.1.7 (low friction testing) ................................................................................... 0.5 0.55 

FMVSS No. 122 S6.1.1.1 (high friction testing) .............................................................................................. 0.9 1.02 

FMVSS No. 122 S6.1.1.2 (low friction testing) ............................................................................................... ≤0.45 ≤0.50 


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12NHTSA is also revising Tables I, II, and IIA in 

FMVSS No. 121 to eliminate the redundant 

references to PFC values in those tables. In place 

of PFC values, NHTSA is including in Table I 

(Stopping Sequence) references to the sections in 

which the various procedures are set forth, which 

is a more helpful reference. 

13Although FMVSS No. 500 specifies a PFC value 

for the test surface, the test surface is only used to 

verify the vehicle’s maximum speed. 

14Available at https://www.astm.org/COMMIT/

2019_04_10_E1136%20to%20F2493%20transition

%20for%20ASTMF1805.pdf (last accessed April 13, 

2021). 

15See https://www.ustires.org/sites/default/files/

USTMA_TISB_37_0.pdf (last accessed April 13, 

2021). 

16The surface types are defined in the text of 

ASTM F1805. 

17See Docket No. NHTSA–2020–0067–0011. 

TABLE 1—PFC CONVERSION VALUES; FROM 14-INCH TO 16-INCH SRTT—Continued 

FMVSS section PFC value using 

14-inch SRTT 

New PFC 

value using 

16-inch SRTT 

FMVSS No. 122 S6.9.7.1 ................................................................................................................................ ≥0.8 ≥0.90 

FMVSS No. 126 S6.2.2 ................................................................................................................................... 0.9 1.02 

FMVSS No. 135 S6.2.1, S7.4.3, S7.5.2, S7.6.2, S7.7.3, S7.8.2, S7.9.2, S7.10.3, S7.11.3 .......................... 0.9 1.02 

FMVSS No. 136 ............................................................................................................................................... 0.9 1.02 

FMVSS No. 500 13 ........................................................................................................................................... 0.9 1.02 

C. Snow Tire Definition 

Presently, for a manufacturer to 

designate a tire as a ‘‘snow tire,’’ the tire 

must attain a traction index equal to or 

greater than 110 compared to the 14- 

inch SRTT when tested using the snow 

traction test in the 2000 version of 

ASTM F1805. The ASTM F09 

committee on tires commissioned a 

study to determine the feasibility of 

replacing the 14-inch SRTT with the 16- 

inch SRTT in the determination of 

whether a tire meets the definition of 

‘‘snow tire.’’ This study was funded by 

the United States Tire Manufacturers 

Association (USTMA). ASTM has 

published a technical report 

documenting this work.14 ASTM 

determined that a correlation factor of 

0.9876 was appropriate, meaning that a 

tire that attained a rating of 110 when 

tested using the 14-inch SRTT 

correlated to a rating of 111.4 or 111.5 

when tested using the 16-inch SRTT, 

depending on the number of significant 

digits considered. Recent guidance 

issued by the USTMA, a trade 

association consisting of companies that 

manufacture tires in the United States, 

recommends a minimum traction index 

of 112 using the 16-inch SRTT.15

Accordingly, NHTSA proposed to 

amend the definition of ‘‘snow tire’’ in 

FMVSS No. 139 to specify that a snow 

tire is a tire that attains a traction index 

of 112 when tested using the updated 

F1895 test method using the 16-inch 

SRTT, consistent with USTMA’s 

guidance. 

Furthermore, after reviewing this 

information from the USTMA, NHTSA 

determined that additional clarification 

was necessary to the definition of a 

‘‘snow tire’’ in FMVSS No. 139. The 

2020 version of ASTM F1805 defines 

the standard test procedure for 

measuring traction on ‘‘snow’’ and ‘‘ice’’ 

surfaces. However, there are multiple 

surface types in both the ‘‘snow’’ and 

‘‘ice’’ categories. They include soft pack 

(new) snow, medium pack snow, 

medium hard pack snow, hard pack 

snow, ice—wet, and ice—dry.16 The 

definition of ‘‘snow tire’’ in FMVSS No. 

139 does not specify the surface type 

specified within ASTM F1805 for 

testing. 

NHTSA stated that the ‘‘medium pack 

snow’’ condition was intended for use 

by manufacturers for marketing tires as 

‘‘snow tires.’’ Accordingly, NHTSA 

proposed to specify that the traction 

index is obtained using the ‘‘medium 

pack snow ’’ surface and further 

proposed updating the incorporation by 

reference of ASTM F1805 to the 2020 

version. 

D. Proposed UTQGS Amendments 

In anticipation of Michelin’s decision 

to cease production of the 14-inch 

SRTT, NHTSA began including testing 

of the 16-inch SRTT as part of its BCWR 

determination. Since the second quarter 

of 2016, NHTSA has been duplicating 

BCWR testing using both the 14-inch 

SRTT and the 16-inch SRTT. NHTSA 

considered several options for updating 

the UTQGS regulations to account for 

the 16-inch SRTT. As of publication of 

the NPRM, NHTSA had acquired 17 

consecutive quarters of side-by-side 

testing of the 14-inch and 16-inch 

SRTTs on the treadwear course and 

published BCWR data for that period.17

NHTSA requested comments on how 

the new conversion factor should be 

selected from among the available 

quarters of data. For the NPRM, NHTSA 

used the average of all 17 quarters of 

data to adjust the formula for severity 

adjustment factor using the BCWR. 

NHTSA also proposed a modification 

to language in the treadwear test 

procedure in § 575.104 to reference the 

total distance and schedule of events in 

terms of circuits completed rather than 

mileage. This proposed change was 

intended to allow testing to be more 

flexible in the event of route changes or 

other unforeseen circumstances. 

Finally, NHTSA proposed changes 

lengthening the amount of time a CMT 

may be used after removal from storage. 

Currently, a CMT must be no more than 

one year old at the commencement of 

testing and that it must be used within 

two months after removal from storage. 

Because NHTSA lacks facilities to store 

tires in a climate-controlled 

environment at its testing facility in San 

Angelo, Texas, NHTSA only purchases 

CMTs on a quarterly basis depending on 

funding availability and conducts 

BCWR testing as soon as feasible after 

receiving a shipment of CMTs. Lack of 

funding sometimes requires NHTSA to 

delay CMT purchases, and sometimes 

when NHTSA purchases CMTs, 

supplies may be limited. NHTSA 

proposed lengthening the amount of 

time a tire may be removed from storage 

to four months. Further, NHTSA also 

requested comment on whether the 

word ‘‘storage’’ was sufficiently well 

defined and, if not, how NHTSA could 

define ‘‘storage’’ more clearly to ensure 

tires are stored in such a way that would 

minimize testing variability without 

providing inflexible limitations on 

NHTSA’s use of the SRTT. 

E. Proposed Effective Dates 

For the changes to the UTQGS, 

NHTSA stated that it expected to make 

any changes effective at the next BCWR 

determination at least 30 days after the 

date of publication of a final rule. 

NHTSA did not believe any further lead 

time is necessary for the following 

reasons. First, because NHTSA is using 

a conversion factor to keep the rating 

scale used with the 14-inch SRTT and 

16-inch SRTT similar, ratings of a 

particular line of tires should not be 

affected by the proposed rule. Second, 

tire lines rated prior to the effective date 

of the changes would not be required to 

be rerated. Third, limited availability of 

the 14-inch SRTT could make it difficult 


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18USTMA is a trade association representing tire 

manufacturers that produce tires in the United 

States. Michelin is part of USTMA, but also 

submitted comments separately. 

19The Alliance is a trade association including 

manufacturers of nearly all passenger cars and light 

trucks sold in the United States. 

20Regulations Amending Certain Regulations 

Made Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, SOR/ 

2021–83 (Can.). 

for NHTSA to continue to obtain 14- 

inch SRTTs in its BCWR 

determinations. 

For FMVSS changes, NHTSA 

proposed a lead time of six months. 

NHTSA determined that six months was 

sufficient to give compliance test 

facilities sufficient time to obtain and 

validate test surfaces using the 16-inch 

SRTT. Although NHTSA has 

determined an equivalent level of 

surface friction when evaluating PFC 

with the 16-inch SRTT in place of the 

14-inch SRTT, NHTSA anticipates 

requiring test facilities conducting 

NHTSA’s compliance tests to revalidate 

test surfaces using the 16-inch SRTT, to 

ensure that testing is being done in 

accordance with the procedures in the 

FMVSS. However, NHTSA observed 

that potential unavailability of the 14- 

inch SRTT may constitute good cause 

for NHTSA to impose a shorter lead 

time in a final rule resulting from the 

proposal. 

III. Summary of Comments and 

NHTSA’s Response 

NHTSA received five comments on 

the August 2021 NPRM from, the Japan 

Automobile Tyre Manufacturers 

Association (JATMA), Michelin North 

America, Inc. (Michelin), the U.S. Tire 

Manufacturers Association (USTMA),18

Phillip Donovan, and the Alliance for 

Automotive Innovation (Alliance).19

Both JATMA and Michelin supported 

the comments filed by USTMA. JATMA 

had no further comment other than to 

encourage NHTSA to expedite 

publication of a final rule because no 

14-inch SRTTs were available for tire 

manufacturers to purchase. USTMA and 

Michelin also encouraged NHTSA to 

expedite publication of the final rule. 

A. Revision Date of ASTM F2493 

USTMA and Michelin recommended 

that all references to ASTM F2493 (the 

specifications for the 16-inch SRTT) 

refer to the standard without a revision 

date. As an example, USTMA cites a 

recent amendment to the Canadian 

Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations, 

in which the snow tire definition 

references an SRTT that ‘‘meets the 

requirements of any version of ASTM 

F2493.’’ 20 Similarly, UNECE Regulation 

No. 117 and Global Technical 

Regulation No. 20 reference ASTM 

F2493 without regard to version. 

The incorporation by reference of 

ASTM F2493 without regard to date in 

Canadian and UNECE regulations makes 

it easier for governments to update their 

rules in the event future changes to 

ASTM F2493 are warranted. In light of 

the comments and the benefit to NHTSA 

of not having to conduct rulemaking to 

keep references to the ASTM F2493 upto-date, NHTSA has considered whether 

the incorporation by reference of the 

specifications for the SRTT is necessary. 

As required by 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(1), 

NHTSA must publish the text of its 

rules and any amendment, revision, or 

repeal thereto in the Federal Register. 

The only exception to this requirement 

is that matter reasonably available that 

cannot be published in the Federal 

Register may be deemed published 

when incorporated by reference therein 

with the approval of the Director of the 

Federal Register. In 1 CFR 51.1(f), the 

regulations setting forth the policy 

followed by the Director of the Federal 

Register in approving incorporations by 

reference, an incorporation by reference 

of a publication is limited to the edition 

of the publication that is approved. 

Further, that regulation provides that 

future amendments or revisions to a 

publication are not included in an 

incorporation by reference. Therefore, 

while NHTSA may incorporate the most 

current and prior versions of ASTM 

F2493 into the CFR, the Director of the 

Federal Register will not approve 

incorporation by reference of ASTM 

F2493 without reference to version or in 

any other way that would include future 

versions. 

NHTSA, with assistance from the 

Office of the Federal Register, has 

considered these provisions and the 

manner in which ASTM F2493 is 

referenced in the proposed rule and in 

this final rule. Because no requirements, 

procedures, or anything else within the 

text of ASTM F2493 are referenced in 

this final rule, incorporation by 

reference is unnecessary. In order to 

obtain a tire manufactured to the 

specifications of ASTM F2493, an entity 

would not need reference to the specific 

requirements of the standard. The entity 

would only need to contact the 

manufacturer of the tire. 

Having determined that incorporation 

by reference is not necessary, NHTSA 

agrees with the commenters that it 

would be preferable to refer to ASTM 

F2493 without regard to version 

number. Because the SRTT is a 

reference tire that is designed to have a 

specific level of performance, NHTSA 

would not expect that any subsequent 

revision of ASTM F2493 to have a 

consequential effect on the performance 

of the SRTT. Further, regardless of any 

particular version of ASTM F2493 that 

might be referenced in NHTSA’s 

regulations, it is likely that any tire 

available for purchase and used by 

NHTSA will be manufactured according 

to the most recent or immediate prior 

version of ASTM F2493, given that the 

tire is manufactured in small batches. 

Accordingly, NHTSA is not 

incorporating ASTM F2493–19 by 

reference as proposed in the NRPM, and 

is instead referring to ASTM F2493 

without reference to version number. 

B. Maximum Age and Storage 

Requirements for NHTSA’s SRTT Use 

In the August 2021 NPRM, NHTSA 

proposed lengthening, from two months 

to four months, the maximum time an 

SRTT may be removed from storage 

prior to use as part of a BCWR 

determination. USTMA and Michelin 

opposed lengthening the amount of time 

tires may be removed from storage prior 

to use in UTQGS testing from two to 

four months. Michelin stated that 

environmental exposure affects tire 

properties and could impact the 

published BCWR compared to what has 

been done in the past. USTMA 

suggested it was open to further 

discussions on this issue and that it be 

severed from the proposal to be 

addressed in a potential separate 

rulemaking. Both USTMA and Michelin 

referenced a 2000 rulemaking where 

NHTSA noted that tires removed from 

storage degrade at the rate of 

approximately 10 percent per year, 

while tires stored outside of prescribed 

storage conditions degrade at a rate of 

no more than 5 percent per year. 

This final rule contains no changes in 

response to these comments. While 

NHTSA appreciates Michelin’s 

commitment to managing supply of the 

16-inch SRTT, there are factors outside 

of Michelin’s management of tire supply 

that affect when NHTSA can test a tire. 

After a tire is removed from storage, it 

must be shipped to NHTSA. NHTSA 

must then prepare the tires for testing 

and negotiate with the treadwear testing 

contractor the start date for the vehicle 

convoys that run the 16 circuits of the 

UTQGS treadwear course as part of the 

BCWR determination. Any of the steps 

between the shipment of tires and the 

initiation of the convoy may be 

impacted by weather conditions, 

scheduling conflicts, and operational 

limitations. USTMA and Michelin both 

referenced a 2000 rulemaking in which 

the requirement that NHTSA use tires 

within two months after removal from 


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21 65 FR 33,481 (May 24, 2000). 

22See Texas Test Fleet, Critical Evaluation of 

UTQG Treadwear Testing & Methodology, DOT HS 

808–701, March 10, 1997. 

storage was first adopted.21 In that 

rulemaking, Uniroyal cited a NHTSA 

study 22 that found an aging effect of 

approximately 5 percent per year for 

tires in storage and about 10 percent per 

year for tires not in storage. NHTSA 

found that one year of aging could result 

in tire degradation of up to 5 percent, 

which NHTSA deemed to be acceptable 

as the best available compromise within 

the economic constraints of the supply 

of SRTTs, given that SRTTs had limited 

production runs. 

Although NHTSA’s storage facilities 

do not meet the exact storage 

specifications in F2493, the facilities are 

kept climate controlled at all times, tires 

are not stored near ozone-generating 

equipment or sources of ultraviolet 

radiation, and tires are stored on racks 

rather than stacked. NHTSA believes 

that its efforts reduce any potential test 

variability that might result from 

environmental exposure. NHTSA is also 

committed to using SRTTs as soon as 

reasonably practicable. NHTSA believes 

that these factors mitigate any 

additional tire degradation resulting 

from lengthening the amount of time a 

tire may be used after removal from 

storage from two months to four 

months. NHTSA believes that 

Michelin’s commitment to a timely 

supply of tires and the storage 

conditions at NHTSA’s facility will 

ensure that the total tire degradation 

will not be significantly more than the 

5 percent that NHTSA deemed 

acceptable in the 2000 rulemaking. 

USTMA and Michelin also 

recommended that NHTSA define the 

term ‘‘storage’’ in its regulations 

according to the guidelines in ASTM 

F2493. These specifications include 

constant relative humidity, temperature 

greater than freezing but that does not 

exceed 70 °F (21 °C), ozone levels that 

do not exceed 5 parts/10.8 The 

requirements further specify that tires 

not be stored within 30 ft (9.1 m) of 

electrical motors or other ozonegenerating equipment, be stored in 

subdued light, and that tires be stacked 

unbundled no more than eight tires high 

on a pallet. 

Upon consideration of the comments, 

NHTSA has determined that it is not 

necessary to include a definition of the 

term ‘‘storage’’ in its regulations. 

NHTSA assumes, based on Michelin’s 

comment favoring the use of a definition 

of ‘‘storage’’ from ASTM F2493, that 

Michelin is storing SRTTs that it 

manufactures in accordance with the 

guidelines in ASTM F2493 prior to sale. 

Because F2493 contains specifications 

for storage, NHTSA has determined that 

there is no need to further define the 

term ‘‘storage’’ in its regulations. 

Phillip Donovan’s comments also 

addressed the age requirements used for 

testing. The commenter noted that, 

while the restriction that an SRTT be 

less than one year old and be used 

within two (or four as proposed) months 

of removal from storage was workable 

for an agency conducting year-round 

testing, for entities using tires 

sporadically, those restrictions could 

result in disposal of tires prematurely 

leading to excess waste and expense. 

The commenter suggested that NHTSA 

could use a hardness test to determine 

if the tire rubber was still within the 

specification for testing, such as one 

referenced in ASTM E1136. 

In response, NHTSA first observes 

that the existing requirement that an 

SRTT be less than one year old and that 

it be used within two months of removal 

of storage applies only to NHTSA’s use 

of SRTT as CMTs as part of a test 

convoy in determining BCWR ratings for 

testing tires to verify a tire’s treadwear 

ratings are compliant with the UTQG 

regulations. That requirement does not 

apply to PFC determinations for test 

surfaces used for testing compliance 

with braking and ESC FMVSSs. The 

commenter appeared to be focusing on 

those PFC determinations. However, 

even if the comment is intended to 

address use of the SRTT as the CMT as 

part of the UTQG treadwear testing, 

NHTSA observes that the restriction 

applies only to NHTSA’s compliance 

testing. Tire manufacturers may 

determine their tires’ treadwear ratings 

using any method they deem 

appropriate if those tires attain their 

ratings when tested by NHTSA on the 

San Angelo, Texas course using the 

procedures specified in 49 CFR 575.104. 

As for the suggestion that NHTSA 

adopt a hardness specification for 

determining whether tires are 

appropriate for testing, although the 

commenter references E1136 for a 

hardness testing, the F2493 

specification for the 16-inch SRTT also 

contains hardness specification. NHTSA 

understands that those hardness 

specifications are part of determining 

whether a tire is compliant with the 

F2493 specification. NHTSA does not 

believe that the tire needs to be retested 

prior to use to ensure that it remains 

within the F2493 specification. Rather 

(and as discussed in more detail in 

response to Michelin’s and USTMA’s 

comments regarding the lengthening of 

time a tire may be removed from storage 

prior to use), NHTSA believes that the 

variability associated with the 

degradation of tires resulting from the 

specified maximum period of time to 

use a tire since the tire after its 

manufacture and removal from storage 

and the conditions in which they were 

stored. Accordingly, NHTSA has not 

made any changes to the proposal based 

on this comment. 

C. Other Issues 

Several of USTMA and Michelin’s 

comments agreed with NHTSA’s 

approach to issues raised in the NPRM. 

For example, USTMA and Michelin 

agreed that ASTM F1805–20 should be 

used for the snow tire definition and 

agreed with the requirement that a tire 

attain a traction index of equal to or 

greater than 112 to be considered a 

snow tire. USTMA and Michelin also 

agreed with the use of the ‘‘medium 

pack snow’’ surface condition in ASTM 

F1805. Michelin agreed with using all 

17 quarters of available UTQGS test 

data. Michelin also agreed with the 

proposed UTQGS conversion factor of 

1.324. USTMA and Michelin further 

agreed with referencing the total 

distance in terms of circuits rather than 

the estimated 400 miles per circuit. 

USTMA and Michelin agreed that 

ASTM E1337–19 should be used for 

surface friction measurement, including 

its correlation equations between 14- 

inch and 16-inch SRTTs. Further, 

Michelin also agreed with the PFC 

values derived from the equation in 

ASTM E1337–19 in the NPRM. 

NHTSA has considered these 

comments and is including these 

aspects of the proposal in this final rule 

as they were proposed. 

Commenters also pointed out 

typographical errors in the NPRM. For 

example, regarding the UTQGS, USTMA 

and Michelin requested that NHTSA 

confirm that 17 quarters of data were 

used for comparison as referenced in 

Table 1 of the NPRM, rather than 14 

quarters of data as stated in the 

preamble text. NHTSA can confirm this 

was an error in the preamble text and 

that 17 consecutive quarters of data 

were used in determination of the 

conversion factor. Furthermore, an 

example calculation in the text referred 

only to the first 14 quarters of data. The 

actual conversion factor was calculated 

using all 17 quarters of data, as Michelin 

states. In addition, as noted by USTMA, 

NHTSA inadvertently referred to the 

ASTM F1805 as ‘‘F1895.’’ 

D. Effective Date 

Due to the unavailability of the 14- 

inch SRTT, USTMA and Michelin 

agreed with the NPRM to make the 

changes to UTQGS effective at the next 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 8, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 34805 

23 Data on the price of the SRTT was obtained 

from instructions on how to purchase SRTTs from 

Michelin. See https://www.astm.org/COMMIT/2011

%2011%2008%20E1136%20F2493%20SRTT

%20Purchase%20Procedure.pdf (last accessed 

April 13, 2021). 

BCWR determination 30 days after 

publication of a final rule. Therefore, in 

light of the current unavailability of the 

14-inch SRTT, NHTSA is making the 

UTQGS amendments effective 30 days 

after publication of this final rule as 

proposed. The effect of this is that the 

next BCWR determination made 30 days 

after publication of this final rule will 

use the 16-inch SRTT and will be 

calculated based on NHTSA’s BCWR 

determinations using the 16-inch SRTT. 

With respect to the FMVSS 

amendments, USTMA deferred to 

vehicle manufacturers on the 

appropriateness of lead time. Michelin 

recommended that NHTSA shorten the 

lead time to substantially less than 180 

days. In contrast, the Alliance requested 

one year of lead time to prepare for the 

FMVSS amendments rather than the 180 

days proposed in the August 2021 

NPRM, with optional early compliance 

allowed. The Alliance reasoned that this 

would ensure that manufacturers have 

sufficient time to transition to the 16- 

inch SRTT and minimize any 

unnecessary waste of existing 14-inch 

SRTT stock. The Alliance also stated 

that NHTSA would not be prohibited 

from stockpiling 14-inch SRTTs to 

provide this additional lead time. The 

Alliance also requested that ‘‘NHTSA 

not require additional certification 

testing for carryover vehicle models that 

may have been certified using the 14- 

inch SRTT.’’ 

NHTSA has considered these 

comments carefully and has concluded 

that a shorter lead time than proposed 

in the NPRM is necessary for the 

amendments to the FMVSS. This 

conclusion is primarily based on the 

unavailability of the 14-inch SRTT for 

purchase, as stated by Michelin. While 

NHTSA has considered the issues with 

a shorter lead time raised by the 

Alliance, NHTSA does not believe any 

of those issues would make a shorter 

lead time impracticable or difficult. 

As discussed in the NPRM, the 

intention of this amendment is not to 

change the severity of any FMVSS. 

Accordingly, the new PFC values in the 

FMVSSs associated with the use of the 

16-inch SRTT are based on an 

equivalence formula in ASTM E1337– 

19. Because the severity of the FMVSSs 

is not being changed, NHTSA does not 

believe that any vehicle certifications 

would be affected by the use of the 16- 

inch SRTT. 

Relevant to the Alliance’s request that 

NHTSA not require additional 

certification testing for vehicle models 

that may have been certified using the 

14-inch SRTT, NHTSA does not specify 

how manufacturers certify their vehicles 

as compliant, nor does NHTSA opine on 

whether and what testing is sufficient 

for certification outside of a specific 

enforcement action. However, as stated 

in both the August 2021 NPRM and in 

this final rule, NHTSA believes that the 

PFC values specified for the 14-inch 

SRTT currently in the FMVSSs are 

equivalent to those in this final rule 

using the 16-inch SRTT. Therefore, 

NHTSA does not anticipate that 

manufacturers would incur any burden 

associated with certifying vehicle 

models that may have been certified 

based on the use of the 14-inch SRTT. 

Finally, as for the suggestion that 

NHTSA allow optional early 

compliance rather than a shorter lead 

time, optional early compliance is not 

suitable for this rulemaking. The 14- 

inch SRTT is no longer manufactured 

and no entity, including NHTSA or 

vehicle manufacturers, are able to 

purchase new tires to validate its test 

surfaces using a 14-inch SRTT. Thus, 

NHTSA cannot continue validating test 

surfaces with a 14-inch SRTT and must 

begin using the 16-inch SRTT. However, 

this final rule does not require 

manufacturers to use the 16-inch SRTT 

in their testing and certification 

programs. They may continue to use the 

14-inch SRTT in their own testing if 

they have tires available to them. 

However, they must ensure that the tires 

will meet all applicable requirements 

when tested by NHTSA in a compliance 

test program that uses the 16-inch 

SRTT. 

Therefore, with respect to the FMVSS 

amendments, NHTSA finds that the 

present unavailability of the 14-inch 

SRTT requires that the 180-day lead 

time proposed in the NPRM be 

shortened. NHTSA has determined that 

a 30-day lead time is appropriate for 

changes to the FMVSS to enable the 

agency’s use of the 16-inch SRTT. 

NHTSA emphasizes, however, that its 

data and analyses indicate that the 

change to the new SRTT will have no 

substantive effect on compliance with 

the present FMVSS and UTQGS 

requirements, so the shortened lead 

time is anticipated to be 

inconsequential. 

IV. Conclusion 

For the reasons discussed in the 

August 2021 NPRM and in this final 

rule, NHTSA is updating references to 

the SRTT from the 14-inch SRTT to the 

16-inch SRTT as proposed in the August 

2021 NPRM except that NHTSA is 

incorporating by reference the 2020 

version of the 16-inch SRTT 

specification rather than the 2019 

version referenced in the NPRM. This 

final rule will be effective 30 days after 

the date of publication in the Federal 

Register. 

V. Regulatory Analyses 

A. Executive Order 12866, Executive 

Order 13563, and DOT Rulemaking 

Procedures 

NHTSA has considered the impact of 

this rulemaking action under Executive 

Order 12866, Executive Order 13563, 

and the Department of Transportation’s 

administrative rulemaking procedures. 

This rulemaking is not considered 

significant and was not reviewed by the 

Office of Management and Budget under 

E.O. 12866, ‘‘Regulatory Planning and 

Review.’’ 

This final rule updates the standard 

reference test tire used as a baseline tire 

for consumer information testing, in the 

determination of what is a snow tire, 

and to evaluate testing surface friction 

for evaluating braking and electronic 

stability control performance. This final 

rule will not have a direct effect on 

safety because the changes proposed in 

this rule are designed to maintain the 

present level of stringency of NHTSA’s 

braking and electronic stability control 

FMVSSs. However, if the 14-inch SRTT 

is discontinued without a replacement, 

NHTSA would be unable to verify test 

surface friction coefficient prior to 

compliance testing for braking and 

electronic stability control system 

FMVSSs. Thus, this rulemaking 

indirectly affects safety by ensuring that 

NHTSA would be able to perform 

compliance tests of those FMVSSs. 

Also, if this rule were not adopted, it 

would be impossible for NHTSA to 

continue maintaining the BCWR for 

treadwear testing. This unavailability of 

an SRTT would lead to tire 

manufacturers being unable to rate their 

tires for treadwear under the UTQGS 

and mold those ratings onto the side of 

the tire as required by 49 CFR part 575. 

This rule is expected to result in 

additional costs to NHTSA because the 

16-inch SRTT has a retail price that is 

$35 per tire more than the 14-inch SRTT 

($335 vs. $300).23 NHTSA purchases 64 

SRTTs for its own use annually in 

determining BCWR. Therefore, based on 

the cost difference of $35 per tire, 

NHTSA expects that this rule could 

result in up to $2,240 additional annual 

costs to the government. However, 

NHTSA has been using the 14-inch 

SRTT and 16-inch SRTT side-by-side 

since 2016 for its quarterly BCWR 


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determination. With side-by-side testing 

no longer necessary, NHTSA would 

likely purchase fewer SRTTs than it has 

in the past several years. 

As to potential costs to the public, 

based upon information provided to 

NHTSA by Michelin from 2017 and 

2018, annual U.S. sales of 14-inch 

SRTTs is fewer than 2,000 units. If 

NHTSA assumes that U.S. sales of 16- 

inch SRTTs is comparable to sales of 14- 

inch SRTTs, the annual cost of this rule 

would be less than $70,000. However, 

NHTSA does not know how many sales 

are a consequence of the SRTT being 

used as part of NHTSA’s compliance 

test procedures, versus those sold for 

other purposes (e.g., SRTTs sold to 

assess the performance of tires to some 

other country’s regulations or to 

voluntary industry standards). Any 

SRTT sales that are not related to 

compliance with NHTSA’s regulations 

would not be affected by this rule and 

the existence of such sales would mean 

this rule would be less costly than the 

maximum estimate of $70,000 per year. 

Moreover, NHTSA does not have any 

direct knowledge of whether regulated 

entities have been conducting side-byside testing using both the 14-inch 

SRTT and 16-inch SRTTs like NHTSA 

has and whether side-by-side testing has 

artificially increased sales in 2017 and 

2018. 

B. 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 rulemaking for 

any proposed 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)). 

However, no regulatory flexibility 

analysis is required if the head of an 

agency certifies the rule would 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 

would not have a significant economic 

impact on a substantial number of small 

entities. 

NHTSA has considered the effects of 

this rule under the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act. I certify that this rule 

will not have a significant economic 

impact on a substantial number of small 

entities. This rule will directly impact 

the government, as it affects the test 

procedures NHTSA uses in its FMVSSs 

and regulations that reference tire 

performance. It affects manufacturers of 

tires and of motor vehicles only to the 

extent those manufacturers choose to 

test their products in the manner 

NHTSA would test them. They are not 

required to use the test procedures 

NHTSA uses. 

Although some entities producing 

tires or vehicles that would be tested by 

NHTSA are considered small 

businesses, this rule will not have a 

significant economic impact on those 

manufacturers. First, the small 

manufacturers are not required to use 

the SRTT in certifying their products. 

Second, for manufacturers choosing to 

use the 16-inch SRTT to test their 

products, this rule would result in a cost 

increase of only $35 per tire to entities 

currently purchasing the 14-inch SRTT 

to assess their products. NHTSA does 

not believe that this cost increase is 

significant. Finally, for the changes to 

the UTQGS, because NHTSA is using a 

conversion factor to keep the rating 

scale used with the 14-inch SRTT and 

16-inch SRTT identical, ratings of a 

particular line of tires should not be 

affected by this rule. For FMVSS 

changes, NHTSA has determined an 

equivalent level of surface friction when 

evaluating PFC with the 16-inch SRTT 

in place of the 14-inch SRTT, so the 

change to the standard reference test tire 

should not change the performance of 

current tires or vehicles. 

C. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism) 

NHTSA has examined this rule 

pursuant to Executive Order 13132 (64 

FR 43255, August 10, 1999) and 

concluded that no additional 

consultation with States, local 

governments or their representatives is 

mandated beyond the rulemaking 

process. The agency has concluded that 

the rulemaking would not have 

sufficient federalism implications to 

warrant consultation with State and 

local officials or the preparation of a 

federalism summary impact statement. 

The rule will 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 preempt 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 

by Congress that preempts any nonidentical State legislative and 

administrative law addressing the same 

aspect of performance. 

The express preemption provision 

described above is subject to a savings 

clause under which ‘‘[c]ompliance with 

a motor vehicle safety standard 

prescribed under this chapter does not 

exempt a person from liability at 

common law.’’ 49 U.S.C. 30103(e). 

Pursuant to this provision, State 

common law tort causes of action 

against motor vehicle manufacturers 

that might otherwise be preempted by 

the express preemption provision are 

generally preserved. However, the 

Supreme Court has recognized the 

possibility, in some instances, of 

implied preemption of such State 

common law tort causes of action by 

virtue of NHTSA’s rules, even if not 

expressly preempted. This second way 

that NHTSA rules can preempt is 

dependent upon there being an actual 

conflict between an FMVSS and the 

higher standard that would effectively 

be imposed on motor vehicle 

manufacturers if someone obtained a 

State common law tort judgment against 

the manufacturer, notwithstanding the 

manufacturer’s compliance with the 

NHTSA standard. Because most NHTSA 

standards established by an FMVSS are 

minimum standards, a State common 

law tort cause of action that seeks to 

impose a higher standard on motor 

vehicle manufacturers will generally not 

be preempted. However, if and when 

such a conflict does exist—for example, 

when the standard at issue is both a 

minimum and a maximum standard— 

the State common law tort cause of 

action is impliedly preempted. See 

Geier v. American Honda Motor Co., 

529 U.S. 861 (2000). 

Pursuant to Executive Orders 13132 

and 12988, NHTSA has considered 

whether this rule could or should 

preempt State common law causes of 

action. The agency’s ability to announce 

its conclusion regarding the preemptive 

effect of one of its rules reduces the 

likelihood that preemption will be an 

issue in any subsequent tort litigation. 

To this end, the agency has examined 

the nature (e.g., the language and 

structure of the regulatory text) and 

objectives of this rule and finds that the 


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24https://www.astm.org/READINGLIBRARY/. 

rule affects only minimum safety 

standards (and only insofar as how 

NHTSA would conduct compliance 

testing under those standards). As such, 

NHTSA does not intend that this rule 

preempt State tort law that would 

effectively impose a higher standard on 

motor vehicle manufacturers than that 

established by the affected FMVSSs. 

Establishment of a higher standard by 

means of State tort law would not 

conflict with the minimum standards 

affected by this rule. Without any 

conflict, there could not be any implied 

preemption of a State common law tort 

cause of action. Aspects of this rule will 

amend 49 CFR part 575, which is not a 

safety standard but an information 

program to assist consumers in making 

informed decisions when purchasing 

tires. The 14-inch SRTT is used as part 

of the determination of a tire’s 

treadwear rating. This rule will not 

impose any requirements on anyone. 

D. Executive Order 12988 (Civil Justice 

Reform) 

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; Feb. 

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) 

specifies whether administrative 

proceedings are to be required before 

parties file suit in court; (6) adequately 

defines key terms; and (7) 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. NHTSA notes further 

that there is no requirement that 

individuals submit a petition for 

reconsideration or pursue other 

administrative proceedings before they 

may file suit in court. 

E. Protection of Children From 

Environmental Health and Safety Risks 

Executive Order 13045, ‘‘Protection of 

Children from Environmental Health 

and Safety Risks’’ (62 FR 19855, April 

23, 1997), applies to any rule that: (1) 

Is determined to be ‘‘economically 

significant’’ as defined under Executive 

Order 12866, and (2) concerns an 

environmental, health, or safety risk that 

the agency has reason to believe may 

have a disproportionate effect on 

children. If the regulatory action meets 

both criteria, the agency must evaluate 

the environmental health or safety 

effects of the planned rule on children, 

and explain why the planned regulation 

is preferable to other potentially 

effective and reasonably feasible 

alternatives considered by the agency. 

This rule is not economically 

significant under E.O. 12866. Further, it 

is part of a rulemaking that is not 

expected to have a disproportionate 

health or safety impact on children. 

Consequently, no further analysis is 

required under Executive Order 13045. 

F. 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 Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) control 

number. There is not any information 

collection requirement associated with 

this rule. 

G. Incorporation by Reference 

Under regulations issued by the Office 

of the Federal Register (1 CFR 51.5), an 

agency, as part of a rule that includes 

material incorporated by reference, must 

summarize material that is incorporated 

by reference and must discuss the ways 

the material incorporated by reference is 

reasonably available to interested 

parties or how the agency worked to 

make materials available to interested 

parties. 

As discussed earlier in this document, 

the ASTM F2493-specified tire is a 

standard reference test tire that is not 

used for general use, but, as its name 

suggests, is used for testing. The ASTM 

F2493 standard reference test tire is 

primarily used for evaluating surface 

friction (traction). The standard 

reference test tire specifications include, 

among other things, size, design, 

construction, and materials 

requirements. Although NHTSA 

proposed incorporating ASTM F2493– 

19 by reference in the proposed rule, 

after consideration of public comments, 

NHTSA has decided it is permissible 

and preferable not to incorporate by 

reference ASTM F2493, and to refer to 

it without regard to version number. 

This rule updates an existing 

incorporation by reference of ASTM 

E1337, ‘‘Standard Test Method for 

Determining Longitudinal Peak Braking 

Coefficient (PBC) of Paved Surfaces 

Using Standard Reference Test Tire.’’ 

ASTM E1337 is a standard test method 

for evaluating peak braking coefficient 

of a test surface using a standard 

reference test tire using a trailer towed 

by a vehicle. NHTSA uses this method 

to evaluate test surfaces for conducting 

compliance test procedures for its 

braking and electronic stability control 

standards. The 2019 version of ASTM 

E1337 specifies that the test may be 

conducted using the 16-inch SRTT and 

includes correlation data for converting 

testing using the 14-inch SRTT to the 

16-inch SRTT and vice versa. 

This rule also updates an existing 

incorporation by reference of ASTM 

F1805, ‘‘Standard Test Method for 

Single Wheel Driving Traction in a 

Straight Line on Snow- and Ice-Covered 

Surfaces.’’ ASTM F1805 is a test method 

for measuring the traction of tires on 

snow- or ice-covered surfaces using an 

instrumented four-wheel drive vehicle 

with a single test wheel capable of 

measure tire performance. NHTSA uses 

ASTM F1805 as part of its criteria for 

determining whether a tire may be 

considered a ‘‘snow tire’’ under its light 

vehicle tire standards. The 2020 version 

of F1805 specifies that the test may be 

conducted using the 16-inch SRTT and 

includes correlation data for converting 

testing using the 14-inch SRTT to the 

16-inch SRTT and vice versa. 

The ASTM standards incorporated by 

reference in this final rule are available 

for review at NHTSA’s headquarters in 

Washington, DC, and for purchase from 

ASTM International. The ASTM 

standards that are replaced by this final 

rule are presently available for review at 

NHTSA or at ASTM’s online reading 

room.24 Once this final rule becomes 

effective, NHTSA anticipates that ASTM 

will update its reading room to include 

these standards. 

H. National Technology Transfer and 

Advancement Act 

Section 12(d) of the National 

Technology Transfer and Advancement 

Act (NTTAA) requires NHTSA to 

evaluate and use existing voluntary 

consensus standards in its regulatory 

activities unless doing so would be 

inconsistent with applicable law (e.g., 

the statutory provisions regarding 

NHTSA’s vehicle safety authority) or 

otherwise impractical. Voluntary 

consensus standards are technical 

standards developed or adopted by 

voluntary consensus standards bodies. 

Technical standards are defined by the 

NTTAA as ‘‘performance-based or 

design-specific technical specification 

and related management systems 

practices.’’ They pertain to ‘‘products 

and processes, such as size, strength, or 

technical performance of a product, 

process or material.’’ 


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34808 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 8, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 

Examples of organizations generally 

regarded as voluntary consensus 

standards bodies include ASTM 

International, the Society of Automotive 

Engineers (SAE), and the American 

National Standards Institute (ANSI). If 

NHTSA does not use available and 

potentially applicable voluntary 

consensus standards, we are required by 

the Act to provide Congress, through 

OMB, an explanation of the reasons for 

not using such standards. 

As discussed above, the standard 

reference test tire, the test method for 

determining surface friction, and the 

test method for determining whether a 

tire is a snow tire are based on 

specifications published by ASTM. 

Thus, this rulemaking accords with the 

requirements of the NTTAA. 

I. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

Section 202 of the Unfunded 

Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA) 

requires Federal 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). Before promulgating a NHTSA 

rule for which a written statement is 

needed, section 205 of the UMRA 

generally requires the agency to identify 

and consider a reasonable number of 

regulatory alternatives and adopt the 

least costly, most cost-effective, or least 

burdensome alternative that achieves 

the objectives of the rule. The 

provisions of section 205 do not apply 

when they are inconsistent with 

applicable law. Moreover, section 205 

allows the agency to adopt an 

alternative other than the least costly, 

most cost-effective, or least burdensome 

alternative if the agency publishes with 

the final rule an explanation of why that 

alternative was not adopted. 

This rule will not result in any 

expenditure by State, local, or tribal 

governments or the private sector of 

more than $100 million, adjusted for 

inflation. 

J. 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. 

K. Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) 

The Department of Transportation 

assigns a regulation identifier number 

(RIN) to each regulatory action listed in 

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. 

List of Subjects 

49 CFR Part 571 

Imports, Incorporation by reference, 

Motor vehicle safety, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements, Tires. 

49 CFR Part 575 

Consumer protection, Incorporation 

by reference, Motor vehicle safety, 

Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Tires. 

In consideration of the foregoing, 

NHTSA amends 49 CFR parts 571 and 

575 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, 

30117, and 30166; delegation of authority at 

49 CFR 1.95. 

■ 2. Amend § 571.5 by: 

■ a. Revising paragraph (a); 

■ b. Removing and reserving paragraph 

(d)(33); and 

■ c. Revising paragraphs (d)(34) and 

(35). 

The revisions read as follows: 

§ 571.5 Matter incorporated by reference. 

(a) Certain material is incorporated by 

reference into this part with the 

approval of the Director of the Federal 

Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 

552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. To enforce 

any edition other than that specified in 

this section, the National Highway 

Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 

must publish a document in the Federal 

Register and the material must be 

available to the public. All approved 

material is available for inspection at 

NHTSA and at the National Archives 

and Records Administration (NARA). 

Contact NHTSA at: NHTSA, 1200 New 

Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 

20590; Phone: (202) 366–2588; website: 

https://www.nhtsa.gov/about-nhtsa/ 

electronic-reading-room. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at NARA, email: fr.inspection@

nara.gov, or go to: www.archives.gov/ 

federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html. 

The material may be obtained from the 

sources in the following paragraphs of 

this section. 

* * * * * 

(d) * * * 

(34) ASTM E1337–19, ‘‘Standard Test 

Method for Determining Longitudinal 

Peak Braking Coefficient (PBC) of Paved 

Surfaces Using Standard Reference Test 

Tire,’’ approved December 1, 2019, into 

§§ 571.105; 571.121; 571.122; 571.126; 

571.135; 571.136; 571.500. 

(35) ASTM F1805–20, ‘‘Standard Test 

Method for Single Wheel Driving 

Traction in a Straight Line on Snowand Ice-Covered Surfaces,’’ approved 

May 1, 2020; into § 571.139. 

* * * * * 

■ 3. Amend § 571.105 by revising 

paragraphs S6.9.2(a) and (b) to read as 

follows: 

§ 571.105 Standard No. 105; Hydraulic and 

electric brake systems. 

* * * * * 

S6.9.2(a) For vehicles with a GVWR 

greater than 10,000 pounds, road tests 

(excluding stability and control during 

braking tests) are conducted on a 12- 

foot-wide, level roadway, having a peak 

friction coefficient of 1.02 when 

measured using an ASTM F2493 

standard reference test tire, in 

accordance with ASTM E1337–19 

(incorporated by reference, see § 571.5), 

at a speed of 40 mph, without water 

delivery. Burnish stops are conducted 

on any surface. The parking brake test 

surface is clean, dry, smooth, Portland 

cement concrete. 

(b) For vehicles with a GVWR greater 

than 10,000 pounds, stability and 

control during braking tests are 

conducted on a 500-foot-radius curved 

roadway with a wet level surface having 

a peak friction coefficient of 0.55 when 

measured on a straight or curved section 

of the curved roadway using an ASTM 

F2493 standard reference tire, in 

accordance with ASTM E1337–19 at a 

speed of 40 mph, with water delivery. 

* * * * * 

■ 4. Amend § 571.121 by revising 

paragraphs S5.3.1.1 introductory text, 

S5.3.6.1, S5.7.1, S6.1.7, Table I, Table II, 

and Table IIa to read as follows: 

§ 571.121 Standard No. 121; Air brake 

systems. 

* * * * * 

S5.3.1.1 Stop the vehicle from 60 

mph on a surface with a peak friction 

coefficient of 1.02 with the vehicle 

loaded as follows: 

* * * * * 

S5.3.6.1 Using a full-treadle brake 

application for the duration of the stop, 

stop the vehicle from 30 mph or 75 

percent of the maximum drive-through 

speed, whichever is less, on a 500-foot 

radius curved roadway with a wet level 

surface having a peak friction coefficient 


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of 0.55 when measured on a straight or 

curved section of the curved roadway 

using an ASTM F2493 standard 

reference tire, in accordance with ASTM 

E1337–19 (incorporated by reference, 

see § 571.5), at a speed of 40 mph, with 

water delivery. 

* * * * * 

S5.7.1 Emergency brake system 

performance. When stopped six times 

for each combination of weight and 

speed specified in S5.3.1.1, except for a 

loaded truck tractor with an unbraked 

control trailer, on a road surface having 

a PFC of 1.02, with a single failure in 

the service brake system of a part 

designed to contain compressed air or 

brake fluid (except failure of a common 

valve, manifold, brake fluid housing, or 

brake chamber housing), the vehicle 

shall stop at least once in not more than 

the distance specified in Column 5 of 

Table II, measured from the point at 

which movement of the service brake 

control begins, except that a trucktractor tested at its unloaded vehicle 

weight plus up to 1,500 pounds shall 

stop at least once in not more than the 

distance specified in Column 6 of Table 

II. The stop shall be made without any 

part of the vehicle leaving the roadway, 

and with unlimited wheel lockup 

permitted at any speed. 

* * * * * 

S6.1.7 Unless otherwise specified, 

stopping tests are conducted on a 12- 

foot wide level, straight roadway having 

a peak friction coefficient of 1.02. For 

road tests in S5.3, the vehicle is aligned 

in the center of the roadway at the 

beginning of a stop. Peak friction 

coefficient is measured using an ASTM 

F2493 standard reference test tire in 

accordance with ASTM E1337–19 

(incorporated by reference, see § 571.5), 

at a speed of 40 mph, without water 

delivery for the surface with PFC of 

1.02, and with water delivery for the 

surface with PFC of 0.55. 

* * * * * 

TABLE I—STOPPING SEQUENCE

Truck tractors 

Single unit 

trucks and 

buses 

Burnish (S6.1.8) ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 1 

Stability and Control at GVWR (S5.3.6) .................................................................................................................. 2 N/A 

Stability and Control at LLVW (S5.3.6) ................................................................................................................... 3 5 

Manual Adjustment of Brakes ................................................................................................................................. 4 N/A 

60 mph Service Brake Stops at GVWR (S5.3.1) .................................................................................................... 5 2 

60 mph Emergency Service Brake Stops at GVWR (S5.7.1) ................................................................................. N/A 3 

Parking Brake Test at GVWR (S5.6) ...................................................................................................................... 6 4 

Manual Adjustment of Brakes ................................................................................................................................. 7 6 

60 mph Service Brake Stops at LLVW (S5.3.1) ..................................................................................................... 8 7 

60 mph Emergency Service Brake Stops at LLVW (S5.7.1) .................................................................................. 9 8 

Parking Brake Test at LLVW (S5.6) ........................................................................................................................ 10 9 

Final Inspection ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 10 

TABLE II—STOPPING DISTANCE IN FEET

Vehicle speed in 

miles per hour 

Service brake Emergency brake 

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) 

30 ..................................... 70 78 65 78 84 61 170 186 

35 ..................................... 96 106 89 106 114 84 225 250 

40 ..................................... 125 138 114 138 149 108 288 325 

45 ..................................... 158 175 144 175 189 136 358 409 

50 ..................................... 195 216 176 216 233 166 435 504 

55 ..................................... 236 261 212 261 281 199 520 608 

60 ..................................... 280 310 250 310 335 235 613 720 

Note: 

(1) Loaded and Unloaded Buses. 

(2) Loaded Single-Unit Trucks. 

(3) Loaded Tractors with Two Axles; or with Three Axles and a GVWR of 70,000 lbs. or less; or with Four or More Axles and a GVWR of 

85,000 lbs. or less. Tested with an Unbraked Control Trailer. 

(4) Loaded Tractors with Three Axles and a GVWR greater than 70,000 lbs.; or with Four or More Axles and a GVWR greater than 85,000 lbs. 

Tested with an Unbraked Control Trailer. 

(5) Unloaded Single-Unit Trucks. 

(6) Unloaded Tractors (Bobtail). 

(7) All Vehicles except Tractors, Loaded and Unloaded. 

(8) Unloaded Tractors (Bobtail). 

TABLE IIA—STOPPING DISTANCE IN FEET: OPTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR: (1) THREE-AXLE TRACTORS WITH A FRONT

AXLE THAT HAS A GAWR OF 14,600 POUNDS OR LESS, AND WITH TWO REAR DRIVE AXLES THAT HAVE A COMBINED GAWR OF 45,000 POUNDS OR LESS, MANUFACTURED BEFORE AUGUST 1, 2011; AND (2) ALL OTHER TRACTORS MANUFACTURED BEFORE AUGUST 1, 2013 

Vehicle speed in miles per hour 

Service brake Emergency brake 

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) 

30 ..................................................................................... 70 78 84 89 170 186 

35 ..................................................................................... 96 106 114 121 225 250 


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TABLE IIA—STOPPING DISTANCE IN FEET: OPTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR: (1) THREE-AXLE TRACTORS WITH A FRONT

AXLE THAT HAS A GAWR OF 14,600 POUNDS OR LESS, AND WITH TWO REAR DRIVE AXLES THAT HAVE A COMBINED GAWR OF 45,000 POUNDS OR LESS, MANUFACTURED BEFORE AUGUST 1, 2011; AND (2) ALL OTHER TRACTORS MANUFACTURED BEFORE AUGUST 1, 2013—Continued 

Vehicle speed in miles per hour 

Service brake Emergency brake 

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) 

40 ..................................................................................... 125 138 149 158 288 325 

45 ..................................................................................... 158 175 189 200 358 409 

50 ..................................................................................... 195 216 233 247 435 504 

55 ..................................................................................... 236 261 281 299 520 608 

60 ..................................................................................... 280 310 335 355 613 720 

Note:(1) Loaded and unloaded buses; (2) Loaded single unit trucks; (3) Unloaded truck tractors and single unit trucks; (4) Loaded truck tractors tested with an unbraked control trailer; (5) All vehicles except truck tractors; (6) Unloaded truck tractors. 

* * * * * 

■ 5. Amend § 571.122 by revising 

paragraphs S6.1.1.1, S6.1.1.2, S6.1.1.3, 

and S6.9.7.1(a) to read as follows: 

§ 571.122 Standard No. 122; Motorcycle 

brake systems. 

* * * * * 

S6.1.1.1 High friction surface. A 

high friction surface is used for all 

dynamic brake tests excluding the ABS 

tests where a low-friction surface is 

specified. The high-friction surface test 

area is a clean, dry and level surface, 

with a gradient of ≤1 percent. The highfriction surface has a peak braking 

coefficient (PBC) of 1.02. 

S6.1.1.2 Low-friction surface. A lowfriction surface is used for ABS tests 

where a low-friction surface is specified. 

The low-friction surface test area is a 

clean and level surface, which may be 

wet or dry, with a gradient of ≤1 

percent. The low-friction surface has a 

PBC of ≤0.50. 

S6.1.1.3 Measurement of PBC. The 

PBC is measured using the ASTM F2493 

standard reference test tire, in 

accordance with ASTM E1337–19, at a 

speed of 64 km/h (incorporated by 

reference; see § 571.5). 

* * * * * 

S6.9.7.1 * * * 

(a) Test surfaces. A low friction 

surface immediately followed by a high 

friction surface with a PBC ≥0.90. 

* * * * * 

■ 6. Amend § 571.126 by revising 

paragraph S6.2.2 to read as follows: 

§ 571.126 Standard No. 126; Electronic 

stability control systems for light vehicles. 

* * * * * 

S6.2.2 The road test surface must 

produce a peak friction coefficient (PFC) 

of 1.02 when measured using an ASTM 

F2493 standard reference test tire, in 

accordance with ASTM E1337–19 

(incorporated by reference, see § 571.5) 

at a speed of 64.4 km/h (40 mph), 

without water delivery. 

* * * * * 

■ 7. Amend § 571.135 by revising 

paragraphs S6.2.1, S7.4.3(f), S7.5.2(f), 

S7.6.2(f), S7.7.3(f), S7.8.2(f), S7.9.2(f), 

S7.10.3(e), and S7.11.3(f) to read as 

follows: 

§ 571.135 Standard No. 135; Light vehicle 

brake systems. 

* * * * * 

S6.2.1. Pavement friction. Unless 

otherwise specified, the road test 

surface produces a peak friction 

coefficient (PFC) of 1.02 when measured 

using an ASTM F2493 standard 

reference test tire, in accordance with 

ASTM E1337–19 (incorporated by 

reference, see § 571.5), at a speed of 64.4 

km/h (40 mph), without water delivery. 

* * * * * 

S7.4.3. * * * 

(f) Test surface: PFC of at least 1.02. 

* * * * * 

S7.5.2. * * * 

(f) Test surface: PFC of 1.02. 

* * * * * 

S7.6.2. * * * 

(f) Test surface: PFC of 1.02. 

* * * * * 

S7.7.3. * * * 

(f) Test surface: PFC of 1.02. 

* * * * * 

S7.8.2. * * * 

(f) Test surface: PFC of 1.02. 

* * * * * 

S7.9.2. * * * 

(f) Test surface: PFC of 1.02. 

* * * * * 

S7.10.3. * * * 

(e) Test surface: PFC of 1.02. 

* * * * * 

S7.11.3. * * * 

(f) Test surface: PFC of 1.02. 

* * * * * 

■ 8. Amend § 571.136 by revising 

paragraph S6.2.2 to read as follows: 

§ 571.136 Standard No. 136; Electronic 

stability control systems for heavy vehicles. 

* * * * * 

S6.2.2 The road test surface 

produces a peak friction coefficient 

(PFC) of 1.02 when measured using an 

ASTM F2493 standard reference test 

tire, in accordance with ASTM E1337– 

19, at a speed of 64.4 km/h (40 mph), 

without water delivery (incorporated by 

reference, see § 571.5). 

* * * * * 

■ 9. Amend § 571.139 by revising the 

definition for ‘‘Snow tire’’ in S3 to read 

as follows: 

§ 571.139 Standard No. 139; New 

pneumatic radial tires for light vehicles. 

* * * * * 

S3 * * * 

Snow tire means a tire that attains a 

traction index equal to or greater than 

112, compared to the ASTM F2493 

standard reference test tire when using 

the snow traction test on the medium 

pack snow surface as described in 

ASTM F1805–20 (incorporated by 

reference, see § 571.5), and that is 

marked with an Alpine Symbol 

specified in S5.5(i) on at least one 

sidewall. 

* * * * * 

■ 10. Amend § 571.500 by revising 

paragraph S6.2.1 to read as follows: 

§ 571.500 Standard No. 500; Low-speed 

vehicles. 

* * * * * 

S6.2.1. Pavement friction. Unless 

otherwise specified, the road test 

surface produces a peak friction 

coefficient (PFC) of 1.02 when measured 

using a ASTM F2493 standard reference 

test tire, in accordance with ASTM 

E1337–19, at a speed of 64.4 km/h (40.0 

mph), without water delivery 

(incorporated by reference; see § 571.5). 

* * * * * 


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PART 575—CONSUMER 

INFORMATION 

■ 11. The authority citation for part 575 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 32302, 32304A, 

30111, 30115, 30117, 30123, 30166, 30181, 

30182, 30183, and 32908, Pub. L. 104–414, 

114 Stat. 1800, Pub. L. 109–59, 119 Stat. 

1144, Pub. L. 110–140, 121 Stat. 1492, 15 

U.S.C. 1232(g); delegation of authority at 49 

CFR 1.95. 

§ 575.3 [Amended] 

■ 12. Amend § 575.3 by removing and 

reserving paragraph (c)(2). 

■ 13. Amend § 575.104 by revising 

paragraphs (e)(2)(viii), and 

(e)(2)(ix)(A)(2), the note to paragraph 

(e)(2)(ix)(C), and paragraph (e)(2)(ix)(F) 

to read as follows: 

§ 575.104 Uniform tire quality grading 

standards. 

* * * * * 

(e) * * * 

(2) * * * 

(viii) Drive the convoy on the test 

roadway for 16 circuits (approximately 

6,400 miles). 

(A) After every circuit (approximately 

400 miles), rotate each vehicle’s tires by 

moving each front tire to the same side 

of the rear axle and each rear tire to the 

opposite side of the front axle. Visually 

inspect each tire for treadwear 

anomalies. 

(B) After every second circuit 

(approximately 800 miles), rotate the 

vehicles in the convoy by moving the 

last vehicle to the lead position. Do not 

rotate driver positions within the 

convoy. In four-car convoys, vehicle one 

shall become vehicle two, vehicle two 

shall become vehicle three, vehicle 

three shall become vehicle four, and 

vehicle four shall become vehicle one. 

(C) After every second circuit 

(approximately 800 miles), if necessary, 

adjust wheel alignment to the midpoint 

of the vehicle manufacturer’s 

specification, unless adjustment to the 

midpoint is not recommended by the 

manufacturer; in that case, adjust the 

alignment to the manufacturer’s 

recommended setting. In all cases, the 

setting is within the tolerance specified 

by the manufacturer of the alignment 

machine. 

(D) After every second circuit 

(approximately 800 miles), if 

determining the projected mileage by 

the 9-point method set forth in 

paragraph (e)(2)(ix)(A)(1) of this section, 

measure the average tread depth of each 

tire following the procedure set forth in 

paragraph (e)(2)(vi) of this section. 

(E) After every fourth circuit 

(approximately 1,600 miles), move the 

complete set of four tires to the 

following vehicle. Move the tires on the 

last vehicle to the lead vehicle. In 

moving the tires, rotate them as set forth 

in paragraph (e)(2)(viii)(A) of this 

section. 

(F) At the end of the test, measure the 

tread depth of each tire pursuant to the 

procedure set forth in paragraph 

(e)(2)(vi) of this section. 

(ix) * * * 

(A) * * * 

(2) Two-point arithmetical method. (i) 

For each course monitoring and 

candidate tire in the convoy, using the 

average tread depth measurements 

obtained in accordance with paragraphs 

(e)(2)(vi) and (e)(2)(viii)(F) of this 

section and the corresponding mileages 

as data points, determine the slope (m) 

of the tire’s wear in mils of tread depth 

per 1,000 miles by the following 

formula: 

Where: 

Yo = average tread depth after break-in, mils. 

Y1 = average tread depth after 16 circuits 

(approximately 6,400 miles), mils. 

Xo = 0 miles (after break-in). 

X1 = Total mileage of travel after 16 circuits 

(approximately 6,400 miles). 

(ii) This slope (m) will be negative in 

value. The tire’s wear rate is defined as 

the slope (m) expressed in mils per 

1,000 miles. 

* * * * * 

(C) * * * 

Note 1 to paragraph (e)(2)(ix)(C): The 

ASTM F2493 standard reference test tire is 

the course monitoring tire (CMT). The base 

wear rate for the CMTs will be obtained by 

the Government by running the course 

monitoring tires for 16 circuits over the San 

Angelo, Texas, UTQGS test route 4 times per 

year, then using the average wear rate from 

the last 4 quarterly CMT tests for the base 

course wear rate calculation. Each new base 

course wear rate will be published in Docket 

No. NHTSA–2001–9395. The course 

monitoring tires used in a test convoy must 

be no more than one-year-old at the 

commencement of the test and must be used 

within four months after removal from 

storage. 

* * * * * 

(F) Compute the grade (P) of the of the 

NHTSA nominal treadwear value for 

each candidate tire by using the 

following formula: 

Where base course wear raten = new base 

course wear rate, i.e., average treadwear of 

the last 4 quarterly course monitoring tire 

tests conducted by NHTSA. 

Round off the percentage to the nearest 

lower 20-point increment. 

* * * * * 

Issued in Washington, DC, under authority 

delegated in 49 CFR 1.95 and 501.7. 

Steven S. Cliff, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2022–12243 Filed 6–7–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 622 

[RTID 0648–XB046] 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish 

and Red Drum Fisheries of the Gulf of 

Mexico; Amendments 48/5 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of Agency decision. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces the 

approval of Amendment 48 to the 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for 

Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of 

Mexico and Amendment 5 to the FMP 

for the Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf of 

Mexico (Amendments 48/5), which are 

combined in a single document as 

submitted by the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) 

Fishery Management Council (Gulf 

Council). Amendments 48/5 establish or 

modify maximum sustainable yield 

(MSY) proxies, maximum fishing 

mortality thresholds (MFMTs), 

minimum stock size thresholds 

(MSSTs), and optimum yield (OY) for 

stocks in the Reef Fish and Red Drum 

FMPs. The need for this action is to 


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(Yl - Yo) 

m = 1000 (Xl _ Xo) 

Projected mileage x base course wear raten 

p = 304