Abolition of the tire manufacturing commitment

In recent years, type approvals for motor vehicles and vehicle trailers with tire restrictions have been issued with increasing frequency. The restrictions have been such that a manufacturing restriction has been included in the vehicle documents for certain tire sizes and/or tire types.

The reason for the production bindings was safety-related. Tires with the same size designations can have differences due to possible tolerances. It has happened, for example, that one brand could be fitted without any problems and another with the same dimensions came into contact with the chassis or frame.

In addition to space problems, adhesion between tires and road surface and flank stiffness as a safety aspect in the vehicle dynamics area have recently been cited by vehicle manufacturers as a restriction, which has led to the production restriction.
Since only safety aspects have been in the foreground so far, the procedure was supported by the Federal Republic of Germany. The European Commission has initiated a complaint procedure against this approach. The Federal Motor Transport Authority has been instructed to refrain from entering production links in the vehicle documents in future. The entries that still exist at present no longer have any direct legal effect and are to be regarded as recommendations.

With regard to the previous procedure, however, this does not mean that the vehicle owner and/or driver may drive any tire in the specified size on their vehicle. Due to possible tolerances for tire brands not listed in the vehicle documents, it is possible that some brands could come into contact with the wheel arch, the chassis or the steering, for example, or that the existing wheel covers would no longer be sufficient. It is also possible that the driving characteristics may deteriorate or that fuel consumption may increase to an unacceptable level (e.g. 3-liter VW Lupo), resulting in a deterioration of the exhaust emissions. In this particular case, the tax exemption for the vehicle expires. There is no need to mention that this continues to violate applicable regulations and safety requirements.
The only difference to the previous procedure is that the vehicle owner and/or driver must now ensure that replacing the tires with a make or type other than that entered in the vehicle registration certificate does not result in any danger or non-compliance. An official referral (correction of the vehicle documents) or an official inspection (modification approval) is not required if the tires bear an EC or ECE type approval mark.

Example of an ECE type-approval mark

Example of an EC type-approval mark

Example car

A vehicle owner would like to equip his vehicle with a new tire. His vehicle documents state 185/60 R 14 80 H with an additional fabrication binding. The vehicle owner now purchases a tire with an EC or ECE type approval mark and the same tire label 185/60 R 14 80 H but with a different brand, tread and type designation. During the main inspection

Example using the special case of motorcycles

A vehicle owner would like to equip his vehicle with a new tire. His vehicle documents state 150/70 B 17 69 H with an additional fabrication binding. The vehicle owner now purchases a tire with an EC or ECE type approval mark and the same tire inscription 150/70 B 17 69 H, but with a different brand, tread and type designation.
In addition, the vehicle owner needs one of the often referred to “manufacturer, clearance or conformity certificates” from the vehicle manufacturer of his motorcycle or the tire manufacturer, which states that he may also drive this tire on his vehicle without any restrictions. The reason for this additional requirement is that the handling characteristics of motorcycles are significantly affected by the properties of the tire type.

Example of an ECE type-approval mark

Example of an EC type-approval mark

Example car

A vehicle owner would like to equip his vehicle with a new tire. His vehicle documents state 185/60 R 14 80 H with an additional fabrication binding. The vehicle owner now purchases a tire with an EC or ECE type approval mark and the same tire label 185/60 R 14 80 H but with a different brand, tread and type designation. This does not constitute a defect during the main inspection. The following remark is included in the inspection report: “Tires: Actual condition deviates from the recommendation.”

Example using the special case of motorcycles

A vehicle owner would like to equip his vehicle with a new tire. His vehicle documents state 150/70 B 17 69 H with an additional fabrication binding. The vehicle owner now purchases a tire with an EC or ECE type approval mark and the same tire inscription 150/70 B 17 69 H, but with a different brand, tread and type designation.
In addition, the vehicle owner needs one of the often referred to “manufacturer, clearance or conformity certificates” from the vehicle manufacturer of his motorcycle or the tire manufacturer, which states that he may also drive this tire on his vehicle without any restrictions. The reason for this additional requirement is that the handling characteristics of motorcycles are significantly affected by the properties of the tire type.