New tires

FastEagle wrote:


And what you fail to recognize is the validity of government regulations. I’m a little surprised at that because you spent enough time in the military to come to terms with regulations. Maybe you just became antiestablishment after your military service. Well, thanks for that service. I also served over there on aircraft carriers. Almost all of 1965 and again from 1970 - 1973. During that time I spent some time at Bien Hoa, Da Nang, and Tan Son Hnut (Saigon) repairing combat damages on Naval & Marine Corp Aircraft. One of my most memorable experiences was to observe an USAF SSGT wearing matching pearl handle .45 Cal. Revolvers while driving a jet fuel truck right up to an unfriendly fence at Bien Hoi to service an aircraft I was working on that had over-run the runway with a couple of hung 2000 pounders.

Anyhow, back to this regulation thing. When there is a current and active regulation on the books it can only be deleted or superseded. There is such a document that sets the precedence for replacement tire selections. In the past I’ve referenced that regulation with sound disapproval from all of the naysayers. It’s still active and has been updated in 2013. Nothing changed. It’s a Code of Federal Regulations Document. NHTSA cannot write around that document. They don’t have the authority. It’s called Vehicle in use Inspection Standards and it has numerous parts. But, one is for vehicles under 10K and another is for vehicles over 10K.

FastEagle

49 CFR 570.62 - Tires wrote:
(a) Tread depth. The tread shall be not less than four thirty-seconds of an inch deep on each front tire of any vehicle other than a trailer and not less than two thirty-seconds of an inch on all other tires.
(1) Inspection procedure. For tires with treadwear indicators, check for indicators in any two adjacent major grooves at three locations spaced approximately 120° apart around the circumference of the tire. For tires without treadwear indicators, measure the tread depth with a suitable gauge or scale in two adjacent major grooves at 3 locations spaced approximately 120° apart around the circumference of the tire at the area of greatest wear.
(b) Type. Vehicles should be equipped with tires on the same axle that are matched in construction and tire size designation, and dual tires shall be matched for overall diameter within one-half inch.
(1) Inspection procedure. Examine visually. A mismatch in size and construction between tires on the same axle, or a major deviation from the size recommended by the vehicle or tire manufacturer, is a cause for rejection. On a dual-tire arrangement the diameter of one of the duals must be within one-half inch of the other as measured by a gauge block inserted between the tire and a caliper.
(c) General condition. Tires shall be free from chunking, bumps, knots, or bulges evidencing cord, ply or tread separation from the casing.
(1) Inspection procedure. Examine visually for the conditions indicated.
(d) Damage. Tire cords or belting materials shall not be exposed, either to the naked eye or when cuts on the tire are probed. Reinforcement repairs to the cord body are allowable on tires other than front-mounted tires.
(1) Inspection procedure. Examine visually for the conditions indicated, using a blunt instrument if necessary to probe cuts and abrasions.
(e) Special purpose tires. Tires marked “Not For Highway Use” or “Farm Use Only” or other such restrictions shall not be used on any motor vehicles operating on public highways.
(1) Inspection procedure. Examine visually for tires labeled with specific restrictions.