California Air Resources Board

SACRAMENTO – The Air Resources Board clarified today that it is proposing to amend its tire inflation regulation, which will continue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining consumer options for auto owners to ensure they are not required to make purchases when automotive repair shops check tire inflation levels.

The regulation, which provides better fuel economy, reduced carbon emissions and increased safety, provides state vehicle owners having their vehicles serviced the option to either agree to have their tires inflated at the facility or to do it later on their own.

Proper tire inflation is estimated to annually:

• Eliminate 700,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions;
• Reduce the state's fuel consumption by 75 million gallons; and,
• Extend the average tire's useful life by 4,700 miles.

ARB will work with the Bureau of Automotive Repair to provide outreach on the implementation of this program, which ARB adopted in March. The 40,000 service providers subject to the regulation include smog check stations, engine repair facilities and oil service providers. Those not included are car wash, body and paint, and glass repair businesses.

The cost of implementing the regulation balanced with the benefits from the measures will save the average Californian $12 per year in wasted gas mileage About 38 percent of vehicles on the road in California today have severely under inflated tires, six pounds under manufacturer's recommendations. As well as seriously reducing the vehicle's handling capabilities, under inflation can cause irreparable damage, reduce tread life and force the engine to work harder thus increasing the amount of fuel needed.

The regulation is one in a series that ARB has adopted over the past several years to meet the requirements of the Global Warming Solutions Act or AB 32, signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2006, that seeks to reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by the year 2020.