Interpretation ID: nht72-1.33

DATE: 06/27/72

FROM: AUTHOR UNAVAILABLE; R. B. Dyson; NHTSA

TO: Checker Motors Sales Corporation

TITLE: FMVSS INTERPRETATION

TEXT: This is in reply to your letter of May 25, 1972, asking whether you, as a selling dealer, may install steel-belted radial ply tires on an 8-passenger Checker taxicab. You state that the vehicle is normally delivered to you with tires having the "D" load range.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110 (49 CFR 571.110, copy enclosed) requires each passenger car to be equipped at the time of sale to a first purchaser with tires of certain minimum load carrying capacity, based on the weight of the vehicle. Any steel-belted radial ply tire that meets these load carrying requirements with respect to your vehicles may be installed by a selling dealer.

Radial tires of similar or related sizes, but of different manufacture, however, may have different load ratings. We suggest, therefore, that you contact Checker Motor Corporation for their recommendations as to which radial ply tires may be installed on these vehicles without adversely affecting the vehicle's conformity with Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110.