The main objective of the technical regulation of any product is to protect the life and health of citizens and to protect the environment which, of course, is the priority of tyres manufacturers - TMA members - as well. That's why the technical regulation of tyres is one of the key aspects of the Tyre Manufacturers Association's work.
The Technical regulation "On the Safety of Wheeled Vehicles" (TR CU 018/2011) entered into force in the countries of Eurasian Economic Union on January 1, 2015. This Technical regulation stipulates the requirements, the compliance with which shall be confirmed by tyre manufacturers when putting their tyres into circulation: in particular, the level of noise from tyre rolling, wet grip and tyres rolling resistance are subject to inspection. Additional requirements regarding studs are in force concerning studded winter tyres, manufactured after January 1, 2016: the tyre manufacturers shall comply with restrictions on the number of studs per linear meter and stud weight restrictions or undertake additional tests.
The introduced requirements regarding studs help reduce the road surface wear. Alongside that, it is worth emphasizing that the road surface wear is not solely conditional upon the studs' influence. There is a variety of factors: from the road surface quality up to the driving style of the vehicle's drivers. We should not forget that ice-melting products used on roads also affect the road surface wear and the specifications of studs and tyres.
All car owners should know that in accordance with the provisions of the Technical regulation, the rules of seasonality have been in effect since January 1, 2015 in all countries of Eurasian Economic Union, including Russia, according to which:
- During winter months (December, January and February) all owners of passenger cars are obliged to use winter tyres on all wheels of their vehicles;
- During summer months (June, July and August) it is prohibited for owners of passenger cars to use studded tyres.
The State Traffic Safety Inspectorate has been charged with monitoring the compliance with the seasonality rules on the territory of Russia. It is worth mentioning that the stipulated terms of the seasonality rules can be extended upon decision of regional authorities of constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
On September 1, 2023, the amendments to the Road Traffic Regulations of the Russian Federation came into force. They brought the Russian Regulations into line with the rules of seasonal tyre change fixed in the Technical regulation of the Eurasian Economic Union.
The EAEU Technical regulation “On the Safety of Chemical Products” (EAEU TR 041/2017) was adopted by the decision of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission on March 3, 2017. The Technical regulation provides for the state registration of all chemical substances and mixtures that are put into circulation on the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union, and will apply to raw materials and components used in the production of tуres. The document was supposed to enter into force on June 2, 2021, provided that by December 1, 2018 the procedure for the formation and maintenance of the register of chemicals and mixtures of the EAEU and the notification procedure for new chemicals are approved. However, the development of these documents is still ongoing.
Currently the TMA's work in the field of technical regulation is focused on the following issues:
- Development of a testing base for conducting certification and research tests on tyres in the Russian Federation.
- Introduction of amendments to the Technical regulation "On the Safety of Wheeled Vehicles" (TR CU 018/2011) in order to impose the seasonality rules for cargo transport vehicles. The TMA members actively support the phase-in introduction of seasonality regarding cargo transport vehicles: at present - it is possible to require the obligatory use of winter tyres during winter months (December, January, February) on the driving and steering axles of the vehicle, while from March to November, according to the recommendations of tyre manufacturers, winter tyres can be worn out provided that the requirements for remaining tread depth are met.
- Monitoring of studded tyre tests, including participation in additional research under GOST 34342-2023 "Motor vehicles. Pneumatic tyres, fitted with antiskid studs. Wear limits and test methods for determination of the value of test pavement wear."
- Preparation for the implementation of requirements of the Technical regulation "On the Safety of Chemical Products".
- Monitoring and participation in the discussion of initiatives in the field of technical regulation of tyres, including in terms of requirements on the component composition of tyres.