Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is criticizing California’s new replacement-tire efficiency standards, arguing they will limit consumer choice and increase costs for drivers.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, however, says the regulations will save consumers money.
Hilton protested the standards Aug. 20 outside the California Energy Commission in Sacramento, where he and supporters chanted, “Hands off our tires.” The commission unanimously approved the regulations Aug. 17, making California the first state to adopt energy-efficiency standards for replacement tires.
“We are done with these bureaucrats and these politicians in our state, making everything so insanely expensive,” Hilton said at the protest.
Hilton said that, if elected governor, he would eliminate or defund the Energy Commission. His opposition to the tire standards is part of his broader criticism of California’s high cost of living.
Newsom defended the regulations Aug. 19, citing the commission’s projected savings for consumers.
“I think it was a good choice,” said Newsom. “Save a billion dollars a year in fuel. Talk about an affordability agenda, that makes sense to me.”
The Replacement Tire Efficiency Program sets limits on rolling resistance, which measures how much energy a tire requires to move along a road. Tires with lower rolling resistance can improve a gasoline-powered vehicle’s fuel economy or extend an electric vehicle’s driving range.
The first phase will take effect in 2029, setting a maximum rolling resistance of 9.1 newtons per kilonewton. A stricter limit of 7.2 newtons per kilonewton will take effect in 2033.
The Energy Commission says the standards will ensure that replacement tires are, on average, at least as energy efficient as those installed on new vehicles. The agency estimates the regulations will save Californians nearly $1 billion annually in gasoline and electricity costs while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by two million metric tons a year.
Some tire manufacturers, however, have raised concerns about the effect on prices and product availability. Goodyear estimates that about 70% of replacement tires currently sold in California would not meet the 2033 standard and argues that the regulations could increase costs for consumers.
The Energy Commission estimates the standards will add about $1.50 to the cost of each tire during the first phase and $6.50 per tire beginning in 2033. The commission projects that a driver with a gasoline-powered vehicle could save about $179 in fuel costs over the life of a set of tires meeting the 2033 standard.
The regulations exempt several specialty products, including competition, winter, used, retreaded, motorcycle and certain off-road tires.
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