Interpretation ID: aiam3127
Manager
Automotive Engineering Europe
Uniroyal GmbH
Postfach 410
5100 Aachen 1
West Germany;
Dear Mr. Frinken: This is in response to your letter of October 12, 1979, asking whethe the character height of 5/32nds of an inch, stated in the Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG) Standards (49 CFR 575.104, Figure 1), is considered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to specify the only acceptable height for UTQG sidewall molding, or whether the agency interprets this measurement as a minimum value.; The specification of 5/32nds of an inch tire sidewall characters wa intended by NHTSA to establish a minimum requirement to assure readability of the UTQG information presented. The agency has no objection to the use of characters of a height greater than 5/32nds of an inch, so long as all characters used to convey UTQG information are of the same height.; Sincerely, Frank Berndt, Chief Counsel