More liberal BS, placing the blame anywhere except where it belongs and
doing everything except approaching the problem head-on at the source.

"Patrick" > wrote in message
om...
> Interesting article.
>
> -----------
> WASHINGTON - A consumer safety group is petitioning the federal
> government to require easy-to-read "born-on" dates for car and truck
> tires, citing 50 crashes resulting in 37 fatalities caused by older
> tires with very little wear and tear.
>
> As part of a petition sent Friday to the National Highway Traffic
> Safety Administration, SRS Inc., a Massachusetts auto-safety research
> firm, provided analysis from crashes that involved different makes of
> tires by most leading manufacturers, including Continental, Dunlop,
> Firestone, General, Goodyear, Goodrich, Kelley, Michelin, Pirelli and
> Uniroyal.
>
> According to Sean Kane, president of SRS, tire performance can start
> to degrade after six years - even if the tires have not been used -
> because of the rubber's age.
>
> "It's an invisible hazard," Kane said. "The industry knows a lot about
> it, and they have recommendations that they've hidden from the public
> for years. Just about every other product, from food to paint, has an
> expiration date on it."
>
> In many of the accidents documented by SRS, tires with little wear in
> the tread suddenly failed.
>
> The petition cites a July 2003 crash involving a 1997 Toyota 4Runner
> in San Bernardino, Calif.
>
> Three weeks after a Toyota dealer performed service on the vehicle,
> rotating an original spare tire onto the right rear wheel, the tread
> separated at highway speed, resulting in a rollover. A young mother
> died from head injuries in that incident.
>
> In a September 1999 crash in Michigan's Ingham County, a Geo Tracker
> rolled after a separation in the tread, leaving a man with a severe
> head injury and permanently unable to work.
>
> The driver was on his way to the tire store after putting his son's
> original unused spare tire on the SUV to replace a flat tire.
>
> In formal comments filed with the agency last year, Kane noted
> warnings issued by a tire industry group to consumers about the
> likelihood of older tires losing their strength.
>
> The Tyre Industry Council, a nonprofit organization in the United
> Kingdom that is funded by the tire industry and tire retailers to
> promote tire safety among consumers, warned in 2003 that motorists
> should replace tires that were more than 10 years old, regardless of
> wear.
>
> The council said tire components dry with age and can separate.
> Anti-aging chemicals in tires are active only when a tire is in use,
> the council said. The council went on to say that spare tires, tires
> in storage or on a shelf, or tires that spend a long time on a trailer
> or a recreational vehicle run the risk of premature aging.
>
> In the United States, consumers and tire dealers must decipher part of
> a serial number engraved on one side of a tire to determine the date
> it was manufactured. But there are no set recommendations on how old
> is too old for a tire.
>
> Donald Shea, president of the Rubber Manufacturers Association, a
> Washington lobbying group, said the tire industry was conducting
> research on tire aging, but there is no data to suggest any specific
> age makes a tire less sturdy.
>
> Tire makers are concerned that putting an expiration date on tires
> would give consumers a false sense of security that younger tires are
> safe, regardless of driving conditions, maintenance or wear.
>
> "We've got safety concerns," Shea said. "But we would like to make a
> decision based on data."
>
> Kane urged NHTSA administrator Jeffrey Runge to issue an advisory to
> consumers as the agency considers the petition.
>
> NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson said the agency had not yet had a chance to
> review the petition and could not comment. By law, NHTSA officials
> have 120 days to reject or accept it.
>
> Tyson said NHTSA is conducting research on tire aging at its testing
> facility in Ohio. Researchers are trying to come up with procedures to
> replicate the natural aging process. When its research is complete,
> NHTSA expects to include some kind of aging test in its tire
> manufacturing standards.
>
> Four years ago, NHTSA turned its attention to tires when 271 people
> died and more than 700 were injured when Firestone tires on Ford SUVs
> failed. After two recalls of Firestone tires, federal officials have
> advised consumers to pay closer attention to tire wear and
> maintenance, including proper air pressure.
>
> "We've done a great deal to make consumers aware of tire issues
> because of the failures we've seen over the past few years," Tyson
> said.
>
> Kane is not alone in considering tire aging an important safety issue.
>
> Joan Claybrook, a former NHTSA administrator who heads Public Citizen,
> a consumer group based in Washington, said Congress called for tougher
> tire-aging improvements in the TREAD Act, the legislation passed
> following the recall of Firestone tires.
>
> Claybrook said it was clear that tire materials degrade over long
> periods of time. NHTSA should consider consumer advisories and
> improved labeling, as well as limits on how old a tire can be when it
> is sold.
>
> "I just don't think people should be selling older tires," Claybrook
> said.
>
> Although U.S. consumers have paid little attention to the age of
> tires, overseas tire manufacturers and auto companies have tried to
> warn consumers about the dangers of older tires.
>
> The British Rubber Manufacturers Association in 2001 issued a
> recommendation that "unused tyres should not be put into service if
> they are over 6 years old and that all tyres should be replaced after
> 10 years from the date of their manufacture."
>
> Volkswagen AG, BMW AG, Toyota Motor Co.p. and Mercedes-Benz warn U.S.
> consumers about aging tires.
>
> In its owner's manuals, Volkswagen warns motorists that old tires can
> fail in use, causing loss of vehicle control and personal injury. They
> are advised to replace tires after six years, regardless of wear.
>
> Kane faults the U.S. tire industry for not following up on research
> highlighting the aging tire issue. Industry guidelines would help
> ensure consumers receive a warning when they buy a car.
>
> "Tire dealers are at the front line of this, and they have been
> abandoned by the manufacturers," Kane said. "There are no guidelines."
> ------
>
> Makes you wonder about storing tires a set of tires for a couple
> years, remounting them back up, and then zipping down the highway on
> them, doesn't it?
>
> Patrick
> '93 Cobra
> '83 LTD