Preliminary tests using the draft GTR procedures on tires in the US market have raised concerns that a wet traction index value requirement for “all-season tires” (as used in the US) will be needed since these tires fall outside the tire types addressed by the GTR. The US proposes language to address this situation.

Preliminary report prepared by France on the development of a global technical
regulation concerning uniform provisions for pneumatic radial tyres for passenger and light truck (commercial) vehicles.

103. The representative of France introduced a preliminary report on the activities of the informal working group (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2012/125). He reported that half of the draft text of the UN GTR had been considered in detail by GRRF at its September 2012 session. He indicated that the consideration of the draft UN GTR would be completed at a further informal working group meeting linked to the next session of GRRF (19-22 February 2013). He expected that the draft UN GTR would be submitted to AC.3 for final consideration and possible adoption at the June 2013 session. AC.3 adopted the preliminary report (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2012/125).

98. The Chair of the informal group on Tyre GTR reported that GRRF had recommended the draft GTR containing six pending questions. He announced that the draft gtr will be distributed for consideration at the June 2013 session with the pending questions in square brackets, which are still under consideration by a group of interested experts. He said that, if these issues were unresolved by June 2013, AC.3 would be requested to provide guidance to GRRF at that session. In such a case, GRRF should confirm the definitive text at the September 2013 session, in order to enable AC.3 to vote on the text of the UN GTR at the November 2013 session.

99. The representative of the United States of America stated that in addition to the six issues noted by the Chair of the informal working group there also were some minor technical issues under consideration by his country. In addition, he noted that some validation work would be conducted by his country in the summer of 2013. He agreed to communicate with interested CPs via e-mail on progress in these issues to facilitate the adoption of the UN GTR at the November 2013 session of AC.3.

100. The representative of EU recognized the existence of remaining minor issues that could complicate the adoption of the UN GTR in November 2013 and offered full collaboration in solving them. He outlined that the adoption of this UN GTR is one of the highest priorities for the EU.

Text of the new GTR on light vehicle radial tires as adopted by the Working Party on Brakes and Running Gear (GRRF) at its 74th session.

100. The representative of the United Kingdom, Chair of the IWG on the UN GTR on Tyres, informed AC.3 that five questions were still unresolved. He confirmed that two Contracting Parties were still in the process of reviewing the text of the draft UN GTR. Referring to the final report on the development of the UN GTR (WP.29-160-09), he stated that, in the case of disagreement at the September 2013 session of GRRF, an optional test procedure should be included in addition to the two optional modules.

101. The representative of EU stated that a really long list of controversial provisions had been solved by March 2013 and, due to the five remaining unresolved questions, the UN GTR could not be adopted during the current session. He urged the Contracting Parties to make an effort to solve the pending issues at the September 2013 session of GRRF, thus allowing for voting on the draft UN GTR at the November 2013 session of AC.3.

102. The secretariat was requested to distribute WP.29-160-09 with an official symbol for consideration at the November 2013 session of AC.3.

25. The expert from USA, referring to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63, reported on the progress made on unresolved issues before its potential adoption. He informed GRRF about their testing schedule for the wet grip test validation. The expert from China referred to the Chinese Standard GB/T 4504-2009 for resolving remaining issues with the bead-unseating test. GRRF agreed that an additional meeting of the informal group on the Tyre GTR would be necessary, subject to the authorization at the November 2013 session of WP.29 to hold an additional meeting in January 2014. GRRF agreed that the informal group should refer to the existing terms of reference. GRRF preferred to postpone the vote by WP.29 and AC.1 on ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63.

92. The representative of the United Kingdom, Chair of the IWG on the Tyre GTR, informed AC.3 that the draft proposal ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63 was not recommended for vote at this session because GRRF at its September 2013 session had not resolved the pending issues. He expressed his disappointment that it had not been possible to resolve these detailed points but remained optimistic that the GRRF session in February 2014 would finalise the GTR. He therefore, proposed to extend the mandate of IWG until June 2014. The representative of the United States of America clarified that some necessary research in his country had not be concluded on time and therefore supported the proposal to extend the mandate. AC.3 gave its consent for the extension of the mandate.

[US government shutdown delayed research on the proposed wet grip test procedures necessary before the United States can commit to the new GTR. As a result, US position should only be ready in time for discussion and finalization of draft GTR within GRRF in February 2014. This time-line suggests a vote on the GTR at the June 2014 WP.29 session.]</

23. The expert from USA, referring to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63, reported on the progress made on unresolved issues before its potential adoption. GRRF noted that testing results on the wet traction test procedure from the USA would need to be evaluated before a recommendation could be made to refer the GTR for adoption by WP.29/AC.3. The Chair of GRRF indicated that he would provide a status update to WP.29 at the upcoming March session and ask for additional time to consider the USA research results. A second issue concerning the bead unseat test for which the expert from China had planned to offer a proposal was resolved when it was announced that China would accept the existing procedure in the GTR.

Note by the secretariat: WP.29 agreed (in March 2014) to hold an extraordinary GRRF session during the Thursday afternoon session of WP.29 on 26 June 2014 dedicated to this agenda item.

84. The Chair of GRRF informed AC.3 that the draft proposal ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63 was not recommended for vote at this session. He noted that WP.29 has approved an extraordinary session of GRRF during the June 2014 session of WP.29 to address remaining issues (see para. 36 above). AC.3 welcomed this information and expected consideration and vote on this proposal at its November 2014 session.

101. The representative of the United Kingdom recalled that an additional session of GRRF would be held in the afternoon of Thursday, 26 June 2014, to conclude the pending issues of the draft UN GTR on Tyres (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/122) for an expected adoption at the November 2014 session.

25. The Chair of GRRF recalled the purpose of ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63 (Draft UN GTR on tyres), amended by ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRRF/2014/20 (adopted at the seventy-seventh session of GRRF), and ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/122 (the corresponding technical report).

26. The expert from France presented GRRF-78-18 introducing minor updates to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63 and ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/122. He added that the timeline for further development of the gtr had to be updated, taking into account the delay to adopt phase I. GRRF adopted GRRF-78-18 as amended by GRRF-78-47 and as reproduced in Annex III to this report. GRRF requested the secretariat to submit the proposal to WP.29 and AC.3 for consideration at their November 2014 sessions.

27. GRRF reviewed the ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRRF/2014/20 containing the amendments defined at the seventy-seventh GRRF session. The Chair recalled that GRRF previously agreed that updates to the UN GTR on tyres would be proposed after its establishment in the global registry by AC.3 to keep it in line with the latest regulatory developments.

28. Finally, the expert from France advised GRRF that his country would not be able to sponsor phase 2 of the UN GTR on tyres once phase 1 was concluded.

The United States abstains due to the inability to quantify the benefits in terms of lives saved as required by US statutes caused by a current lack of resources to devote to the effort. All other Contracting Parties present vote in favor. The EU expresses its disappointment and stresses its belief that the effectiveness of the 1998 Agreement requires urgent attention.

The United States abstains due to the inability to quantify the benefits in terms of lives saved as required by US statutes caused by a current lack of resources to devote to the effort. All other Contracting Parties present vote in favor. The EU expresses its disappointment and stresses its belief that the effectiveness of the 1998 Agreement requires urgent attention.

33. On behalf of GRRF, [the GRRF chair] recommended the establishment of the draft global technical regulation (gtr) on tyres into the Global Registry, on the basis of ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63, as amended by ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2014/83 and WP.29‑164-04. He also recommended amending the final report on Phase I on the development of the gtr (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/122) as indicated in WP.29-164-04. He announced that France had indicated that it would not sponsor Phase II of the gtr.

105. Submitted for consideration and vote, the proposed draft UN GTR on tyres (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2014/83, WP.29-164-04) was established in the UN Global Registry on 13 November 2014 by consensus vote of the following Contracting Parties present and voting: Australia, Canada, China, European Union (voting for Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom), India, Japan, Norway, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, South Africa and Turkey.

106. The technical report (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/122, WP.29-164-04) and the adopted proposal for the development of the UN GTR (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/AC.3/15) would be appended to the established UN GTR.

107. The United States of America voted to abstain on the UN GTR on tyres. The representative of the United States of America thanked France as sponsor, the United Kingdom for the chairmanship, and the tyre industry for the time and energy involved in the effort. He stated that the UN GTR offers a set of safety requirements that, in its entirety, no single country or region currently has and that, when implemented would truly increase vehicle safety worldwide. He further indicated that the United States of America abstained as it is not in a position to implement the UN GTR within a year due to resource constraints (according to the rules of the 1998 Agreement).

108. The representative of EU expressed his gratitude to the parties for their hard work to finalize the draft GTR on tyres and welcomed the positive vote by the Contracting Parties. He regretted that there had been one abstention and pointed out that the need for efficiency of the 1998 Agreement was more than urgent. The representative of ETRTO echoed a similar statement.

The background report on the development of the first phase of the Global Technical Regulation concerning uniform provisions for pneumatic radial tyres for passengers and light truck commercial vehicles, submitted by GRRF for approval by the World Forum.

101. The representative of the United Kingdom recalled that an additional session of GRRF would be held in the afternoon of Thursday, 26 June 2014, to conclude the pending issues of the draft UN GTR on Tyres (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/122) for an expected adoption at the November 2014 session.

The United States abstains due to the inability to quantify the benefits in terms of lives saved as required by US statutes caused by a current lack of resources to devote to the effort. All other Contracting Parties present vote in favor. The EU expresses its disappointment and stresses its belief that the effectiveness of the 1998 Agreement requires urgent attention.

The United States abstains due to the inability to quantify the benefits in terms of lives saved as required by US statutes caused by a current lack of resources to devote to the effort. All other Contracting Parties present vote in favor. The EU expresses its disappointment and stresses its belief that the effectiveness of the 1998 Agreement requires urgent attention.

33. On behalf of GRRF, [the GRRF chair] recommended the establishment of the draft global technical regulation (gtr) on tyres into the Global Registry, on the basis of ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63, as amended by ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2014/83 and WP.29‑164-04. He also recommended amending the final report on Phase I on the development of the gtr (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/122) as indicated in WP.29-164-04. He announced that France had indicated that it would not sponsor Phase II of the gtr.

105. Submitted for consideration and vote, the proposed draft UN GTR on tyres (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2014/83, WP.29-164-04) was established in the UN Global Registry on 13 November 2014 by consensus vote of the following Contracting Parties present and voting: Australia, Canada, China, European Union (voting for Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom), India, Japan, Norway, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, South Africa and Turkey.

106. The technical report (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/122, WP.29-164-04) and the adopted proposal for the development of the UN GTR (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/AC.3/15) would be appended to the established UN GTR.

107. The United States of America voted to abstain on the UN GTR on tyres. The representative of the United States of America thanked France as sponsor, the United Kingdom for the chairmanship, and the tyre industry for the time and energy involved in the effort. He stated that the UN GTR offers a set of safety requirements that, in its entirety, no single country or region currently has and that, when implemented would truly increase vehicle safety worldwide. He further indicated that the United States of America abstained as it is not in a position to implement the UN GTR within a year due to resource constraints (according to the rules of the 1998 Agreement).

108. The representative of EU expressed his gratitude to the parties for their hard work to finalize the draft GTR on tyres and welcomed the positive vote by the Contracting Parties. He regretted that there had been one abstention and pointed out that the need for efficiency of the 1998 Agreement was more than urgent. The representative of ETRTO echoed a similar statement.

114. The representative of France informed AC.3 that a draft text for the gtr should be considered by GRRF at its February 2011 session and that, if approved, it would be transmitted for consideration by AC.3 at its November 2011 session.

115. The representative of the EU recalled the proposal to include provisions for rolling resistance into the text of the gtr (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2010/80). ETRTO supported the proposal. The representative of the United States of America recalled his position (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1085, para. 88) and indicated that the inclusion of such requirements could delay the adoption of the gtr. To solve this issue, AC.3 considered the possibility of including the provisions on rolling resistance in the second phase of the development of the gtr. AC.3 agreed to take a decision on this matter at its March 2011 session.

116. The Chair of the informal group informed AC.3 that some Contracting Parties had expressed their preference to move the provisions for wet grip adhesion from the mandatory module of the gtr to one of the optional modules. The representative of the United States of America indicated that before taking such a decision, all the implications should be considered, for example possible complications could arise for some Contracting Parties if the wet safety requirements are grouped with environmental requirements. AC.3 agreed to take a decision on this topic at its March 2011 session.

89. Agenda item 16.7, Tyres. The representative of the EU proposed to include rolling resistance requirements into the gtr (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2010/80). The representative of the United States of America could not support this proposal as it questioned a long standing agreement on the core elements of the gtr and the associated time scale, which had been reconfirmed in the November 2009 session. AC.3 recommended that the EU coordinate the proposal with China, India, the Russian Federation, the United States of America and other interested parties to try to reach a consensus. The representatives were invited to request their GRRF experts to send comments on the draft gtr for consideration at the next meeting of the informal group, scheduled for September 2010.

121. The representative of France reported on the progress made by the informal working group. He added that only three issues were still pending: (i) the assignment of a US reference code to tyre manufacturers not producing tyres in USA territory, (ii) the inclusion into the scope of tyres with a tread depth exceeding 14.3 mm and (iii) the inclusion into the scope of tyres for specific trailers. He indicated that hopefully these matters could be resolved by the informal working group before the September 2012 session of GRRF. The text of the draft UN GTR would be submitted to AC.3 for consideration and voting at its March 2013 session.

122. The representative of the United States of America reported that (i) two possible solutions were under consideration for resolving the issue of reference code, (ii) specific provisions for tyres with a tread depth exceeding 14.3 mm could be incorporated into the UN GTR and (iii) to exclude from the scope of the UN GTR the special tyres for specific trailers. He mentioned that the text of the section dealing with Wet Grip provision needed updating to avoid references to “Type approval”. Finally, he suggested that Contracting Parties review the full document to help speed the adoption.

123. The Chair of the informal working group confirmed that his group would meet again on 29 June 2012 at the Palais des Nations linked to the 157th session of WP.29. He anticipated the text of the draft UN GTR would be submitted to GRRF at its September 2012 session. He invited WP.29 representatives to participate at that meeting to reach an agreement and to allow the adoption of the UN GTR at the March 2013 session of AC.3.

88. The representative of France reported that, since the March 2012 session of AC.3, only minor progress had been made by the informal working group. He added that the group would meet again on 29 June 2012 to finalize the text of the draft UN GTR which would be submitted to GRRF for detailed consideration at its September 2012 session. The final draft UN GTR would then be submitted to AC.3 for consideration and voting at its March 2013 session.

The United States abstains due to the inability to quantify the benefits in terms of lives saved as required by US statutes caused by a current lack of resources to devote to the effort. All other Contracting Parties present vote in favor. The EU expresses its disappointment and stresses its belief that the effectiveness of the 1998 Agreement requires urgent attention.

105. Submitted for consideration and vote, the proposed draft UN GTR on tyres (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/63, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2014/83, WP.29-164-04) was established in the UN Global Registry on 13 November 2014 by consensus vote of the following Contracting Parties present and voting: Australia, Canada, China, European Union (voting for Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom), India, Japan, Norway, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, South Africa and Turkey.

106. The technical report (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2013/122, WP.29-164-04) and the adopted proposal for the development of the UN GTR (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/AC.3/15) would be appended to the established UN GTR.

107. The United States of America voted to abstain on the UN GTR on tyres. The representative of the United States of America thanked France as sponsor, the United Kingdom for the chairmanship, and the tyre industry for the time and energy involved in the effort. He stated that the UN GTR offers a set of safety requirements that, in its entirety, no single country or region currently has and that, when implemented would truly increase vehicle safety worldwide. He further indicated that the United States of America abstained as it is not in a position to implement the UN GTR within a year due to resource constraints (according to the rules of the 1998 Agreement).

108. The representative of EU expressed his gratitude to the parties for their hard work to finalize the draft GTR on tyres and welcomed the positive vote by the Contracting Parties. He regretted that there had been one abstention and pointed out that the need for efficiency of the 1998 Agreement was more than urgent. The representative of ETRTO echoed a similar statement.