Smithers Rapra, a world leader in rubber, plastics and composites testing expertise, announced that its tyre and wheel testing laboratory in Ravenna, OH, successfully completed a laboratory alignment for the measurement of tyre rolling resistance with the Global Network of Reference Laboratories defined in (EC) No1222/2009. The correlation extends Smithers Rapra’s capabilities as a leading independent tyre test facility for United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regulation No. 117 (R117). R117 provides requirements for maximum tyre rolling sound emissions, minimum wet grip performance and the maximum rolling resistance for tyres that are imported into the European market. “Expanding our ability to test to the R117 standards at our U.S. lab provides our global customers with a network of certified Smithers Rapra laboratories to test their tyres,” said Dr. James A. Popio, vice president and general manager of Smithers Rapra. “We can now service customers who manufacture tyres for the European market at our testing laboratories in Ravenna, Ohio and Suzhou, China.” The fully correlated Smithers Rapra Tyre and Wheel Test Laboratory now allows European approval authorities’ and their clients to confidently state rolling resistance data for European type approval, conformity of production (CoP), and the EU labeling requirements that are increasingly being adopted globally. Testing to the R117 standard can be performed on C1 (passenger car) and C2 (light truck) tyres. Tyres that meet the ECE R117 standard are clearly labeled with a sticker to make consumers aware of key tyre performance characteristics so they can make informed purchase decisions. R117 corresponds to the ISO 28580 specification that is commonly used for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay verification, which is used to qualify truck tyres for fuel efficiency used by fleets. Smithers global network of ISO 17025 accredited tyre test laboratories perform a wide variety of SAE, ASTM, ISO, UNECE and EC tests supporting raw material suppliers, tyre manufacturers and OEMs. – Rubberword.com