[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 5]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR569.7]

[Page 173-174]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
                            OF TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 569--REGROOVED TIRES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 569.7  Requirements.

    (a) Regrooved tires. (1) Except as permitted by paragraph (a)(2) of 
this section, no person shall sell, offer for sale, or introduce or 
deliver for introduction into interstate commerce regrooved tires 
produced by removing rubber from the surface of a worn tire tread to 
generate a new tread pattern. Any person who regrooves tires and leases 
them to owners or operators of motor vehicles and any person who 
regrooves his own tires for use on motor vehicles is considered to be a 
person delivering for introduction into interstate commerce within the 
meaning of this part.
    (2) A regrooved tire may be sold, offered for sale, or introduced 
for sale or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce only if 
it conforms to each of the following requirements:
    (i) The tire being regrooved shall be a regroovable tire;
    (ii) After regrooving, cord material below the grooves shall have a 
protective covering of tread material at least \3/32\-inch thick;
    (iii) After regrooving, the new grooves generated into the tread 
material and any residual original molded tread groove which is at or 
below the new regrooved depth shall have a minimum of 90 linear inches 
of tread edges per linear foot of the circumference;
    (iv) After regrooving, the new groove width generated into the tread 
material shall be a minimum of \3/16\-inch and a maximum of \5/16\-inch;

[[Page 174]]

    (v) After regrooving, all new grooves cut into the tread shall 
provide unobstructed fluid escape passages; and
    (vi) After regrooving, the tire shall not contain any of the 
following defects, as determined by a visual examination of the tire 
either mounted on the rim, or dismounted, whichever is applicable:
    (A) Cracking which extends to the fabric,
    (B) Groove cracks or wear extending to the fabric, or
    (C) Evidence of ply, tread, or sidewall separation;
    (vii) If the tire is siped by cutting the tread surface without 
removing rubber, the tire cord material shall not be damaged as a result 
of the siping process, and no sipe shall be deeper than the original or 
retread groove depth.
    (b) Siped regroovable tires. No person shall sell, offer for sale, 
or introduce for sale or deliver for introduction into interstate 
commerce a regroovable tire that has been siped by cutting the tread 
surface without removing rubber if the tire cord material is damaged as 
a result of the siping process, or if the tire is siped deeper than the 
original or retread groove depth.

[39 FR 15039, Apr. 30, 1974, as amended at 42 FR 21613, Apr. 28, 1977]