The most significant factor affecting your driving safety is your tires. The automobile won’t be able to stop, maneuver, or accelerate correctly without the right tires.
Sadly, tires are also costly, and choosing one may be challenging, given the wide range of grades, manufacturers, and dimensions available. Nevertheless, certain ratings are more significant than others, and you may decide how significant the H and V ratings are.
The answer is yes but bears in mind that H-rated tires are only effective at speeds up to 130 mph (210 km/h). On the other hand, H-rated tires are only certified for 149 mph (240 km/h); thus, as long as you maintain your driving speed around 130 mph, you may use them in place of V-rated tires without experiencing any problems.
How Tire Speed Rating Works
The ability of tires to disperse heat at high speeds, their capacity to withstand bulging and deformation, and the amount of traction they provide all contribute to their speed rating.
So, because of the first two criteria, it is exceedingly risky to drive any tire faster than it is designed to go since it might overheat, distort, and explode.
Having a tire blow out at above 100 mph, & in our case, 130 mph, is assured hospitalization and extremely probable death for you, your passengers, and other road users, regardless of which of the two causes failure.
Even yet, very few people drive their cars faster than 120 mph, and as long as you keep the tires below their maximum speed, you are entirely secure. It’s also important to note that factors like tire size, friction rating, load index, etc., have no bearing on the speed rating.
You must thus verify each of those criteria independently. The remaining tire speed ratings are shown below; if you are convinced you won’t drive your vehicle faster than 130 mph, you may even get away with a speed rating lower than H.
How to Verify the Speed Rating of Your Tires
The speed rating is located on the tire’s sidewall, along with all other tire specifications and the date of manufacture. The speed rating will be near the tire size, for instance, 195/55-R15. After noticing the measurements, turn anticlockwise until you come across a two-digit number and a letter.
“91 V,” for instance. In this case, 91 is the load index, and V is the speed rating. To determine the letters you need, use the accompanying chart. Also, the tire load index ranges from 1 to 150, so anticipate any figure next to the speed rating, although if you drive a vehicle, the load index will most likely be between 80 and 100.
When to Switch from V-Rated to H-Rated Tires
Once again, unless you are certain you won’t drive your automobile faster than 130 mph, consider selecting H-rated tires over V-rated ones. But, if you are used to traveling at high speeds, at the very least, steer clear of purchasing H-rated summer tires since you are more likely to do so on dry roads.
Also, the onboard computer in most current automobiles has a programmable speed limit, so it’s a good idea to set a limit of 130 mph or, at the very least, a warning chime, just in case. See your owner’s handbook to find out whether your automobile has that feature and how to set it up.
Additional Tire Parameters to Have in Mind
Below, we’ll discuss several more ratings that are comparable to the speed rating and are often disregarded. i.e., we won’t discuss the obvious tire size and season (winter or summer). Nonetheless, they are equally crucial, and this page has further information on tire dimensions.
Index of Tire Load
The tire load index indicates the maximum weight a single tire can support. Contrary to the speed rating, replacing your tires with ones with a lower load index than necessary is never safe. That’s because, regardless of your driving speed or anything else, the tires will always carry an excessive load and might blow at any time.
Some individuals may also consult the tire load tables and determine the load index they need depending on the weight of their vehicle. But it’s also risky since you don’t account for the weight distribution between the front and rear axles in that calculation.
Also, when you drive, the car’s weight continually moves from front to rear and side to side, which adds to the burden on the tires. Thus, always refer to the owner’s handbook and use the tire load index that the manufacturer suggests. The tire load index chart is also available here.
Rating for Tire Treadwear
While automakers do not advise treadwear ratings, and you can’t go wrong with some of them, it is nevertheless a factor to consider. The range of treadwear ratings is from 100 to 1,000, and although we cannot estimate how many miles are represented by each rating, we can tell that a 1,000 rating lasts twice as long as a 500 rating. However, be aware that tires with higher treadwear ratings also have lower grip ratings and are less cozy. Choosing tires with a longer lifespan doesn’t harm as long as they also fulfill other requirements (such as speed and load index).
Rating for Tire Traction
The tire’s traction rating indicates how much lateral g force can withstand before beginning to slide. As a result, a vehicle with a higher traction rating will have better braking, handling, and acceleration, all of which increase safety.
The current traction ratings are C, B, A, and AA, with AA having the highest grip and C having the least. Nevertheless, all you need to know is that 77% of tires sold in the US have the A grade rather than creating a chart with all the traction ratings and how much g force each rating correlates to. According to tireangent.com, that is. So, to be safe, stay away from tires with a C or B grade. Moreover, you can see the tire traction rating chart here if you’re interested.
What Does the Tire Code 91W Mean?
The label 91W indicates the load index and maximum speed of the tire. In this instance, 91 indicates that the single tire can go at a maximum speed of 168 mph while towing up to 1,356 pounds.
How Do You Interpret 225 45r17 94W?
The 225 45R17 designation denotes that the tire is 225 millimeters wide and is tall by 45%, or 101.25 millimeters. The “R” stands for radial construction and denotes that the tire has an inner diameter of 17 inches (for a 17-inch wheel). Last but not least, the 94 indicates that a single tire can go at a maximum speed of 168 mph while towing up to 1,477 pounds.
What Speed Rating Suits Tires the Best?
The optimal tire speed rating is ZR and (Y). When properly inflated, tires with a ZR speed rating can travel at over 150 mph (240 km/h), whereas tires with a (Y) rating can go over 186 mph (300 km/h). In essence, none of these two grades has a predetermined speed restriction.
Do Tires Influence Speed?
Tires do affect speed, yes. To begin with, if you want to drive safely at high speeds, you must have decent tires. Also, having excellent tires will increase braking performance, resulting in a quicker lap time and accelerating and turning speeds. And just as excellent tires enhance all facets of performance, weight reduction does the same.
Are Thinner Tires More Rapid?
In a technical sense, thinner tires move quicker since the engine has an easier time developing high speeds due to the lower rolling resistance of the tires. Thinner tires, on the other hand, have less grip, which results in worse acceleration, handling, and braking, slowing down your automobile in everything except peak speed.
Are wider tires faster to stop?
Wider tires do stop more quickly. The front wheels of most automobiles might lock up when the brakes are used, which indicates that the tires are being overpowered. So, the only ways to increase braking performance are to install better, wider tires or lose weight.
Does Top Speed Depend on Tire Size?
The maximum speed is affected by tire size, yes. If you fit larger wheels and tires, your car’s top speed will rise slightly. Even so, the acceleration will be somewhat worse.
Are Hard or Soft Tires More Durable?
The most significant determinant of how fast a tire wears down is the tire compound, with hard tires lasting longer than soft tires. A softer tire will have greater traction, but that added traction will also cause it to wear out more quickly. Moreover, softer tires will use more gasoline, making the automobile considerably safer.
Conclusion
In the end, you are free to use whichever tire speed rating you choose as long as you don’t go above the tire’s top speed limit, which for H-rated tires is 130 mph instead of 149 mph V-rated tires. Of course, you are the one who should decide if you are responsible enough to maintain a speed limit of less than 130 mph; if not, don’t do it since the tire will overheat and blow out.
Pay attention to the tire load index as well since if you get it incorrect, the vehicle will be dangerous to drive at any speed or in any weather. Lastly, click on the links we provided to see detailed charts for the tire load index and speed rating.
