Korea introduces tougher tyre noise standards

The Korean Ministry of Environment has announced that domestic and overseas tyre manufacturers will be obliged to indicate the noise level of their products from 2019. The policy announced in Korea on Monday follows the E.U. standards as well, the ministry said, and will be applied to tiyes on passenger vehicles starting in 2019, and for all tyres by 2028.

According to local news reports, organizations and manufacturers that voluntarily agreed to participate in the endeavour are: the Korea Environment Corporation, Korea Tire Manufacturers Association, Hankook Tire, Kumho Tire, Nexen Tire, Michelin, Goodyear, Dunlop, Continental Tires, and Pirelli.

The “tyre noise performance indication” policy raise tyre noise emission standards and will only permit the sale of products that pass specific criteria. According to officials, levels of noise pollution from vehicles have been reduced with the introduction of guidelines limiting engine noise, but in turn, tyres have become a major factor for driving noise.

The announcement follows similar policies in European and Japan. The EU was the first governing entity to start regulating tyre noise in 2003. Similarly, Japan announced plans to implement the EU standards for tyre manufacturers starting in 2018 for all new passenger vehicles, with the goal of covering all vehicle tires by 2027.