SEMA AND WHEEL & TIRE COUNCIL INFLUENCE NEW SAE WHEEL STANDARD

The collective efforts of SEMA and the Wheel & Tire Council (WTC) have led to revised wording of the SAE J2530 Wheel Standard, incorporating the concerns of the specialty-equipment industry into the wheel standards process. Immediate past WTC chairman George Finch, Frank Bohanan and SEMA Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak attended SAE's Balloting Review meeting of J2530 in Northville, Michigan, on September 12. SAE representative John Kinstler commented that "thanks to SEMA's involvement, we have a better standard" and recommended that "SAE accept the changes and approve the standard with SEMA's comments."

"The results of the J2530 balloting process is an excellent example of how our members and the association are having an increased voice and influence on the growth of the specialty-equipment and performance industry," Waraniak said.

Finch noted that "our strategy to coordinate the delivery of our remarks and thoughts to three levels within SAE—at the Wheel Standards Committee level, Standards Group level and SAE Leadership level—helped to ensure our comments and concerns were incorporated in the revised standard."

Efforts are also underway to have SEMA represented on the SAE Motor Vehicle Council, which is currently comprised of only OEMs. Several joint SAE-SEMA initiatives are planned for the 2007 SEMA Show to help accelerate the association's MVC membership and to reinforce OEM relations through SAE Technical Committee participation.