TIRE STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS

1. In this Regulation, “aspect ratio” means the height of the tire section divided by the overall width of the tire, multiplied by 100; (“facteur de forme”) “bead” means the part of a tire that is shaped to fit the rim; (“talon”) “cord” means the strands forming a ply in a tire; (“câblé”) “groove” means the space between two tread ribs; (“rainure”) “Northern Ontario” means the Territorial Districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Timiskaming and Thunder Bay; (“Nord de l’Ontario”) “ply” means the layer of parallel cords used in forming the tire carcass; (“pli”) “sidewall” means the portion of a tire between the tread and the bead; (“flanc”) “siping” means small, straight, angular or curved slits, other than grooves, molded or cut in the tread surface of a tire; (“lamellisation”) “studded tire” means a tire that has a tread embedded with devices that project beyond the tread and have a hardness of greater than seven on the Mohs scale; (“pneu à crampons”) “tread” means the portion of a tire that comes in contact with the road; (“bande de roulement”) “tread rib” means a tread section running circumferentially around a tire. (“nervure de la bande de roulement”) “TSMI” means the Tire Stud Manufacturing Institute. (“TSMI”) R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 1; O. Reg. 617/05, s. 1; O. Reg. 107/06, s. 1. 2. A tire, (a) shall have no exposed cord; (b) shall have no tread or sidewall cuts or snags deep enough to expose the cords; (c) shall have no abnormal visible bump, bulge or knot; and (d) other than a tire specifically designed for regrooving or recutting and marked as being so designed shall not be regrooved or recut. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 2. 3. (1) Subject to subsection (2), a tire shall not be worn to the extent that in any two adjacent major grooves at three equally spaced intervals around the circumference of the tire, (a) the tread wear indicators contact the road; or (b) less than 1.5 millimetres of tread depth remains. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 3 (1). (2) A front tire on a motor vehicle having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 4,500 kilograms shall not be worn to the extent that less than three millimetres of tread depth remains in any two adjacent major grooves at three equally spaced intervals around the circumference of the tire. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 3 (2). (3) For the purposes of subsections (1) and (2), siping on a tire, other than a tire forming part of a dual tire set on an urban transit bus, does not constitute tread. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 3 (3). (4) Where the tread pattern on a tire is of such a design that no major grooves are present, the tread depth shall be determined by measurements at the locations designated by the tire manufacturer for this purpose at three equally spaced intervals around the circumference of the tire. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 3 (4). 4. (1) Tires shall be installed on a vehicle so as to avoid, (a) a mixture of construction types consisting of radial ply tires on the front and bias ply or belted bias ply tires on the rear; (b) a mixture consisting of 50 or 60 aspect ratio tires on the front with any aspect ratio of tires other than 50 or 60 aspect ratio, on the rear; (c) a combination of construction types or sizes of tires on an axle, except where such types or sizes are equivalent by tire industry standards; or (d) contact between tires in a dual set or a difference in overall diameter between tires in a dual set of more than thirteen millimetres or a difference in circumference of more than forty-one millimetres. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 4 (1). (2) Clause (1) (a) does not apply to tires fitted on a vehicle with dual rear tires. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 4 (2). (3) Clause (1) (c) does not apply to a temporary use spare tire, specified by a vehicle manufacturer as suitable for emergency use, if not more than one temporary use spare tire is installed on a vehicle. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 4 (3). 5. A tire fitted on a vehicle shall not, (a) be of a smaller size than the vehicle manufacturer’s specified minimum size; or (b) contact any vehicle component so as to affect the safe operation of the vehicle. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 5. 5.1 (1) In this section, “motor tricycle” means a motorcycle that, (a) is designed to travel on three wheels in contact with the ground, (b) has seating on which all occupants must sit astride, (c) has not more than four designated seating positions, (d) has a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of 1,000 kilograms or less, (e) has a minimum wheel rim diameter of 250 millimetres, (f) has a minimum wheel base of 1,016 millimetres, and (g) does not have a structure partially or fully enclosing the driver and passenger, other than that part of the vehicle forward of the driver’s torso and the seat backrest. O. Reg. 116/08, s. 1. (2) For the purpose of determining the number of wheels on a motorcycle, two wheels are considered to be one wheel if they are mounted on the same axle and the distance between the centres of their areas of contact with the ground is less than 460 millimetres. O. Reg. 116/08, s. 1. (3) A motor tricycle with two front wheels shall not be fitted with a tire of a size or type not intended for operation on a motor tricycle. O. Reg. 116/08, s. 1. 6. A tire shall not be installed on a motor vehicle or trailer that bears, (a) the words “not for highway use”, “farm use only” or “competition circuit use only”; (b) the letters “SL”, “NHS” or “TG” after the tire designation; or (c) any other wording or lettering indicating that the tire was not designed for highway use. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 6. 7. (1) No person shall operate on a highway a motor vehicle, trailer, device or apparatus equipped with tires that, (a) bear the words “not for highway use”, “farm use only” or “competition circuit use only”; (b) bear the letters “SL”, “NHS” or “TG” after the tire designation; (c) bear any other wording or lettering indicating that the tire was not designed for highway use; or (d) were not manufactured to comply with the standards prescribed under the Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Act (Canada) and the regulations made thereunder as they existed on the 28th day of February, 1985. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 625, s. 7 (1). (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to an off-road vehicle being operated under Ontario Regulation 316/03 (“Operation of Off-Road Vehicles on Highways”) made under the Highway Traffic Act or under subsection 2 (2) of the Off-Road Vehicles Act. O. Reg. 318/03, s. 1. 8. (1) A front tire on a bus shall not have been altered by the addition of material to produce a new tread surface. O. Reg. 495/93, s. 1. (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a tire on a trolley bus. O. Reg. 495/93, s. 1. 9. (1) No person shall operate a vehicle equipped with studded tires on a highway unless all of the following conditions are met: 1. The vehicle is operated during the period starting on September 1 and ending on May 31. 2. The permit holder of the vehicle is, i. a resident of Northern Ontario, ii. a corporation with a business premise in Northern Ontario, as shown by the address on the plate portion of the vehicle permit, iii. a municipal corporation having jurisdiction and control of a highway or portion of a highway located in Northern Ontario, iv. a road authority having jurisdiction and control of a highway or portion of a highway located in Northern Ontario, v. a district school board in Northern Ontario, vi. a school authority in Northern Ontario, vii. the Crown in right of Ontario, or viii. not a resident of Ontario and the vehicle is in Ontario for no longer than 30 days. 3. In the case of a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating equal to or less than 3,500 kilograms, all vehicle wheels are equipped with studded tires. 4. In the case of a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 3,500 kilograms, studded tires are either on all vehicle wheels or on only the vehicle wheels on one axle, and the vehicle is, i. an ambulance, police vehicle or fire department vehicle, ii. a school bus, iii. a public utility emergency vehicle, or iv. a road service vehicle. 5. The studs meet the specifications listed in paragraph i or ii as follows: i. The studs, A. are evenly embedded during tire manufacture, B. do not protrude more than 2.0 millimetres, C. have an aggregate object exposed surface area of 3 per cent of the tread surface area or less, and D. have an exposed surface area variability between tires of the same size of no greater than 25 per cent. E. meet the performance criteria requirements set out in the Table to this subparagraph. TABLE: Studded tire performance wear specifications Item Gross vehicle weight rating Maximum wear value 1. 2,400 kilograms or less 0.9 g 2. more than 2,400 kilograms but not exceeding 3,200 kilograms 1.1 g 3. more than 3,200 kilograms but not exceeding 3,500 kilograms 1.4 g 4. 3,500 kilograms or more 1.8 g ii. The studs, A. are securely and safely embedded after tread manufacture in pin-holes moulded in any part of the tread other than the middle one-third, B. are inserted in a tire that after manufacturing or remoulding has never been driven on a vehicle, C. have only one peak per stud and no hollow part, and D. meet the stud specifications applicable to the gross vehicle weight rating of the vehicle on which the studded tires are mounted, as set out in the Table to this subparagraph. Table: Stud Specifications Item Gross vehicle weight rating Maximum protrusion of stud when newly installed Maximum protrusion of stud when in use Maximum stud weight and maximum static force Maximum number of studs per tire Material of studs 1. 2,500 kilograms or less 1.2 millimetres 2.0 millimetres 1.12 grams and 120 newtons 90 for rim size R14 or lower 110 for rim size R15 130 for rim size R16 or higher Any, except steel 2. more than 2,500 kilograms but not exceeding 3,500 kilograms 1.2 millimetres 2.0 millimetres 2.3 grams and 180 newtons 90 for rim size R14 or lower 110 for rim size R15 130 for rim size R16 or higher Any, except steel 3. 3,500 kilograms or more 1.5 millimetres 2.5 millimetres 3 grams and 340 newtons 150 Any 4. 3,500 kilograms or more 1.5 millimetres 2.5 millimetres 1.12 grams and 120 newtons 250 Any O. Reg. 617/05, s. 2; O. Reg. 243/10, s. 1; O. Reg. 168/14, s. 1; O. Reg. 4/19, s. 1 (1-5). (2) Where the condition set out in subparagraph 2viii of subsection (1) is met, the vehicle is exempt from the requirements of paragraphs 3 and 5 of that subsection. O. Reg. 617/05, s. 2. (3) Where the conditions set out in paragraphs 1 to 4 of subsection (1) are met, but the conditions set out in paragraph 5 of subsection (1) are not met, the vehicle may be operated on a highway while equipped with studded tires if, instead of meeting the conditions set out in paragraph 5 of subsection (1) the vehicle is instead equipped with studded tires described in the list of approved tire-stud combinations, as it may be amended from time to time, that is available on the Internet through the website of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency. O. Reg. 4/19, s. 1 (6). (4) For the purposes of the Table to subparagraph 5 i of subsection (1), the maximum wear value shall be determined in the manner described in the Decree of the Ministry of Transport and Communications on Tyre Studs, 408/2003 (unofficial translation by Trafi), as it may be amended from time to time, that is available on the Internet through the website of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency. O. Reg. 4/19, s. 1 (6). 10. Revoked: O. Reg. 382/02, s. 1. 11. Revoked: O. Reg. 495/93, s. 1.