SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 19 (Our California Times) — California drivers will have fewer choices when buying some replacement tires beginning in 2029, after the California Energy Commission unanimously approved new limits on tire rolling resistance.
The rules are designed to reduce the energy needed to move vehicles. They apply to covered replacement tires offered for sale in California, not to the tires installed on new vehicles when they are sold.
The changes are being phased in. The first limit begins in 2029, followed by a stricter standard in 2033.
What is changing?
The commission is regulating rolling resistance, which is the energy needed to keep a tire moving along the road. Tires with lower rolling resistance generally require less gasoline or electricity to move a vehicle.
Under the first phase, covered replacement tires will be limited to a maximum rolling-resistance level of 9.1 newtons per kilonewton, or N/kN, beginning in 2029. In 2033, that maximum will fall to 7.2 N/kN.
The California Energy Commission says the goal is to make sure replacement tires are, on average, at least as energy-efficient as the original-equipment tires supplied with passenger cars and light-duty trucks.
The commission said its staff tested 537 types of tires while developing the standards.
What could the rules mean for drivers?
Drivers will not be required to replace tires that are already on their vehicles. The limits concern which covered replacement tires can be offered for sale after the phase-in begins.
The commission projects that the standards will reduce energy costs. Its estimate is $79 in savings over four months under the first phase and about $153 over seven months under the second phase. Those are commission projections, not guaranteed savings for every driver.
The rules could also reduce the number of replacement tires available. Reports citing commission officials and other participants have estimated that about 70% of tires currently sold in California could be excluded by 2033. The supplied materials do not establish a single official source or methodology for that estimate.
The rules also include wet-grip requirements intended to preserve traction and safety. The precise wet-grip thresholds were not available in the supplied materials.
Which tires are excluded?
The rule includes exemptions for several types of tires, including:
- Competition tires
- Winter tires and some all-season winter-performance tires
- Used and retreaded tires
- Deep-tread tires
- Certain off-road and all-terrain vehicle tires
- Motorcycle tires
- Temporary-use and space-saver spare tires
- Small tires with nominal rim diameters of 13 inches or less
- Limited-production tires
- Emergency-vehicle tires
- High-load-index tires
- Tires unable to sustain speeds above 50 mph
These exemptions mean the rules will not apply in the same way to every tire category or vehicle.
Why did California adopt the standards?
The action traces back to Assembly Bill 844, a California law passed in 2003 that directed the Energy Commission to establish or explore tire-efficiency standards.
The commission adopted the rules under its state authority. The approval is the regulatory step; the restrictions themselves are scheduled to begin in 2029, with the tighter limit planned for 2033.
The supplied materials do not specify the full enforcement process, retailer obligations or how existing inventory will be treated. They also do not provide the complete text of the adopted rule or the commission’s detailed savings methodology.
