Today, Sept. 1, marks a landmark day in the history of the tire industry.
* New test requirements for passenger and light truck tires for use on vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or less go into effect, with the implementation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 139.
* One-hundred percent of all light vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States starting today (2008 model year vehicles) must come equipped with tire pressure monitoring systems.
FMVSS No. 139 replaces FMVSS No. 109, which governed passenger car tires, and FMVSS No. 119, which governed light truck tires.
The new standard includes updated high speed, endurance and low pressure performance tests.
The high speed test will run tires at 85% of maximum load for 30 minutes at 87 miles per hour, 30 minutes at 93 mph, and 30 minutes at 99 mph.
The endurance test will run tires at a speed of 75 mph for four hours at 85% maximum load, six hours at 90% maximum load, and 24 hours at 100% maximum load.
The low pressure performance test will run tires at 75 mph for 90 minutes at 100% load, all at reduced pressure.
