SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 19 (Our California Times) — California drivers will face new limits on some replacement tires beginning in 2029, after the California Energy Commission unanimously approved standards aimed at reducing the energy vehicles use on the road.
The rules apply to covered replacement tires offered for sale in California. They do not apply to tires installed on new vehicles when those vehicles are sold.
The changes will be phased in. The first standard, starting in 2029, sets a maximum rolling-resistance level of 9.1 newtons per kilonewton, or N/kN. A stricter limit of 7.2 N/kN begins in 2033.
What is rolling resistance?
Rolling resistance is the energy needed to keep a tire moving along the road. Tires with lower rolling resistance generally require less energy, which can reduce gasoline or electricity use.
The commission said the goal is for replacement tires to be, on average, at least as energy-efficient as the original tires supplied with passenger cars and light-duty trucks.
CEC staff tested 537 types of tires while developing the standards. The commission projects that drivers could save about $79 in energy costs over four months under the first phase and about $153 over seven months under the second phase.
Those figures are projections from the commission, not guaranteed savings for every driver. Actual results can vary based on a vehicle, tire choice, driving habits and energy prices.
How will the rules affect tire choices?
The standards are expected to remove some tires from the California replacement market over time. Reports citing the commission and people involved in the rulemaking have estimated that about 70% of tires currently sold in the state could be excluded by 2033. The precise source and method for that estimate were not provided in the available rule summaries.
The rules include exemptions for several types of tires, including competition tires; winter and some winter-performance all-season tires; used and retreaded tires; deep-tread tires; certain off-road and all-terrain vehicle tires; motorcycle tires; temporary-use and space-saver spare tires; and some small tires with nominal rim diameters of 13 inches or less.
Other listed exemptions include limited-production tires, emergency-vehicle tires, high-load-index tires and tires that cannot sustain speeds above 50 mph.
The rules also include wet-grip requirements intended to preserve traction and safety. The available summaries do not specify the wet-grip thresholds.
Why did California adopt the standards?
The action follows Assembly Bill 844, a 2003 California law directing the Energy Commission to establish or explore tire-efficiency standards.
Commission Chairman David Hochschild said the policy is intended to protect consumers and reduce costs over the long term. Commissioner Nancy Skinner said the commission’s aim is for replacement tires available in 2029 to be comparable in quality to the tires installed on new vehicles.
The rules are adopted but not yet operational. The first phase is scheduled for 2029, and the second phase is scheduled for 2033. One published account says the first phase applies to covered tires manufactured on or after Jan. 1, 2029, while other summaries describe the change as beginning with tires offered for sale in 2029. The available materials do not establish how existing inventory will be treated.
The commission’s approval creates the statewide standard, but the available information does not detail enforcement procedures, retailer obligations or how manufacturers will certify compliance.
