New tyre labelling regulations for highway tyres

Since 2009 when the EU announced new legislation requiring tyre labelling on all highway tyres, the tyre industry has been preparing for its implementation. The regulation is intended to promote the use of fuel-efficient and safe tyres with low noise levels and came into effect on 1st November 2012 for all passenger car, light and heavy commercial vehicle tyres manufactured after 1st July 2012.

The new EU regulation applies only to tyres for highway use, with a few exceptions of special high speed tyres.

Accordingly, all tyre manufacturers must make tyre labels accessible for all their products providing the following information to consumers:

• The impact on fuel-efficiency related to the tyre’s rolling-resistance.
• The impact on vehicle safety related to the tyre’s wet grip.
• The tyre’s external noise level expressed in decibels

Whilst tyres for highway applications constitute only a part of the STARCO catalogue, compliance to the new regulations for highway tyres has been given high priority throughout the STARCO group.

In preparation for compliance with this regulation, the STARCO engineering department has ensured that its suppliers of all tyres covered by this legislation undertake the required testing and provide the necessary data for the product label.

STARCO has implemented a labelling system to comply with the new regulations. Information relating to the aforementioned tyre characteristics will be provided using an industry-standard label and symbol system. The information will be available in our future printed material, our online STARCOshop and will also be available via our homepage to aftermarket distributors for use at the point-of-sale.