Needing new tires on my wifes 2008 Rav4. Calls for 225/65r17 load rating 101 and speed rated at H. Is the speed rating that important on this vehicle? It seems to limit the brand of tire and Michelin does not even make a tire in this size and speed rating. The vehicle came with Yokahamas but I am looking at others hoping for longer life than the factories. Hope theres a knowledgable tire man out there.Thanks
Tire speed ratings- How important
- Thread starter bruckus
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JHZR2
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Speed rating isnt important for the speed youre driving at, but it dictates the stiffness of the sidewall, which effects handling characteristics. So it is important, and Id go with the right rating.
Unless you are driving in Germany I would not worry about it. I deal with tires all the time and have never seen a tire failure due to speed rating.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35
The speed rating basically tells you what speed the tire is capable of (speeds of above 112mph) so basically unless you drive on the autobhan you don't have to worry about it.
We had a similar issue with our RX330, until Bridgestone made a tire to fit it. Check out the Bridgestone H/L Alenza as a replacement. It is an excellent tire, comes in the H speed rating and has a treadwear warranty of 65,000 miles.
Speed ratings are pretty useless to me. My jeep rarely gets over 65mph.
Had a kid try to sell me some super fast speed rated tires for my jeep once.
Had a kid try to sell me some super fast speed rated tires for my jeep once.
you will find that non "H" rated tires will last longer. and unless you are running your truk on a slalom course, you really dont need "H" rated tires. BTW - while the "H" rating generally indicates a stiffer sidewall, that is not always the case. I had H rated Goodyears as OEM and they handled great. the H rated Falkens were all over the place. I replaced them with non-H rated Humhos and the car handles better and more sure-footedly. I also replaced the H-rated factory tires on my altima at 30k (completely worn out) and went non-H rated. I would not put H's on it if I were you.
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
Very interesting. Really make you want H-rated tries or better.
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
Very interesting. Really make you want H-rated tries or better.
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
Hence my reason for going with t or H rated tires for my car....
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
Hence my reason for going with t or H rated tires for my car....
Excellent point made and I will keep that in mind when shopping for tires. Sadly, in the size my car is SUPPOSED to have (225/70R14) there is nothing above S. In the next size down (215/70R14) I have more choices in S, a couple T's, but nothing H or better.
Someone chastized me in another thread about wanting to switch to 16" CVPI wheels and tires. There are 49 tires on TireRack alone that are rated H or better in 225/60R16. This DEFINITELY explains why I want to do this and gives me more backing to my decision.
Sadly, the Kumho eco-Solus KR22's I wanted are off the list. 800 treadwear and A/A traction/temp. But only T speed rated. $85 tire and except for the speed rating it has everything I want. Kumho Ectsa LX Platinums have Z speed, A/A, but only 600 treadwear, and are priced at $84.
I'll have to do more research on the KR22's. For the same price as the Ectsa I can get a lot more treadwear. But Lexus LS owners (another heavy large car like my Torino) seem to like these on their cars.
Someone chastized me in another thread about wanting to switch to 16" CVPI wheels and tires. There are 49 tires on TireRack alone that are rated H or better in 225/60R16. This DEFINITELY explains why I want to do this and gives me more backing to my decision.
Sadly, the Kumho eco-Solus KR22's I wanted are off the list. 800 treadwear and A/A traction/temp. But only T speed rated. $85 tire and except for the speed rating it has everything I want. Kumho Ectsa LX Platinums have Z speed, A/A, but only 600 treadwear, and are priced at $84.
I'll have to do more research on the KR22's. For the same price as the Ectsa I can get a lot more treadwear. But Lexus LS owners (another heavy large car like my Torino) seem to like these on their cars.
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