California's New Off Road Tire Ruling

CALIFORNIA'S NEW TIRE RULE — WHAT ABOUT OUR JEEP & OFF-ROAD TIRES?

California just appro
ved the nation's first efficiency standards for replacement tires — and understandably, the off-road community is asking: What happens to our mud-terrain and aggressive off-road tires?

First, DON'T PANIC. California did not just make the tires on your 4x4 illegal.

The new rules begin phasing in in 2029 and establish rolling-resistance and wet-traction standards for replacement tires sold in California.

Here's the important part for four-wheelers: The regulations contain exemptions for several specialty tires, including deep-tread tires, certain large off-road tires, ATV/OHV tires, competition tires, and some other specialty categories.

That means the headline “California bans mud tires” is much too simplistic.

But there's still a legitimate concern.

Not every tire marketed as an M/T or off-road tire is automatically exempt. Whether our popular Jeep, truck and 4x4 tires qualify will depend upon the technical definitions in the regulation and what manufacturers produce and certify for California when the rules take effect.

And that's the part I'm digging into. Tire choice matters to those of us who actually use our vehicles off pavement. Traction, sidewall strength, tread depth, puncture resistance, and durability can be a whole lot more important on a rocky trail than squeezing another fraction of an MPG out of a tire.

I'll keep digging into what this means specifically for the tires we use.

Stay tuned — and don't believe every “California banned off-road tires” headline you see.

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