SEMA lends support to Denman, Hoosier, Specialty Tires

WASHINGTON (June 10)—The Specialty Equipment Market Association is supporting small independent tire makers Denman Tire Corp., Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. and Specialty Tires of America Inc. in their efforts to obtain relief from proposed federal tire testing regulations. SEMA, an automotive aftermarket trade association, told NHTSA in a June 5 letter that the specialty tire industry's "unchallenged safety record, limited production and unique use of specialty aftermarket bias-ply and radial tires justifies continued compliance with the existing tire standards" of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Nos. 109 and 119. "NHTSA cannot justify subjecting these small specialty tire manufacturers to overarching new regulations that will eliminate bias-ply tires, and, at a minimum, severely curtail production of specialty radial tires without either evidence of a safety problem or conclusive proof that the design of these tires is substandard for their current applications," SEMA said.