The 1980s Michelin ads picturing car tires as infant playpens, with babies surrounded by belted radials and black rubber, always ended with an invaluable lesson: ?Because so much is riding on your tires.? It?s as true today as ever, only there?s an extra weight we didn?t consider back then: The federal government.
For the first time, the United States will attempt to ban passenger vehicle tires that aren?t fuel-efficient. The FAST Act, signed into law by President Obama in December 2015, is a five-year transportation bill that, among many things, directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to set minimum standards for tire rolling resistance by the end of 2017. It will attempt to mirror tire regulations adopted by the European Union in 2012, which mandated thresholds for rolling resistance, wet traction, and even noise. This ignites a very reasonable suspicion. Will low-grip tires with ?eco? labels on the sidewall?some of which are already fitted as original equipment on efficiency-minded mainstream cars today?come to ruin all cars, especially sports cars" Surely, our skidpad results and slalom times would all suffer. But after reviewing trade group opinions of the EU regulation and speaking to a few experts, we?re not sure any of that will happen. When these new regulations go into effect (likely in five years), our tires and cars should overcome whatever may get lost?fuel consumption included.
?We are first and foremost a safety product,? says Mike Ma...