Tires - H Rated vs. T Rated

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reemoe2

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Hello, I am looking to replace my 6 1/2 year-old tires on my Saturn. I currently have BF Goodrich Traction T/A 88H on them. I have had great luck with BFG in the past, and will likely remain loyal to the brand.

I am deciding between the BFG Advantage T/A and BFG Touring T/A. Both are readily available in 88H and 88T.

How do the H and T compare? It appears the T gets better treadlife. How about in terms of rolling resistance (i.e., fuel economy)?

Thanks in advance!
Ryan
 
I would stay away from BF Advantage..a very hard riding and noisy tire...got rid of mine after 5000 miles.
 
I have used several BFG Touring T/A tires on a couple of my cars, I had no problems with them.

The H rated tire is rated for higher speed. As such, it will handle better also. If your car specifies a H rated tire, most dealers will not install a less rated tire.

T rated is for 112 mph, while H rated is for 130 mph.
 
Originally Posted By: reemoe2
Hello, I am looking to replace my 6 1/2 year-old tires on my Saturn. I currently have BF Goodrich Traction T/A 88H on them. I have had great luck with BFG in the past, and will likely remain loyal to the brand.

I am deciding between the BFG Advantage T/A and BFG Touring T/A. Both are readily available in 88H and 88T.

How do the H and T compare? It appears the T gets better treadlife. How about in terms of rolling resistance (i.e., fuel economy)?


Thanks in advance!
Ryan


Although the T/A line of tires has done well for BFG, make sure that you do some research and shopping around for newer tires that have eclipsed the BFGoodrich T/A's in the rankings, customer reviews and pricing.
 
Treadlife has nothing to do with T and H, because they are speed rating symbols.
T- the tire is warranted up to speeds of 180Kph
H-the tire is warranted for speeds up to 210Kph
 
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The Tirerack will let you select tires with "LRR" if you plug in the tire size. Such tires DO make a difference. They can be more expensive initially but the price can be recouped in the long run.
I talked my sister in-law into buying such tires for her vehicle and her fuel mileage did go up a tad and she's happy.
 
First, what size tire?

Second, what are the ratings for the two BFG tires? Traction, temp, and treadwear?

Third, what is the price of the tires?

I just put two H rated Generals on my SL2, but they were 205/60R15's, not the OEM 185/65R15's...

Walmart has a rebate on the Generals...
 
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T-rated tires seem to last longer than H-rated tires. It would depend on how many miles you drive in a 5-6yr. period. If you drive less miles, get the softer compound H-rated tires. IMO, the T-rated tires ride harder, so another consideration is the type of car. A smaller car or sporty car, an H+ tire. Having said all that, on the wife's 05'Focus, put on Cooper CS4 T-rated tires. Car drives great but I've noticed a harder ride and handling is not as sure footed as the General HP's that were previously on the car. On the next go around, will be getting H or above-rated tires on the Ford and the other small cars we have in the stable.
 
Higher speed rated tires will have softer rubber (better handling and traction) which will wear faster. Harder rubber will generally get better mileage, although higher speed rated tires may also have stiffer sidewalls which get better mileage.
 
Originally Posted By: sparky123
T-rated tires seem to last longer than H-rated tires. It would depend on how many miles you drive in a 5-6yr.


The CS4 T-rated tire has a 80k warranty. With the H-rated version, the CS4 has a 60k warranty.
 
Unless the OP has an SC2 and/or drives very aggressively, an H-rated tire is wasted on a Saturn S-series. Trust me, I drive one.

Can we get more info on the car, climate and driving style?
 
My Accord came with H-rated tires from the factory. I could not find a tire store that would sell me a T-rated tire. What did your Saturn come with?

If you find a company that will sell you a "lower" speed rated tire than what came on the car let me know.
 
Originally Posted By: faramir9
Unless the OP has an SC2 and/or drives very aggressively, an H-rated tire is wasted on a Saturn S-series. Trust me, I drive one.

Can we get more info on the car, climate and driving style?


+1
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: faramir9
Unless the OP has an SC2 and/or drives very aggressively, an H-rated tire is wasted on a Saturn S-series.

In general, any H-rated tire is built better/safer than a T-rated one, so I would not call it a waste.

http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html

There are safe, well-made T-rated tires. It's not quite as simple as saying that in general H rated tires are "safer."

Member Capri Racer (the author of that site) added some additional statements in a thread here. He recommends H rated tires. But he clarified by saying he's actually recommending tires with a cap ply, not necessarily tires that have an H rating. Since all H tires basically have cap plies, he simplified his recommendation to H rated or above.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2774714
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer

S and T rated tires may or may not have cap plies - but the presence of a cap ply is sometimes needed in order to pass lower speed rated tests - particularly for larger tire sizes. (I'm not talking rim diameter, here.)

Some tire manufacturers will put cap plies on S and T rated - even in small tire sizes. Good for them.

Because I want to make a simple to remember recommendation, I use the shortcut to H speed rating, but the truth is that a cap ply is what I am driving at.

Weight? Cap plies hardly weigh anything, so you can't go by that.

If you want to know if a particular tire has a cap ply - ask the manufacturer!! It's required by law on the sidewall of the tire so it's no secret.


There are well made, safe tires that don't have H ratings. My T rated Hankook H727 have a cap ply, for example.

Without turning this into another dumb speed rating argument, I'll only say some speed ratings on OE tires are B-S. My Sonata came with V rated tires from the factory, which it does not need. The manual doesn't say V rated replacement tires are required. I was ready to argue with a the shop that installed my Hankooks, but they did it without issues.
 
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
There are well made, safe tires that don't have H ratings. My T rated Hankook H727 have a cap ply, for example.

No doubt.

Do the T-rated versions of the specific tires that OP is considering have cap plies?
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: faramir9
Unless the OP has an SC2 and/or drives very aggressively, an H-rated tire is wasted on a Saturn S-series.

In general, any H-rated tire is built better/safer than a T-rated one, so I would not call it a waste.

http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html


Not arguing with you and certainly not with Barry---but it depends on application, driving style, climate, etc. Also lots of T-rated tires these days have a cap ply: the main reason Barry recommends H at minimum, as I understand it.

I drive a 100-h.p. 13-year-old Saturn SL1 automatic in northern PA. Most of the time I drive it like grandma, for fuel economy and longevity. It's never seen 80, rarely 75 and most highway cruising at 60-65. In town it's the egg under the gas pedal deal. I've yet to pass anyone on a two-lane highway. Etc.

When my ship comes in I might splurge on a late-model WRX and make up for lost time, so to speak. For now, I am content driving conservatively and very happy with the T-rated H727 tires I bought for about $210, OTD including install, after rebates last fall.

For me in my current situation, a more expensive H-rated tire would be wasted money. (Possibly excepting Nokian WR G2/G3, but that's a _lot_ more money)

The OP said he has a Saturn. That usually means S-series, if no model is specified. Unless he has an SC-2, which specs an H-rated tire, or unless he is a very aggressive driver, I suggest getting a quality T-rated tire on sale, as I did, and save the money toward that dream WRX....or a retirement fund, or whatever.

More info would help.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
There are well made, safe tires that don't have H ratings. My T rated Hankook H727 have a cap ply, for example.

No doubt.

Do the T-rated versions of the specific tires that OP is considering have cap plies?


Good question, and frankly, I have no idea.

I don't know if the tire websites have that info. I'd guess if the OP emailed the company he could find out.
 
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