12. The expert from the Netherlands presented a study (GRB-62-09 and Add.1) on noise emission from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) tyres of a specific size which were found to be around 1 dB(A) lower than the one from replacement tyres of the same size. The expert, thus, proposed to further reduce the limit values for OEM tyres in the 02 series of amendments to Regulation No. 117 (GRB-62-11 and Add.1).

13. The expert from Switzerland expressed his support for the general direction of the Dutch proposal. The experts from Germany and EC were of the view that, at this stage, it would be premature to tighten the tyre noise limits of Regulation No. 117. The expert from France called for a holistic approach to this issue. The experts from ETRTO and OICA expressed doubts about the representativeness of the tyre sample used in the Dutch study. The expert from ETRTO also delivered comments on the proposal for amendments to Regulation No. 117 (GRB-62-17). Finally, GRB invited all experts to further study the Dutch proposal and decided to revert to this issue at the next session.

15. The expert from the Netherlands informed GRB about the results of two studies (GRB-60-03, GRB-60-13, GRB-60-14) commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment with a view to assessing cost savings that could be achieved in the Netherlands and EU by a switch from currently used tyres to high-performance tyres with A-labels on each parameter of the EU tyre label: energy efficiency, wet grip and noise (so called ‘triple-A’ tyres). According to the studies, moving towards ‘triple-A’ tyres could bring considerable potential benefits for the society in terms of energy, safety and noise reduction, which were estimated to be around 1 billion Euros in the Netherlands and 34 billion Euros in EU per year. In addition, individual consumers could also benefits from substantial fuel cost savings.

16. As a first reaction, the experts from ETRTO and OICA pointed out the rather theoretical character of some assumptions used for these studies, as well as the fact that ‘triple-A’ tyres were not yet available on the market. The expert from the Netherlands added that a common objective of these studies, together with the one mentioned in paragraph 22 above, was to shift the society to better tyres, either by introducing stricter limits or by raising the awareness of tyre labels. Finally, GRB agreed to include this issue in the agenda of its next session and invited experts to submit their comments for discussion.