NHTSA Denies RMA Petition

(Akron/Tire Review) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has formally denied the Rubber Manufacturers Association’s petition to establish recommended cold inflation pressure using a tyre pressure reserve. The petition requested that NHTSA include a reserve tyre pressure sufficient to allow tyres to carry the maximum load of a vehicle at the new tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) regulation trigger point.

The Tire Industry Association (TIA) had supported RMA’s petition and expressed disappointment with the agency’s ruling. “We are disappointed that NHTSA decided not to build in an additional safety measure and grant the petition for reserve inflation pressure,” said Roy Littlefield, executive vice president of TIA, in a statement. “With this decision coming on the heels of the TPMS ruling, TIA is frustrated with NHTSA’s apparent lack of interest in what the tire industry has to say.”