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Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations (SOR/2013-198)

Regulations are current to 2024-04-01 and last amended on 2021-04-28. Previous Versions

Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations

SOR/2013-198

MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY ACT

Registration 2013-11-08

Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations

P.C. 2013-1151 2013-11-07

Whereas, pursuant to subsection 11(3) of the Motor Vehicle Safety ActFootnote a, a copy of the proposed Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations, substantially in the form set out in the annexed Regulations, was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on February 11, 2012 and a reasonable opportunity was afforded to interested persons to make representations to the Minister of Transport with respect to the proposed Regulations;

Therefore, His Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Transport, pursuant to subsection 3(2), sections 4 and 5Footnote b, subsection 7(1), section 10 and subsection 11(1) of the Motor Vehicle Safety ActFootnote a, makes the annexed Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations.

Interpretation

Marginal note:Definitions

  •  (1) The following definitions apply in these Regulations.

    Act

    Act means the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. (Loi)

    bead

    bead means the portion of a tire that is made of steel wires wrapped or reinforced by plies and that is shaped to fit the rim. (talon)

    bias ply tire

    bias ply tire means a tire in which the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at alternate angles that are substantially less than 90° to the centreline of the tread. (pneu à carcasse diagonale)

    CMVSS

    CMVSS means Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. (NSVAC)

    FI tire

    FI tire means a tire designed for use only on farm implements that are occasionally driven or drawn on a road. (pneu pour instruments aratoires)

    load rating

    load rating means the maximum load a tire is rated to carry at a given inflation pressure. (charge nominale)

    maximum load rating

    maximum load rating means the load rating of a tire at the maximum permissible inflation pressure for that tire. (limite de charge nominale)

    maximum permissible inflation pressure

    maximum permissible inflation pressure means the maximum cold inflation pressure to which a tire may be inflated. (pression maximale permise de gonflage)

    ply

    ply means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords. (pli)

    radial ply tire

    radial ply tire means a tire in which the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at substantially 90° to the centreline of the tread. (pneu à carcasse radiale)

    rim

    rim means a support for a tire or a tire-and-tube assembly on which the beads are seated. (jante)

    sidewall

    sidewall means the portion of a tire that is between the tread and the bead. (flanc)

    ST tire

    ST tire means a tire designed for use only on trailers drawn on a road. (pneu à usage spécial)

    tread

    tread means the portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road. (bande de roulement)

    TSD 109

    TSD 109 means Technical Standards Document No. 109, New Tires and Certain Specialty Tires, as amended from time to time. (DNT 109)

    TSD 119

    TSD 119 means Technical Standards Document No. 119, New Tires for Motor Vehicles With a GVWR of More Than 4 536 kg and Motorcycles, as amended from time to time. (DNT 119)

    TSD 139

    TSD 139 means Technical Standards Document No. 139, New Radial Ply Tires for Motor Vehicles With a GVWR of 4 536 kg or Less, as amended from time to time. (DNT 139)

    T-type temporary-use spare tire

    T-type temporary-use spare tire means a temporary-use spare tire that is designed for use at inflation pressures that are higher than those established for standard and reinforced tires. (pneu de secours de type T à usage temporaire)

  • Marginal note:Terms defined in the MVSR

    (2) In these Regulations, GVWR, light-truck tire, motorcycle, passenger car, rim diameter and trailer have the same meaning as in subsection 2(1) of the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations.

  • Marginal note:Terms defined in TSD 109, 119 or 139

    (3) For the purposes of these Regulations, words and expressions used in TSD 109, TSD 119 or TSD 139 and not defined in that technical standards document but defined in either of those other technical standards documents have the same meaning as in that other technical standards document.

  • SOR/2014-307, s. 32

Marginal note:System of measurement

 If, in the application to a tire of a portion of a section of these Regulations or a portion of a provision of a technical standards document, either the metric or the imperial system of measurement is used, the same system of measurement must be used in the application to the tire of any other portion of the section or provision.

Prescribed Classes of Equipment and Prescribed Standards

[
  • SOR/2020-22, s. 24(F)
]

CMVSS 109 — New Tires and Certain Specialty Tires

Marginal note:TSD 109

  •  (1) The following tires are prescribed as a class of equipment for the purposes of sections 4 and 5 of the Act and must conform to the requirements of TSD 109 and section 6:

    • (a) radial ply tires designed for use on a passenger car manufactured before January 1, 1975;

    • (b) bias ply tires; and

    • (c) T-type temporary-use spare tires.

  • Marginal note:Maximum permissible inflation pressure

    (2) The maximum permissible inflation pressure referred to in S4.3(b) of TSD 109 must be expressed in kilopascals, and may in addition, at the manufacturer’s option, be expressed in pounds per square inch.

  • Marginal note:Maximum load rating

    (3) The maximum load rating referred to in S4.3(c) of TSD 109 must be expressed in kilograms, and may in addition, at the manufacturer’s option, be expressed in pounds.

  • (4) [Repealed, SOR/2014-307, s. 33]

CMVSS 119 — New Tires for Motor Vehicles With a GVWR of More Than 4 536 kg and Motorcycles

Marginal note:TSD 119

  •  (1) The following tires, other than tires of the class prescribed by subsection 3(1), are prescribed as a class of equipment for the purposes of sections 4 and 5 of the Act and must conform to the requirements of TSD 119 and section 6:

    • (a) tires designed for use on a motor vehicle with a GVWR of more than 4 536 kg;

    • (b) tires designed for use on a motorcycle;

    • (c) light-truck tires with a tread depth of 1.43 cm or greater that are designed for use on a motor vehicle with a GVWR of 4 536 kg or less;

    • (d) ST tires;

    • (e) FI tires; and

    • (f) tires with a rim diameter code of 12 or lower.

  • Marginal note:Table III to TSD 119

    (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), Table III to TSD 119 is replaced by Table III to this subsection.

    Table III — Endurance Test Schedule

    DescriptionLoad rangeTest wheel speedTest load: Percent of maximum load ratingTotal test revolutions (thousands)
    km/hr/mI — 7 hoursII — 16 hoursIII — 24 hours
    Speed restricted service: 90 km/h (55 mph)All401256684101352.5
    80 km/h (50 mph)C, D481507597114423.0
    80 km/h (50 mph)E, F, G, H, J, L321006684101282.0
    56 km/h (35 mph)All24756684101211.5
    MotorcycleAll80250100Footnote for Table III — Endurance Test Schedule 1108Footnote for Table III — Endurance Test Schedule 2117510.0Footnote for Table III — Endurance Test Schedule 1,Footnote for Table III — Endurance Test Schedule 2
    All OtherA, B, C, D8025075Footnote for Table III — Endurance Test Schedule 197Footnote for Table III — Endurance Test Schedule 2114………….
    E642007088106564.0
    F642006684101564.0
    G561756684101493.5
    H, J, L, N481506684101423.0
  • (3) [Repealed, SOR/2014-307, s. 34]

CMVSS 139 — New Radial Ply Tires for Motor Vehicles With a GVWR of 4 536 kg or less

Marginal note:TSD 139

  •  (1) Tires, other than tires of a class prescribed by subsection 3(1) or 4(1), that are radial ply tires designed for use on a motor vehicle with a GVWR of 4 536 kg or less that was manufactured on or after January 1, 1975 are prescribed as a class of equipment for the purposes of sections 4 and 5 of the Act and must conform to the requirements of TSD 139 and section 6.

  • Marginal note:Maximum permissible inflation pressure

    (2) The maximum permissible inflation pressure referred to in S5.5(c) of TSD 139 must be expressed in kilopascals, and may in addition, at the manufacturer’s option, be expressed in pounds per square inch.

  • Marginal note:Maximum load rating

    (3) The maximum load rating referred to in S5.5(d) of TSD 139 must be expressed in kilograms, and may in addition, at the manufacturer’s option, be expressed in pounds.

  • Definition of winter tire

    (4) For the purposes of TSD 139, winter tire means a tire that

    • (a) meets one of the following snow traction requirements:

      • (i) when tested using the snow traction test described in ASTM F1805 - 06, Standard Test Method for Single Wheel Driving Traction in a Straight Line on Snow- and Ice-Covered Surfaces, with medium pack snow and a test load equal to 74% of the test inflation rated load described in that test method, attains a traction index equal to or greater than 110 compared to a standard reference test tire that meets the requirements of ASTM E1136 - 10, Standard Specification for P195/75R14 Radial Standard Reference Test Tire; or

      • (ii) when tested using the snow traction test described in ASTM F1805 - 20, Standard Test Method for Single Wheel Driving Traction in a Straight Line on Snow- and Ice-Covered Surfaces, with medium pack snow and a test load equal to 74% of the test inflation rated load described in that test method, attains a traction index equal to or greater than 112 compared to a standard reference test tire that meets the requirements of any version of ASTM F2493, Standard Specification for P225/60R16 97S Radial Standard Reference Test Tire, in effect within the less-than-two-year period referred to in section 9.1 of ASTM F1805 - 20; and

    • (b) is marked on at least one sidewall with the Alpine Symbol specified in S5.5(i) of TSD 139.

  • (5) [Repealed, SOR/2014-307, s. 35]

Tire Identification Number

Marginal note:Tires of a class prescribed by subsection 3(1) or 4(1)

  •  (1) Every tire of a class prescribed by subsection 3(1) or 4(1) must have a tire identification number on one of its sidewalls.

  • Marginal note:Tires of a class prescribed by subsection 5(1)

    (2) Every tire of a class prescribed by subsection 5(1) must have

    • (a) a tire identification number on one of its sidewalls; and

    • (b) a tire identification number or a partial tire identification number on its other sidewall.

  • Marginal note:Manner and location

    (3) Except in the case referred to in subsection (8), the tire identification number and partial tire identification number must be permanently moulded into or onto the tire

    • (a) in the manner and at the location specified in Figures 2 and 3 of Schedule 1; and

    • (b) at a depth or height of not less than 0.5 mm and not more than 1 mm as measured from the immediate surrounding surface of the tire.

  • Marginal note:Mandatory symbols

    (4) The tire identification number must consist of the following groups of symbols:

    • (a) two or three symbols approved by the Minister or by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that identify the manufacturer of the tire;

    • (b) two symbols that identify the size designation of the tire; and

    • (c) four symbols that identify, in the following manner, the tire’s date of manufacture:

      • (i) the first two symbols correspond to the week of manufacture of the tire, with “01” indicating the week that begins on the first Sunday in a year, “02” indicating the week that begins on the second Sunday in the year, and so on until and including the week that begins on the last Sunday in the year, and

      • (ii) the last two symbols are the last two digits of the year in which the week identified in accordance with subparagraph (i) begins.

  • Marginal note:Optional symbols

    (5) At the manufacturer’s option, to identify the tire type, the tire identification number may also include not more than four symbols that

    • (a) identify the owner of the brand name, if applicable; and

    • (b) form a code identifying the main characteristics of the tire.

  • Marginal note:Laser-etching

    (6) At the manufacturer’s option, instead of being permanently moulded into or onto the tire, the symbols referred to in paragraph (4)(c) may, not later than 24 hours after the tire is removed from the mould, be permanently laser-etched into it

    • (a) in the manner and at the location specified in Figures 2 and 3 of Schedule 1; and

    • (b) at a depth or height of not less than 0.5 mm and not more than 1 mm as measured from the immediate surrounding surface of the tire.

  • Marginal note:Permitted symbols

    (7) The tire identification number may consist of any of the following symbols:

    • (a) 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9; and

    • (b) A, B, C, D, E, F, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, T, U, V, W, X and Y.

  • Marginal note:Optional symbols — Code of Federal Regulations

    (8) At the manufacturer’s option, the symbols referred to in subsection (4) and, if applicable, subsection (5) may be replaced by those set out in either option 1 or option 2 of Figure 1 of section 574.5, chapter V, Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations of the United States (revised as of October 1, 2015), in the manner and at the location specified in notes 1 to 4 of that figure and in paragraphs (a)(1), (b)(1) to (3), (d)(1), (e)(1) to (3) and (f) of that section.

  • Marginal note:For greater certainty

    (9) For greater certainty, the requirements of section 574.5, chapter V, Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations of the United States referred to in subsection (8) respecting retreaded tires do not apply.

 

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