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In accordance with the UN R117.04 directive, only tyres that are new on the market have been tested to date. Used tyres were not subjected to the test. Since 1 July, the wet braking value of worn tyres is also to be tested.

By law, tyres may be worn down to 1.6 mm. However, many consumers change their tyres at 3-4 mm, wasting a lot of material and therefore money. The reason for this is recommendations from automobile clubs or simply habit. The background to this is quite simply the issue of safety, but on the other hand the product should actually guarantee full functionality and therefore safety from start to finish. So far, only one manufacturer has managed to fulfil this aspect. And that is precisely the turning point.

As a result of the UN 117.04 directive that came into force on 1 July, all tyre manufacturers must now produce their products in such a way that they can also provide sufficient braking performance on wet roads at the end of their service life. Previously, the directive required tests to be carried out on the criteria of rolling noise, wet grip and rolling resistance. Now the braking aspect has been added. Tyres are artificially worn to two millimetres. These are compared with a standardised reference tyre on a wet road surface.

The directive applies to all new tyre models, but all newly produced tyres will only have to meet the requirements from mid-2026. Stock tyres produced before this date may still be sold until 2029. However, they may no longer be manufactured.

 

Source: Pixabay/ tire-4750878_1280