On Mon, Aug 05, 2002 at 11:33:49PM -0400, John F. Kelly Jr. wrote:
> If I have this straight, this brand of tire meets all the DOT standards but
> they're designed for racing purposes only. This sounds a bit contradictory,
> especially as SCCA's Stock classes specify "Street" tires.
> And here I thought the DOT notation meant the tires were okay for use on
> highways.
> Time to forward the above sticker info to the SEB and ask for
> clarification.
>
> --John Kelly
I don't think that a clarification is necessary. The failing seems to
lie in the DOT standard, which the SEB has no control over.
Apparently it permits tires which the manufacturers themselves warn
are dangerous to drive on public roads. The only thing that
guarantees the quality and safety of tires at the present time is the
threat of lawsuits by injured customers. The DOT has announced plans
to make their requirements more strict, mandating more extensive
testing before a tire is certified as road-worthy. Hoosier opposes
the measure, as they would probably have to re-engineer their race
tire and possibly lose their position of superior performance as a
result. Kumho, at least informally in the person of their
representatives, have only shrugged and smiled (figuratively) in
response. They do not seem worried about their tires' ability to meet
the new requirements.
If the new DOT requirements are passed, only road-worthy tires will be
certified, and only road-worthy tires will be allowed in stock and
Street classes. The SEB won't have to lift a finger, other than to
figure out how quickly to phase out tires manufactured to the old
standard.
--
john@idsfa.net John Stimson
http://www.idsfa.net/~john/ HMC Physics '94
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