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Read the label

9th August 2012, Page 17
9th August 2012
Page 17
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

EC regulations due this year will provide operators with useful information on the performance of new truck tyres

Words: Brian Weatherley

This autumn, new EU rules come into force requiring tyre manufacturers and dealers to provide customers with standardised information on the fuel eficiency, noise, and wet-grip performance of their products.

From 1 November, under regulation EC/1222/2009, new tyres for private cars, vans and LCVs, manufactured after 1 July 2012 must carry that information either on a label stuck to the tyre or at the point-of-sale invoice.

Heavy truck tyre manufacturers aren’t required to stick a label on their products, but must provide the same performance information to buyers, either when negotiating a contract, or at the point-of-sale, online or with an invoice. The regs do not apply to retread tyres.

So what’s behind the changes? According to Michelin, the new regs will provide operators with “clearer, objective and standardised information regarding the three characteristics”.

Continental Tyres commercial marketing manager Tracey Hyem says: “The European Commission [EC] has committed to reducing total energy consumption in the EU by 20% by 2020, and one of the measures decided on to achieve this is labelling tyres. We welcome the label as it provides some standardised information and a level of transparency regarding tyre performance.” Energy eficiency will be expressed by a graduated colour-coded system with a descending scale of bands from A to F (dark green to red). A signiies a tyre with the lowest rolling resistance/highest fuel-eficiency and F represents the worst.

Lab tests

Each tyre’s rolling resistance will be determined by testing it on a revolving drum in a laboratory, comparing it to a reference tyre. Using this method, manufacturers will determine each tyre’s rolling resistance co-eficient (RRC), expressed in kilograms per tonne (kg/tonne), and thus in which band it should sit. The lower a tyre’s co-eficient igure, the better its energy eficiency and the higher its label rating.

Although current EU regs require standard tyres to have a RRC of less than 8kg/tonne, there are higher allowances for snow tyres – hence the F category band.

While the A-F colour-coding label provides a quick guide to where a tyre sits in the eficiency table, Hyem cautions: “Unlike for car tyres, there’s no industry-agreed interpretation of the effect on fuel consumption of the different grades.” When making like-for-like comparisons, operators should irst look at the basic label grade, then ask their tyre manufacturer for speciic RRC data to determine where a tyre sits in a band.

“While a manufacturer is not legally obliged to say exactly what the [RRC] value is, it is required to give the grade. If the manufacturer is proud of its tyres, then it’ll want to tell you where they sit in the band,” Hyem adds. “We’d be happy to do so.” Tyre noise will also be measured on the test track and indicated by up to three curved bars, together with a decibel igure.

A Michelin spokesman says the noise grading has been created with one eye on the future. “The regulations take into account the number of decibels produced as a tyre rolls and compares it with the future target, which will come into force between 2012 and 2016.” Three solid bars indicate the poorest performance, which means the noise emitted by the tyre is over the value demanded by the regulations. Two solid bars show the tyre’s noise is in line with the limits that will be applied in the future; a single solid bar means its noise is three decibels below the future legal limit.

Performance

Wet grip performance will be determined on a track test, comparing a tyre’s braking-distance ratio, expressed as a percentage, measuring its deceleration braking from 60km/h to 20km/h to a standard reference test tyre. A similar A to F grading is used, making it easy to see which tyres offer a greater or shorter stopping distance. As with fuel eficiency, there are variations in each braking label band.

As a handy guide to tyre performance, the new regs are a useful starting point. Hyem says: “It’s only a certain level. A truck tyre needs to fulil a range of performance criteria and the label provides information on three of them.

When buying new tyres, operators shouldn’t take the label values at face value, but instead understand the values behind the grades and consider all the tyre performance factors that are required for their speciic application.” ■

Further information

Visit the following manufacturer sites for advice on labelling:

Michelin: michelinonline.co.uk/

trucktyrelabelling/#everything-you-need-to-knowabout-the-new-european-tyre-labelling

Continental: conti-online.com/generator/www/uk/ en/continental/transport/themes/eu-tire-label/ov_ eu_tire_label_en.html Goodyear: goodyear.eu/uk_en/tire-advice/eu-tirelabel/index.jsp Pirelli: pirelli.com/tyre/gb/en/truck_bus/ genericPage/tyre_labels Bridgestone: tyrelabel.bridgestone.eu/en

OPERATOR VIEWS

Chilcompton-based Massey Wilcox runs more than 60 trucks and MD Robert Wilcox says the company has its tyres on a penceper-mile contract with Michelin.

While Wilcox may look at label information in future contract negotiations, he adds: “I think price is the most important thing, especially when the market is depressed – price is everything at the moment.

“[Michelin] comes up with a figure of what it’s going to charge us, which includes all maintenance – with the exception of damage. So we’re not comparing tyres on a daily basis.” R Swain & Sons has depots across the UK, and commercial director Paul Burridge is aware of the forthcoming regs and label information. The firm operates a pence-per-kilometre tyre contract with Bridgestone, but Burridge believes information on fuel efficiency is likely to be of limited use to the operator as many of its vehicles operate in the construction sector where durability is the primary driver on specification. “As this comes up more and more, we may re-think that on some of those fleet vehicles not engaged on that work.” he says.

“From our perspective, in terms of that [label] information being useful, no doubt it will be, but it’s fairly marginal given our long-term arrangement with Bridgestone.” Nevertheless, Burridge says the company will keep an open mind on label data, not least in any future discussions it has with Bridgestone when considering specific products in the tyre maker’s range.


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