Section 581.6 - ConditionsThe vehicle shall meet the requirements of § 581.5 under the following conditions.
(a)General.(1) The vehicle is at unloaded vehicle weight.(2) The front wheels are in the straight ahead position.(3) Tires are inflated to the vehicle manufacturer's recommended pressure for the specified loading condition.(4) Brakes are disengaged and the transmission is in neutral.(5) Trailer hitches, license plate brackets, and headlamp washers are removed from the vehicle. Running lights, fog lamps, and equipment mounted on the bumper face bar are removed from the vehicle if they are optional equipment.(b)Pendulum test conditions. The following conditions apply to the pendulum test procedures of § 581.7 (a) and (b) .(1) The test device consists of a block with one side contoured as specified in Figure 1 and Figure 2 with the impact ridge made of A1S1 4130 steel hardened to 34 Rockwell "C." The impact ridge and the surfaces in Planes A and B of the test device are finished with a surface roughness of 32 as specified by SAE Recommended Practice J449A, June 1963. From the point of release of the device until the onset of rebound, the pendulum suspension system holds Plane A vertical, with the arc described by any point on the impact line lying in a vertical plane (for § 581.7(a) , longitudinal; for § 581.7(b) , at an angle of 30° to a vertical longitudinal plane) and having a constant radius of not less than 11 feet.(2) With Plane A vertical, the impact line shown in Figures 1 and 2 is horizontal at the same height as the test device's center of percussion.(3) The effective impacting mass of the test device is equal to the mass of the tested vehicle.(4) When impacted by the test device, the vehicle is at rest on a level rigid concrete surface.(c)Barrier test condition. At the onset of a barrier impact, the vehicle's engine is operating at idling speed in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. Vehicle systems that are not necessary to the movement of the vehicle are not operating during impact.42 FR 24059, May 12, 1977, as amended at 42 FR 38909, Aug. 1, 1977; 48 FR 43331, Sept. 23, 1983 Authority: Sec. 102, Pub. L. 92-513, 86 Stat. 947 ( 15 U.S.C. 1912 ); secs. 103, 119, Pub. L. 89-563, 80 Stat. 718 ( 15 U.S.C. 1392, 1407 ); delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.50 and 501.7