tyre speed rating

tdolman · Unread post by **tdolman** » 23 Feb 2008, 16:40

Anyone know what speed rating the tyres on my xantia estate should be? Mitchilins website states that the std homologated tyre is T rated (118 mph) ts website reckons they should be H rated (130mph) the ones currently fitted are H

I'm looking at putting 4 mitchelin energy tyres on and the price difference between the speed ratings is £13 per tyre !

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 23 Feb 2008, 16:45

Depends what engine it is, i have some V rated and H on my car but it would never do 130mph, runs out of revs before then. I'm sure it says on a sticker on the drivers side pillar what the original tyres spec/pressure should be.

tdolman · Unread post by **tdolman** » 23 Feb 2008, 16:46

yea sorry its a 1.9 TD the sticker on the pillar gives the sizes and presures but not the speed rating

Stempy · Unread post by **Stempy** » 23 Feb 2008, 16:55

I think the speed rating has to be the one immediately higher than the top speed of the car, so if your car has a top speed of 118mph then you would need tyres rated at 130mph but if the top speed is 110mph then the 118mph rating is fine. The handbook usually states the tyre rating and also the top speed of your model.

MikeT · Unread post by **MikeT** » 23 Feb 2008, 17:47

It is not necessary to use high speed rated tyres unless you either use the car on a private track or like to break the speed limit.

IMO, it's a false economy to buy tyres rated for, say, 130mph if you'll only ever drive at 70mph maximum.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 23 Feb 2008, 18:23

Mike, I think C and U regs might have something to say about this. Even if you only ever do 70MPH, if the car is capable, as manufactured, of exceeding this speed then tyres of an appropriate speed rating must be fitted.

Unread post by **elma** » 23 Feb 2008, 18:58

Off the top of my head Xantia 1.9tdcomes with 87H
Personally I think they are too thin skinned and puncture a lot so I use 87V.
In my opinion you will save more than £13 per tyre in puncture repairs if you go for over rated tyres.
The over rated tyres feel better under cornering load as well because they have thicker walls.

MikeT · Unread post by **MikeT** » 23 Feb 2008, 19:05

citrojim wrote:Mike, I think C and U regs might have something to say about this.

All I know is..... "The current UK tyre law requires that your vehicle is fitted with the correct type and size of tyres for your car. That means you must ensure the right tyres are fitted, and for safety making sure that they are inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pressure.

The legal limit for minimum depth of the tread on your tyres is 1.6 millimetres, across the central of the tread going around the complete circumference of the tyre."

and....

"For MOT requirements in this country, it is not necessary to fit a tyre with a speed rating to match the original vehicle fitment or the maximum speed of the vehicle. Tyres must be suitable for the purpose for which the vehicle will be used."

EDIT: I just found the pertinent regulation...

"Tyre Loads and Speed Ratings covered by Regulation #25

All tyres must have a service description which describes its speed rating and load index.

It must be ensured that the tyres fitted to a vehicle are capable of operating to the loads and speeds that that vehicle will be subjecting the tyres to. The driver of a vehicle should check to see that the tyres are capable of carrying the loads and dealing with the speeds that the vehicle will be doing. If the tyres are found to be unsuitable, then the driver is responsible."

Just as I thought, tyre shops make more money selling us tyres we don't need.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 23 Feb 2008, 19:16

MikeT wrote:and....

"For MOT requirements in this country, it is not necessary to fit a tyre with a speed rating to match the original vehicle fitment or the maximum speed of the vehicle. Tyres must be suitable for the purpose for which the vehicle will be used."

EDIT: I just found the pertinent regulation...

That is absolutely remarkable!

I'll get my coat and stand in a corner for the rest of the evening Mike

MikeT · Unread post by **MikeT** » 23 Feb 2008, 19:54

It was a "trade-secret" revealed to me only last year. As the lowest speed rating is 118MPH, that's more than enough for UK roads. Though elma provides some valid insight into the comfort difference and puntcure-resistance of "faster" tyres.

Stempy · Unread post by **Stempy** » 23 Feb 2008, 20:04

But what about insurance? If you were unfortunate enough to have a prang could they use the fitting of lower rated tyres than standard to refuse a claim?

MikeT · Unread post by **MikeT** » 23 Feb 2008, 20:52

Stempy wrote:But what about insurance? If you were unfortunate enough to have a prang could they use the fitting of lower rated tyres than standard to refuse a claim?

I would say no, not at all. (Unless you had said prang at a speed above the rating, I would say that is not grounds to refute a claim, but I'm no lawyer). But I wouldn't put it past them to try!

I had a motorcycle theft claim initially refused because I answered "NO" to the question;- "was the steering locked?". I should have sued them for slander as they considered me "negligent", even though there was no steering lock fitted to the bike!

(I had to find a relevant photo and have it enlarged to prove the lock didn't exist, before they paid out)

As it happens, I recently read a motorcycle article warning that fitting any tyre that is not "standard" may invalidate the insurance under the category of "non-disclosed modifications".

Not sure what standard they're going by but I can't see it being the speed-rating. Again, I could be wrong.

Unread post by **elma** » 23 Feb 2008, 23:03

Normally if you are over 25 you are allowed to change the tyres and the wheels, but this varies from policy to policy.

If under 25 then it isn't normally allowed to change tyre spec or wheels unless you have special permission and you normally pay a special extra charge for this benefit.

THELABMAN · Unread post by **THELABMAN** » 24 Feb 2008, 20:16

I had this quandry many many years ago when I was driving an old mark 1 Granada 3litre automatic.

At the time we had just got married and money was tight and I was having 2 remoulds fitted, in those days they didn't come in various speed ratings.

To keep my self safe I called into Motherwell police station and asked to talk to a traffic police officer, as they are based there, after exlplaining my predicament to him the advice I was given is that as long as you fit the recomended size of tyre the speed rating was immaterial as long as you didn't exceed the speed of the lowest rated tyre on the car.

I know laws etc have changed over the years and you have all this talk of insurance companies etc but as long as you stick to the speed rating of your tyre you should be fine.

I had a 1.9TD Sensation which should be fitted with 185/65/15 T rated tyres and yet everyone and there brother in-law tried to flog me H rated tyres, in the end I went for the H as I got them cheaper than I could find T rated tyres at the time.