ETRMA shuns Nokian ice and snow sticker

The ETRMA has called for action against one its own members after Nokian Tyres took the initiative of producing its own ice and snow label. The association is specifically asking authorities in Finland, Norway and Sweden to put an immediate end to the initiative. Nokian tyres, which specialises in winter tyres, appears to have devised its own additional labelling system in response to the fact that the new EU tyre label that became mandatory on 1 November 2012 doesn’t include snow and ice performance information. Furthermore, due to the fact that the EU label requires tests to be conducted at relatively high ambient temperatures, winter tyres in general have shown a tendency to appear to perform poorly on the EU label.

ETRMA explained that the EU tyre label does not give any grading information on the ice and snow performance of tyres since no official ice test method is available.  According to the association that represents leading European tyre manufacturers, the EU legislator has indicated that further analysis is needed to assess if a grip grading for tyres that  are designed to  perform in ice and/or  snow conditions can be developed (as requested within article 11.b of Regulation 1222/2009).

Furthermore ETRMA reports that the industry has been working on defining a reliable and objective ice test method to measure this performance, but this work has not yet been concluded. The result of the current work which has been shared with ETRMA reportedly indicates that “no seven-band grading and even no two-band grading is possible, due to the very high spread of results in ice tests. All test results generated so far indicate that the repeatability and reproducibility of results are too weak to allow a tyre grading.” In addition “a segregation between snow tyres and ‘Nordic’ tyres seems possible with a threshold which is under serious consideration.”

Members and association distance themselves from Nokian label

Owing to the fact that there is no official European label, both ETRMA and the association’s members are said to be distancing themselves from Nokian Tyres’ launch of its ice and snow sticker which has been introduced for the winter season 2012/2013 in Finland, Norway and Sweden.

This independent labelling system classifies ice and snow grip from G to A, which ETRMA believes gives “consumers the misleading impression that today ice and snow grip grading is possible.”

Nokian Tyres have been contacted for comment.