Position Paper: Proposed Tyre Noise Reduction Goals ‘Not Feasible’

A position paper produced by the ETRMA and recently obtained by the news agency Reuters indicates that the industry association retains its viewpoint on road noise reduction levels outlined last year. On October 18, 2007 the organisation sent a letter to the European Commissioner for Enterprise, Günther Verheugen, proposing voluntary reduction levels while cautioning that the reductions set out by the European Commission may lead to a compromising of road safety. The document obtained by Reuters appears to include similar content, and is said to call some of the Commission’s noise reduction goals “not feasible.”

As a whole, the Commission’s requirements are not objected to in the proposal, however it reportedly states that an easing of requirements for rolling noise pollution on light and heavy truck tyres is sought. The Commission has put forward a truck tyre noise level reduction from a range of 75 to 79 decibels down to 70 to 73 decibels. “The EC proposed limits are totally unacceptable since they are unachievable with the current technology,” said the paper. “Safety and energy efficiency must not be sacrificed for too stringent noise requirements.”

ETRMA’s secretary general, Fazilet Cinaralp, told the news agency the Commission’s new range was not realistic because it would be roughly the same as that established for car tyres. To meet that target, manufacturers would be forced to compromise on other tyre features and jeopardise the safety of driving trucks, she said: “We would have more accidents on the highway.”