Tire speed ratings

[billtm]

Because the Michelin Primacy MXV4s that were originally on my car were almost bald, and wheel spin in the rain was getting ridiculous, I got new tires on my car. The store I went to didn't carry Michelin, so I got the next best thing, Continental Pure Contacts. The previous set of tires the car had were 92V, but my new tires are 92H. So from the little research I've done, I've learned that tires with a higher speed rating handle better. Since I've gone down 1 speed rating, how big of a difference in handling should I notice? Because so far I haven't noticed any. Also, why do they tell you to never go down one speed rating, because I can't come up with a reason. My car can't even do 130 mph!

[Max Rockatansky]

Well first off what are you driving and what environment are you driving it in?  If you were past the treadwear indicator you should notice a huge improvement in day to day driving regardless just given that the tires are new.  I've found having a softer compound has a much greater affect on handling more than anything.  A lot of average all weather tires float around the 400TW (treadwear) range which is pretty normal for street use.  Usually you'll see tires that are meant for performance handing in the low 200TW range, they hand a lot better but wear substantially faster due to more rubber sticking to the road surface.  If you are driving a 92V or H I wouldn't imagine it will affect you all that much...I mean, I would hope you aren't trying to achieve the actual maximum speed of the tire. 

Found this article for you on tire speed ratings:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35

Also some information for you on Treadwear and Traction Grades which is probably more in line with what you are looking for:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48

For reference I have two cars one is has 99Y tires....which the car is capable of getting in the neighborhood of but I would NEVER try to do off a track.  The other is a daily driver Chevy Sonic with 89H tires which surprisingly can even reach 120 MPH in top speed.  I would probably be fine with a U speed rated tire since it still has a 124 MPH top speed and I'll never get in the neighborhood of it regardless...I would be surprised if I ever hit 90 MPH in the thing.

Apparently it's 176 MPH for the Challenger R/T Scatpack...just watched a video of someone trying to reach it on the freeway...wow how stupid can you get on a public road? 

[1995hoo]

I've found over the years that higher speed ratings seem to equate to a slightly shorter tread life, although of course there could be umpteen other factors at play at any given time. I had Michelins on my Acura and the only speed rating I could easily acquire in the size I needed was Y, which is absurd. The original tires were W-rated (as is my current set of Coopers) because the car can do 152 mph, but I'd be perfectly content with H-rated if I could find them (I can't unless I special-order, which is too much trouble). I don't know if I've ever taken the car above 110 mph. Might have hit 115 once back when Alligator Alley was still Florida's autobahn. So H-rated would be fine. I don't drive as fast as I used to, either. I haven't hit 90 at all during our current trip.

The Michelins didn't last as long as I thought they should, probably 10,000 miles less than I felt like they should have lasted.

I got the set of Coopers this time because NTB had a major sale and my brother was happy with them on his TSX. They seem to take a little longer to warm up when I drive off in the morning and I get a slight vibration during the first mile or two (quickly smooths out). But for the price I paid, that's a minor issue.

[billtm]

The car got 80,000 miles on the Michelins before I finally replaced them. Both tires are A-rated for traction and temperature. I just checked the owner's manual in my car and Honda recommends 91V tires. But going from 91 to 92 shouldn't make a difference either, right?

[Max Rockatansky]

The car got 80,000 miles on the Michelins before I finally replaced them. Both tires are A-rated for traction and temperature. I just checked the owner's manual in my car and Honda recommends 91V tires. But going from 91 to 92 shouldn't make a difference either, right?

All the 91 to 92 is going to give you is some extra weight load capacity, all it means is that it they are designed for a slightly heavier vehicle.  I think you'll be fine so long as you are getting another A traction rated tire with H speed.  I'm assuming this is an Accord or Civic? 

[Max Rockatansky]

I've found over the years that higher speed ratings seem to equate to a slightly shorter tread life, although of course there could be umpteen other factors at play at any given time. I had Michelins on my Acura and the only speed rating I could easily acquire in the size I needed was Y, which is absurd. The original tires were W-rated (as is my current set of Coopers) because the car can do 152 mph, but I'd be perfectly content with H-rated if I could find them (I can't unless I special-order, which is too much trouble). I don't know if I've ever taken the car above 110 mph. Might have hit 115 once back when Alligator Alley was still Florida's autobahn. So H-rated would be fine. I don't drive as fast as I used to, either. I haven't hit 90 at all during our current trip.

The Michelins didn't last as long as I thought they should, probably 10,000 miles less than I felt like they should have lasted.

I got the set of Coopers this time because NTB had a major sale and my brother was happy with them on his TSX. They seem to take a little longer to warm up when I drive off in the morning and I get a slight vibration during the first mile or two (quickly smooths out). But for the price I paid, that's a minor issue.

That's just it, I haven't even hit 100 MPH on a public road since I lived in Arizona a LONG time ago and really sometimes the tires are overbuilt for use the car will really endure.  For a daily driver that puts around town something like an H code ought to do just fine with a good traction rating and reasonable treadwear designed to last 40,000 miles plus.  I usually like to get tires that are coded for all weather just so I have a little tiny something given that there is a lot of snowy mountains here in California in the winter...but then again that's why I also carry chains.

[formulanone]

Sometimes you get more vibration at highway speeds by dropping down a speed rating (from W to V, or H to T). On all but the most extreme high-performance vehicles, it might be unnoticeable. But I would not recommend dropping down two speed ratings H to S). It's not about whether you're going 130 mph, it's how the car handles at or near its limits.

How well a tire handles rain, mud, snow is kind of unpredictable; best to just read reviews and pick from there. I'm partial to Bridgestones because they're great in rainy conditions.

[Avalanchez71]

I just had to buy a set of tires a few days ago.  I found some on Firestone's website 60% off sale.  I ended up with some Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval AS tires.

[Max Rockatansky]

Sometimes you get more vibration at highway speeds by dropping down a speed rating (from W to V, or H to T). On all but the most extreme high-performance vehicles, it might be unnoticeable. But I would not recommend dropping down two speed ratings H to S). It's not about whether you're going 130 mph, it's how the car handles at or near its limits.

How well a tire handles rain, mud, snow is kind of unpredictable; best to just read reviews and pick from there. I'm partial to Bridgestones because they're great in rainy conditions.

I've always preferred Tire Rack for those reviews.  Seems like you can at least read through everything to get a consensus on the tire in general...some posters are more detailed than others though.

[slorydn1]

Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3's on both of my Stangs, 99Y. It's like having your cake and eating it, too. I was going to bite the bullet and get summer only full on handling tires, the all season P-Zero Neros they came with sucked. But after reading numerous reviews and talking to friends that have those tires I went ahead and bough 2 sets, and I am glad that I did. It gets cold enough here that during the winter even on a dry day the cars would have zero grip with summer only tires, and I really don't get enough of the fluffy stuff to invest in Blizzaks to use in the winter only.

I sweated the drop from W to Y for a day or 2, then I realized that duh, not only are my cars governed to 148, but I never exceed 115 and only then at the end of the quarter mile right before slowing down again. If I ever get them tuned, and ship them to Germany, then I'll worry about the speed rating.

[Takumi]

My '91 Prelude has 86H tires on it. They're good tires, though (Falken ZE912s). I'm gear-limited to the low 120s anyway, and I don't think I've ever gone over 75 in it.

[Max Rockatansky]

Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3's on both of my Stangs, 99Y. It's like having your cake and eating it, too. I was going to bite the bullet and get summer only full on handling tires, the all season P-Zero Neros they came with sucked. But after reading numerous reviews and talking to friends that have those tires I went ahead and bough 2 sets, and I am glad that I did. It gets cold enough here that during the winter even on a dry day the cars would have zero grip with summer only tires, and I really don't get enough of the fluffy stuff to invest in Blizzaks to use in the winter only.

I sweated the drop from W to Y for a day or 2, then I realized that duh, not only are my cars governed to 148, but I never exceed 115 and only then at the end of the quarter mile right before slowing down again. If I ever get them tuned, and ship them to Germany, then I'll worry about the speed rating.

I have these Goodyear RS-As on my Challenger:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+RS-A&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=445YR0RSA&tab=Specs

Basically my R/T Scatpack Challenger came with an 99Y all-weather tire which definitely not what I want for maximum performance.  For some reason all four tires are 245s which doesn't really give me the rear footprint that I want.  Supposedly I'm winter coded but I would highly doubt from my experience with the car and tires that it would hold the road for very long...it has a hard enough time in the snow.  The treadwear is way too high at 440 so I know that I'm not getting too much rubber to the ground.  The torque basically overwhelms the rear tires completely even with a mild foot on the gas from a dead stop.    Surprisingly once I get the tires warmed up they do handle reasonably well on a curve or mountain grade but always made me feel like the rear end would snap loose if I pushed things too much....but then again I was on freshly paved Sitgreaves Pass last in it... 

Whenever I'm done with this set (which should be soon) I'll probably switch to something with a softer compound.  I had some real good history with P-Zeros in my 2011 Camaro but they definitely need to warm up first to get good grip.  The plus side for now is that it's super easy to do break the rear wheels loose for sustained burnouts and at least I can rotate the set so I can get my money's worth before they are shot.  But then again...I'm talking about a big ass huge Challenger with an iron block weighing the front clip down...gripper tires will only do so much.

[billtm]

The car got 80,000 miles on the Michelins before I finally replaced them. Both tires are A-rated for traction and temperature. I just checked the owner's manual in my car and Honda recommends 91V tires. But going from 91 to 92 shouldn't make a difference either, right?

All the 91 to 92 is going to give you is some extra weight load capacity, all it means is that it they are designed for a slightly heavier vehicle.  I think you'll be fine so long as you are getting another A traction rated tire with H speed.  I'm assuming this is an Accord or Civic?

Yep Accord, so far everything has been going fine.

[SteveG1988]

Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3's on both of my Stangs, 99Y. It's like having your cake and eating it, too. I was going to bite the bullet and get summer only full on handling tires, the all season P-Zero Neros they came with sucked. But after reading numerous reviews and talking to friends that have those tires I went ahead and bough 2 sets, and I am glad that I did. It gets cold enough here that during the winter even on a dry day the cars would have zero grip with summer only tires, and I really don't get enough of the fluffy stuff to invest in Blizzaks to use in the winter only.

I sweated the drop from W to Y for a day or 2, then I realized that duh, not only are my cars governed to 148, but I never exceed 115 and only then at the end of the quarter mile right before slowing down again. If I ever get them tuned, and ship them to Germany, then I'll worry about the speed rating.

I have these Goodyear RS-As on my Challenger:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+RS-A&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=445YR0RSA&tab=Specs

Basically my R/T Scatpack Challenger came with an 99Y all-weather tire which definitely not what I want for maximum performance.  For some reason all four tires are 245s which doesn't really give me the rear footprint that I want.  Supposedly I'm winter coded but I would highly doubt from my experience with the car and tires that it would hold the road for very long...it has a hard enough time in the snow.  The treadwear is way too high at 440 so I know that I'm not getting too much rubber to the ground.  The torque basically overwhelms the rear tires completely even with a mild foot on the gas from a dead stop.    Surprisingly once I get the tires warmed up they do handle reasonably well on a curve or mountain grade but always made me feel like the rear end would snap loose if I pushed things too much....but then again I was on freshly paved Sitgreaves Pass last in it... 

Whenever I'm done with this set (which should be soon) I'll probably switch to something with a softer compound.  I had some real good history with P-Zeros in my 2011 Camaro but they definitely need to warm up first to get good grip.  The plus side for now is that it's super easy to do break the rear wheels loose for sustained burnouts and at least I can rotate the set so I can get my money's worth before they are shot.  But then again...I'm talking about a big ass huge Challenger with an iron block weighing the front clip down...gripper tires will only do so much.

https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires/eagle-sport-all-season

Try these, my 3,800 Lb Thunderbird loves them. Great balance