California regulators approve new rules limiting what replacement tires you can buy

Look at California being proactive in trying to save everyone money and conserve our natural resources. Good thing they are smarter than the average consumer and can make a better decision on what replacement tire you should buy for your vehicle.

LINK

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
California regulators on Monday approved new rules that will restrict what tires you can buy when it's time to replace them on your car.

In a unanimous vote, the California Energy Commission voted to adopt new rules that will phase out the sale of replacement tires that don't meet certain energy efficiency standards.

"This ultimately is about protecting consumers," said David Hochschild, the chairman of the California Energy Commission. "I see this as sheltering the public from higher costs in the long run."

Tire manufacturers and the commission's staff are at odds over whether this will add to the cost of living in the state. Both sides acknowledged this will no longer allow the sale of a significant portion of the tires currently sold in California.

At the center of this is a tire's rolling resistance, or how much energy a tire uses as it rolls down the road. Lower resistance means a vehicle uses less gas or electricity. New cars come with generally efficient tires, but consumers typically replace those with higher rolling resistance tires.

The first phase would begin in 2029, which would allow the sale of tires with a maximum rolling resistance level of 9.1 newtons per kilonewton (N/kN). In phase 2, the standard lowers to 7.2 (N/kN) starting in 2033. The commission came up with the standards after testing 537 types of tires.

According to the commission's staff, the rules are meant to ensure replacement tires sold in California are at least as energy efficient on average as the tires that come with the car or truck when it's originally sold. The CEC claims Californians could save $79 in four months in gas or electricity costs under phase 1, and about $153 in phase 2 within seven months.

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Cause I know most of you won't click on the link to read it here are the exclusions.

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There are some exclusions to the new rules, according to the CEC:

Competition tires designed for motorsports
Winter-type snow tires
All-season winter performance tires
Used and retreaded tires
Deep tread tires
Tires designed for ATVs and other off-road vehicles
Large off-road tires for use up to 99 mph
Motorcycle tires
Temporary-use spare tires
Small tires with =13-inch nominal rim diameter
Limited production tires (<15,000 per year)
Tires sold for use on an emergency vehicle
High load index tires (122 or greater)
Tires not capable of sustaining speeds over 50 mph
Space saver tires

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