Interpretation ID: nht70-1.3

DATE: 09/17/70

FROM: AUTHOR UNAVAILABLE; L. R. Schneider; NHTSA

TO: Univeral Tire Corporation

TITLE: FMVSS INTERPRETATION

TEXT: The Office of Trade Regulation Rules of the Federal Trade Commission has forwarded your letter of July 30, 1970, concerning tires marked "Radial" that have casing cord angles that vary as much as 15 degrees from 90 degrees.

Paragraph 33 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109 -- New Pneumatic Tires, Passenger Cars -- defines a radial ply tire as a "pneumatic tire in which the ply cords which extend to the bends are laid at substantially 90 degrees to the centerline of the trend".

The Bureau does not consider cords laid at 75 degrees to the centerline of the trend as "Radial" tires and tires marked as much would not be in compliance with the tire standard.

Persons importing tires that do not comply with the standard would be violating section 108(a) (1) of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 (15 U.S.C. 1397).

For your information enclosed is a copy of the Passenger Car Tire Standard and the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.