Canada, Europe develop tire ratings to reflect fuel efficiency
Feb 27, 2010
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A labelling system recently approved by the European Parliament will rate tires, on a scale of A to G, according to their fuel efficiency, grip on wet pavement and noise.
The United States is expected to introduce something similar, providing information about each tire's efficiency, safety and durability.
Canada expects to follow, eventually. Our officials are helping to develop the European standards and will assess them, and whatever the Americans come up with, "to review if one or either ... would be effective in Canada," Transport Canada says.
The labels are a mundane but good move in the effort to make a lot of small changes that could lead to substantial cuts in fuel consumption.
Proper tire inflation has a significant impact. The federal government's main environmental message at the recent Canadian International AutoShow was that air pressure should be neither too hard nor too soft, but just right. Driving with just one tire underinflated by 20 per cent burns four per cent more gasoline, it says.
Taking heavy stuff you don't need out of the car also helps to reduce the amount of power required to keep the wheels moving.
But design and materials also help to determine fuel consumption, and that's what the new labels will show.
An American study from a couple of years ago concluded that rolling resistance could be reduced by 10 per cent through the use of new materials and tread designs, without compromising safety or increasing costs beyond what drivers would save in lower gasoline bills.
All other factors being equal, including inflation pressure, that lowering of resistance would cut fuel consumption by one or two per cent.
Since American motorists burn more than 500 billion litres of gasoline each year, and 80 per cent of them run on replacement tires, the savings could be as high as 8 billion litres.
In Canada, the impact could amount to around 800 million litres.
Europe already requires manufacturers to install low-rolling-resistance tires on new cars. Apart from California, such tires aren't required in North America, although they're used voluntarily to help achieve fuel-efficiency standards.
That means original-equipment tires tend to have thinner sidewalls and shallower treads than replacements.
To put things in perspective, on average, new conventional tires have 20 per cent more rolling resistance than worn ones. So when you replace your tires, your fuel economy drops by as much as four per cent.
It's not yet clear whether the same applies to low-rolling-resistance tires. But, in general, they at least start with better efficiency.
Early low-resistance tires didn't last as long as conventional ones, but new compounds improved their longevity. Researchers at the University of Oregon are developing some that use microscopic bits of cellulose from wood, rather than carbon black or silica – a formulation they hope will make tires that last longer, require less energy to make and are more efficient.
Canada is waiting to see whether there's a safety issue with lower rolling resistance reducing tire grip, and how a rating and labelling system might incorporate our need for snow tires.
"Tires have remained objects of mystery and purchasing decisions can be arbitrary or given over to the dealer," says John Alderson, who led the team that designed the new labels.
The labels should start to reduce the mystery. They wouldn't impose standards. Instead, they'll offer information, European officials say, "to ensure that consumers can make more informed decisions, helping to stimulate innovation in the tire market."
Toronto Star
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