On June 5, the Official Journal of the European Union (DOUE) published the new regulation (EU) 2020/740 on tire labeling, which will enter into force from May 1, 2021 and will incorporate various new features. Until now, tire labeling was only mandatory for passenger cars and vans; however, with the arrival of the new regulation, next year it will also be mandatory for truck tires (C3). It should be noted that the label will not be applicable, for the time being, to retreaded tires, since there is no reliable test method to measure the results of the same.
Thus, from 2021, absolutely all new tires on the market will have to equip the mandatory European label, the information of which must be clearly visible and accessible to consumers. Since they appeared in November 2012, European labels have served to provide data on the environmental aspects and safety of tires, as well as helping to compare the grip of tires on wet surfaces (on a scale ranging from the letter A up to G), fuel economy and exterior noise for each model and you can buy Used Car in Kenya.
In accordance with the new regulations, the design of the labels will be modified, so now, in addition to showing all the data discussed above (although using a scale that goes from letter A to E), they will also report on the adherence of tires in extreme snow and ice conditions, and will incorporate a QR code that, when scanned, will offer more information about the tire itself.
The new European tire label to come into force in 2021 | Photo: DGT
How To Read The Tire Label
Knowing how to read the European label is essential to obtain very useful information about your vehicle’s tires, such as grip efficiency during braking on wet asphalt, fuel consumption or the external noise they generate. The combination of these three factors will tell you the overall quality of your tires.
The European tire label that came into force in 2012 | Photo: Goodyear
ADHESION ON WET
This part of the label provides information on the behavior of the tires during braking on wet asphalt. It is classified using a scale of letters, from A to F, since categories D and G are not used in passenger cars in terms of braking. Between categories A and F there can be a big difference if you drive at 80 km / h, with the most efficient tires having a 18 meter shorter braking distance.
According to the Race, these are the braking distances at 80 km / h according to the vehicle’s tire class:
· Class A: 38 meters.
· Class B: 42.5 meters (+4.5 meters).
· Class C: 47 meters (+ 9 meters).
· Class E: 51.5 meters (+13.5 meters).
· Class F: 56 meters (+18 meters).
FUEL EFFICIENCY
This part of the label reports on the tire’s rolling resistance, which affects the vehicle’s fuel consumption. You must bear in mind that an efficient tire requires less energy to roll, which means less fuel consumption. Fuel efficiency is classified on a scale that goes from letter A to E, after the prohibition of selling those of the letters F and G. Class A tires are the most efficient and unlike those of class E, They allow a saving of approximately 240 euros in fuel throughout its useful life.
EXTERIOR NOISE
This last part of the label reports on the external rolling noise of the tires and is expressed in decibels (dB). However, as many people do not know the decibel values, an image of a speaker with black waves is used to indicate the noise generated by the tire. Thus, one wave indicates that the tire is quiet (3 dB or more below the European limit), two waves indicate that the tire generates moderate noise (between 3 dB and the allowed limit) and three waves indicate that the tire it’s noisy and that exceeds the European limit. By opting for a tire with a good noise rating, the environmental impact of driving is reduced.
The outside noise of the tire | Photo: the Race
