What is the difference between w and v rated tires

Tires have information and ratings that assist the consumer in selecting the best-suited tires. The letters "H" and "V" represent speed ratings. Speed ratings originated in Germany in the early s to give consumers information on how fast they could safely use the tires on the autobahn.

V rating is the next step for speeds up to kph. Z, W and Y are ratings for speeds over kph. The rating is the speed the tire has been tested to for continuous safe driving. The English equivalent speed for H-rated tires is mph and V-rated tires are good for up to mph. There are two ways the speed rating will be indicated on the tire sidewall. The rating is molded on the tire sidewall , signified by a letter or two, usually after the load index number. Together, the load index and speed rating form the service description.

When tire speed ratings were first developed in Europe in the s, there were only three ratings: S, H and V. As tire technology developed and new speed classes were introduced, the ratings table expanded to include the full alphabet. But the letter H kept its original speed rating of mph, so it sits later in the chart.

Z-rated tires will sometimes have the letters ZR embedded with the tire size information instead of in the service description. Thank you for the information, my ML63 is needing new tyres and the recommended continentals with Y Speed rating are so expensive.

Sounds like you are looking for the least expensive option?!? I realize that tires are not cheap especially the Original Equipment OE Continentals but in the interest of performance, safety and ride quality I have two recommendations —. This means that they do well in 3 seasons. To me, this would be the best value tire! It is generally recommended that you stay with the manufacturer speed rating or if you really want to drop your speed rating you go more than 1-speed rating below manufacturer speed rating.

So, in case of a Z-rating you want to keep it or going down to v-rating would be acceptable. You may have some trade off in ride quality but it should affect the safety of the driver. My tire has a speed rating of H. But I can only find the tire with the H rating in a cheaper tire, not the better performance but lower speed rated tires. I am more than willing to spend the money for a good tire. What can I do? I can find no others.

I am not very interested in the Hankook. So, I completely understand your issue. This will be a 2. Let me know if this is helpful or if you have any other questions? Ok, This may be a bit long I apologize in advance in the spirit of crafting as specific a description as possible.

I have a Ford Thunderbird Anniversary Edition. I am in the market to replace at least two, possibly all four depending on what is best. So with the size thoroughly determined. Let me say that I live in South Florida, I know, far out of your service area, but you write so knowledgeably on the subject, I felt I needed to solicit your advice. But I will let my friends in your area know of your service. So, now we have also added into the mix the non-issue of snow. Wet, yes; freezing, no.

And also note, this is not a daily driver — not quite a garage queen either. I realize that this is a sports car, but not necessarily a high performance one, like a Boxter.

It will seldom if ever be over 90mph and not taking curves like Fittipaldi. I like good medium ride, not too stiff and not too soft and as quiet as possible the convertible makes things loud enough.

I realize that many tires are not USA Branded, and several non-US companies make tires here and vice verse, but you know what I mean, right? I tell ya, after going to a site like Sears for research and seeing specs on 84 tires in that size, it really boggle the minds.

I have tried to see what Speed Rating I need, what Temp. Thanks for the post. If you do decide to drop the speed rating by one to H that should work although there might be some subtle ride quality differences. You could also consider Bridgestone Turanza Serenity non-american tire ofcourse! This is a 45k mile tire that is considered very quiet.

One trade off is the tread life — its only a 30k mile tire and not to mention the price difference! Well, let me know if this information helps. If you need some recommendations in the series, I could try and offer some recommendations in that size as well.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You provided some great information for me. Being that some information has led several of us to believe that the series is what Ford originally had wanted and designed for the car. I have definitely been thinking of going this route. As noted above, I am not married to a US brand, but if the price point is similar as well as good specs, then why not.

But if there were a non US company with a vastly better product, by all means. I will also share this information with my club, if you have no objection. If you drop to the H-rated, now you have almost endless of choices and it may come down to your personal brand preference or price range.

You could consider the following Touring tires:. Is that size ok for my car? So far I like them but I find them a bit firm and they do flat spot a bit overnight despite it being summertime with warmer temperatures and I have not noticed this at all on low profile tires in summertime with the V or H rated tires on my BMW and Audi… Is it because of the W-rated version of the Serenity Plus with stiffer sidewalls?

I put pressure up a bit to help eliminate most of the flatspots vibration in the morning that lasts for 2 miles or so but I am curious after reading your great blog if I should go for a V or H rated tire for more softer ride without sacrificing too much handling as my standard tires were V-rated? Hi need to replace both rear tyres on my i bmw i managed to purchase a new bridgestone funflat on a 88y but noticed other new rear i purchased online is a 88w.

Am i right in thinking the speed rating will not be a issue? Pingback: Anonymous. Will the load rating, specifically going from a 98T to a 99T, have impact on the ride quality in general, or road noise in particular? Not really! It just means that your new tires will be able to carry a little bit more max weight. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account.

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Error: Please make sure the Twitter account is public. All About Tires by AutoSquad. Skip to content. So is it really just about how fast you can drive on the tires? Why should I be worried about installing the proper speed rating on my vehicle? Like this: Like Loading About unbiasply TireVan's leading lady - a wealth of information with an urge to educate.

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October 22, at pm. Hi, I recently purchased a mercedes e 4matic wagon and there is some tire noise that I am trying to solve. Did I understand you correctly, or will the Ws be fine? October 23, at am. Great, info, thanks. One more question. V-rated tires can be driven at MPH. Consult the tire manufacturer for maximum speed when there is no service description.

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