I'm looking at both of these at our Sam's Club for my wife's RAV4. Both get good reviews on Tirerack and have long mileage guarantees. All said and done, the Michelins installed are about $35 more than the Goodyears and they are 90,000 mile tires versus 80,000 for the Assurances. So I'd like to go with the Michelin, but they are the Defender XT for box stores rather than the standard Defender. So, is there a big difference between the XT and standard Defender, and what are your experiences with these tires? Would you take the XT's over the Goodyears? Thanks.
Goodyear [censored]. Comfortred Tour vs Michelin Defender
- Thread starter JMHC
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For a difference of $35.00, I'd take the Michelins.
Search the threads in this forum for Goodyears and Michelins.
Michelins seem to be the better performing tires from new to the wear bars. They usually balance with little weight, or at least mine always have and they remain balanced over the life of the tire.
They don't get noisy or hard riding as they age and they do wear well, with good rain grip down to around 4/32nds, in my experience.
The only set of Michelins we have at the moment are a set of Primacys on our '99 Accord.
These were installed in 2009 @ 115K.
At ~168K, they still have ample tread and remain quiet and balanced.
No cracking and no distortion of the tread or sidewalls.
Search the threads in this forum for Goodyears and Michelins.
Michelins seem to be the better performing tires from new to the wear bars. They usually balance with little weight, or at least mine always have and they remain balanced over the life of the tire.
They don't get noisy or hard riding as they age and they do wear well, with good rain grip down to around 4/32nds, in my experience.
The only set of Michelins we have at the moment are a set of Primacys on our '99 Accord.
These were installed in 2009 @ 115K.
At ~168K, they still have ample tread and remain quiet and balanced.
No cracking and no distortion of the tread or sidewalls.
I dig the defenders. Got them on the CRV.
Umm, what is the name of the Goodyear product in the thread title?
It says "Goodyear censored"
It says "Goodyear censored"
Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs
Umm, what is the name of the Goodyear product in the thread title?
It says "Goodyear censored"
Goodyear Assurance ComforTred ???
Umm, what is the name of the Goodyear product in the thread title?
It says "Goodyear censored"
Goodyear Assurance ComforTred ???
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs
Umm, what is the name of the Goodyear product in the thread title?
It says "Goodyear censored"
Goodyear Assurance ComforTred ???
I believe OP shorten Assurance in the title to "Goodyear As_. ComforTred" to fit the space and was marked censored for obvious reason.
Back on topic, the Defender XT was design for Wholesale Clubs. The standard Defender and Defender XT have the same specs. The only different is that the XT has an symmetrical tread pattern while that standard Defender has a mild asymmetrical tire. Both are non-differential tires. I have the standard Defender on my Camry, great ride and low noise. Stable on the highway and in the rain but a little soft on the corner. Of course they aren't high performance tires. For $35 more, go with the XT. BTW, is that with the $70 rebate?
Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs
Umm, what is the name of the Goodyear product in the thread title?
It says "Goodyear censored"
Goodyear Assurance ComforTred ???
I believe OP shorten Assurance in the title to "Goodyear As_. ComforTred" to fit the space and was marked censored for obvious reason.
Back on topic, the Defender XT was design for Wholesale Clubs. The standard Defender and Defender XT have the same specs. The only different is that the XT has an symmetrical tread pattern while that standard Defender has a mild asymmetrical tire. Both are non-differential tires. I have the standard Defender on my Camry, great ride and low noise. Stable on the highway and in the rain but a little soft on the corner. Of course they aren't high performance tires. For $35 more, go with the XT. BTW, is that with the $70 rebate?
Friend's 2008 CRV has had two sets of the Assurance ComforTred Touring. Great tires that have held up for 60k+ in highway use. Very comparable to the Primacy MXV4, which is grade above the Michelin Defender in traction, NVH and handling. My personal test drive of the car confirms this. In addition, the GY ComforTred Touring comes in the proper speed rating for this application - H.
The Defender will probably give you slightly better fuel economy due to the LRR design, but will ride harsher and deliver reduced wet traction. This TireRack test confirms this.
IMO, a crossover/small SUV should have a proper crossover-type tire, not a passenger car tire. For the $150-$160/tire that you are looking to spend, you may be better off with the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season.
The Defender will probably give you slightly better fuel economy due to the LRR design, but will ride harsher and deliver reduced wet traction. This TireRack test confirms this.
IMO, a crossover/small SUV should have a proper crossover-type tire, not a passenger car tire. For the $150-$160/tire that you are looking to spend, you may be better off with the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season.
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs
Umm, what is the name of the Goodyear product in the thread title?
It says "Goodyear censored"
Goodyear Assurance ComforTred ???
So I shortened Goodyear Assurance Comfortred Touring to Assur and apparently the site thought that was too dirty. The subject line has a character limit.
You can't get the $70 rebate at the discount stores, but believe me, even with the rebate there is no other place around here that can match the price that includes roadhazard like Sam's Club.
The RAV came with H rated tires, but according to Tirerack, anything S and above is fine. This thing is no speed demon and 100 would be a challenge. That would be the only thing, if Sam's will install the T rated Defender. If not, I'm stuck going with the Goodyears which seem good. I'm probably splitting hairs between the 2, but I'm skeptical with Goodyears. All of the Goodyears I've had got noisy when they were half worn and wet performance went as well. We get snow here so I need a tire with good wet and snow performance, but she put s a lot of miles on the car so I want a long wearing tire too. Tough decision...
Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs
Umm, what is the name of the Goodyear product in the thread title?
It says "Goodyear censored"
Goodyear Assurance ComforTred ???
So I shortened Goodyear Assurance Comfortred Touring to Assur and apparently the site thought that was too dirty. The subject line has a character limit.
You can't get the $70 rebate at the discount stores, but believe me, even with the rebate there is no other place around here that can match the price that includes roadhazard like Sam's Club.
The RAV came with H rated tires, but according to Tirerack, anything S and above is fine. This thing is no speed demon and 100 would be a challenge. That would be the only thing, if Sam's will install the T rated Defender. If not, I'm stuck going with the Goodyears which seem good. I'm probably splitting hairs between the 2, but I'm skeptical with Goodyears. All of the Goodyears I've had got noisy when they were half worn and wet performance went as well. We get snow here so I need a tire with good wet and snow performance, but she put s a lot of miles on the car so I want a long wearing tire too. Tough decision...
Originally Posted By: JMHC
So I shortened Goodyear Assurance Comfortred Touring to Assur and apparently the site thought that was too dirty. The subject line has a character limit.
You can't get the $70 rebate at the discount stores, but believe me, even with the rebate there is no other place around here that can match the price that includes roadhazard like Sam's Club.
The RAV came with H rated tires, but according to Tirerack, anything S and above is fine. This thing is no speed demon and 100 would be a challenge. That would be the only thing, if Sam's will install the T rated Defender. If not, I'm stuck going with the Goodyears which seem good. I'm probably splitting hairs between the 2, but I'm skeptical with Goodyears. All of the Goodyears I've had got noisy when they were half worn and wet performance went as well. We get snow here so I need a tire with good wet and snow performance, but she put s a lot of miles on the car so I want a long wearing tire too. Tough decision...
You shouldn't have problem with Sam's club installing one rating lower but it has been years since I got tires from Sam's. Road hazard required me to stay as a club member during the life of the tire. If I ever come back with a nail, I have to show my card. But I guess you knew that already.
Just to throw it out there, Discount Tire will have a $70 rebate on Michelin next week.
So I shortened Goodyear Assurance Comfortred Touring to Assur and apparently the site thought that was too dirty. The subject line has a character limit.
You can't get the $70 rebate at the discount stores, but believe me, even with the rebate there is no other place around here that can match the price that includes roadhazard like Sam's Club.
The RAV came with H rated tires, but according to Tirerack, anything S and above is fine. This thing is no speed demon and 100 would be a challenge. That would be the only thing, if Sam's will install the T rated Defender. If not, I'm stuck going with the Goodyears which seem good. I'm probably splitting hairs between the 2, but I'm skeptical with Goodyears. All of the Goodyears I've had got noisy when they were half worn and wet performance went as well. We get snow here so I need a tire with good wet and snow performance, but she put s a lot of miles on the car so I want a long wearing tire too. Tough decision...
You shouldn't have problem with Sam's club installing one rating lower but it has been years since I got tires from Sam's. Road hazard required me to stay as a club member during the life of the tire. If I ever come back with a nail, I have to show my card. But I guess you knew that already.
Just to throw it out there, Discount Tire will have a $70 rebate on Michelin next week.
Quote:
The RAV came with H rated tires, but according to Tirerack, anything S and above is fine.
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
To get a tire to pass an H speed rating almost requires the tire to have an overlay - commonly called a "cap ply" and nylon is a commonly used material.
This overlay restricts the growth of the tire due to centrifugal forces as well as the movement caused by the standing wave. Not only does this result in reduced stresses in the tire, it also reduces heat generation.
The RAV came with H rated tires, but according to Tirerack, anything S and above is fine.
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
To get a tire to pass an H speed rating almost requires the tire to have an overlay - commonly called a "cap ply" and nylon is a commonly used material.
This overlay restricts the growth of the tire due to centrifugal forces as well as the movement caused by the standing wave. Not only does this result in reduced stresses in the tire, it also reduces heat generation.
I'm running the GY ACT's on my ES300, and I love them as of them. My luck hasn't always been good with GY's, so I don't want to jinx myself here but these tires are pretty awesome! They ride great, are very quiet and have good light snow traction.
Originally Posted By: Ken2
Quote:
The RAV came with H rated tires, but according to Tirerack, anything S and above is fine.
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
To get a tire to pass an H speed rating almost requires the tire to have an overlay - commonly called a "cap ply" and nylon is a commonly used material.
This overlay restricts the growth of the tire due to centrifugal forces as well as the movement caused by the standing wave. Not only does this result in reduced stresses in the tire, it also reduces heat generation.
I appreciate the lesson on how H rated tires are constructed, however, just because this car came with H rated it does not need them. The top speed is about 112, and it'll never see 100, so T rated is more than sufficient, assuming your point is that I need to get the Goodyears because of the H rating.
So it seems both tires get excellent reviews. I have been hearing more and more that Michelns do balance the best and offer the smoothest ride, and my main concern is snow traction. I would assume 90,000 mile tires are a bit hard and not great in snow, but The Goodyears seem to get good snow traction numbers. Either way, these 2 seem so close it's a tossup.
Quote:
The RAV came with H rated tires, but according to Tirerack, anything S and above is fine.
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
To get a tire to pass an H speed rating almost requires the tire to have an overlay - commonly called a "cap ply" and nylon is a commonly used material.
This overlay restricts the growth of the tire due to centrifugal forces as well as the movement caused by the standing wave. Not only does this result in reduced stresses in the tire, it also reduces heat generation.
I appreciate the lesson on how H rated tires are constructed, however, just because this car came with H rated it does not need them. The top speed is about 112, and it'll never see 100, so T rated is more than sufficient, assuming your point is that I need to get the Goodyears because of the H rating.
So it seems both tires get excellent reviews. I have been hearing more and more that Michelns do balance the best and offer the smoothest ride, and my main concern is snow traction. I would assume 90,000 mile tires are a bit hard and not great in snow, but The Goodyears seem to get good snow traction numbers. Either way, these 2 seem so close it's a tossup.
I think it's important to note that every single tire installed by Toyota at the factory, whether it's a 215/70R16 on a base model FWD, a 225/65R17 on a mid-line model, or a 235/55R18 on a Sport model, is an H-rated tire. Toyota must feel strongly enough that H-rated tires add value to the vehicle (likely in the area of safety) to make that a requirement. More on speed ratings here:
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
Note that Michelin will not warrant the tread life of a tire if it doesn't meet the original equipment requirements. That is, if you install a tire that is smaller or larger or doesn't bear the required speed rating, they will not pro-rate the tire based on wear-out. If you suspect that you will want to take advantage of the tread life warranty, you may want to consider this.
Page 2 of Michelin's Promise Plan describes "mis-application" as a warranty exclusion. This may not be something you're concerned with, but it is something to keep in mind.
There may also be a liability issue if you install tires with a lower speed rating than required. I suspect that Sam's Club will not do it; most tire shops will not. And for good reason. The speed rating has less to do with a vehicle's top speed and more to do with how a tire is constructed. If you get into a personal injury accident and the prosecution has a slick attorney, they could point to under-spec'd tires as a contributor to the accident. It's probably not likely, but it's a risk I personally wouldn't take. Again, you may or may not be concerned about it, but it is something to keep in mind.
I'm a Sam's Club member myself, and also typically buy Michelin tires. As you have found, they are very often the best deal out there, and sometimes by a wide margin. However, I would not recommend the Defender XT for your RAV4 because of the insufficient speed rating. I would use the Goodyear tire myself, because it is itself a very good tire, and it does come in the speed rating required by Toyota.
(Tire Rack's database may list S-rated tires as acceptable, but Tire Rack won't be your defense attorney in court. I personally use their database as tire information reference only, and not necessarily as a hard-and-fast no/no-go gauge on tire applicability.)
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
Note that Michelin will not warrant the tread life of a tire if it doesn't meet the original equipment requirements. That is, if you install a tire that is smaller or larger or doesn't bear the required speed rating, they will not pro-rate the tire based on wear-out. If you suspect that you will want to take advantage of the tread life warranty, you may want to consider this.
Page 2 of Michelin's Promise Plan describes "mis-application" as a warranty exclusion. This may not be something you're concerned with, but it is something to keep in mind.
There may also be a liability issue if you install tires with a lower speed rating than required. I suspect that Sam's Club will not do it; most tire shops will not. And for good reason. The speed rating has less to do with a vehicle's top speed and more to do with how a tire is constructed. If you get into a personal injury accident and the prosecution has a slick attorney, they could point to under-spec'd tires as a contributor to the accident. It's probably not likely, but it's a risk I personally wouldn't take. Again, you may or may not be concerned about it, but it is something to keep in mind.
I'm a Sam's Club member myself, and also typically buy Michelin tires. As you have found, they are very often the best deal out there, and sometimes by a wide margin. However, I would not recommend the Defender XT for your RAV4 because of the insufficient speed rating. I would use the Goodyear tire myself, because it is itself a very good tire, and it does come in the speed rating required by Toyota.
(Tire Rack's database may list S-rated tires as acceptable, but Tire Rack won't be your defense attorney in court. I personally use their database as tire information reference only, and not necessarily as a hard-and-fast no/no-go gauge on tire applicability.)
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I think it's important to note that every single tire installed by Toyota at the factory, whether it's a 215/70R16 on a base model FWD, a 225/65R17 on a mid-line model, or a 235/55R18 on a Sport model, is an H-rated tire. Toyota must feel strongly enough that H-rated tires add value to the vehicle (likely in the area of safety) to make that a requirement. More on speed ratings here:
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
Note that Michelin will not warrant the tread life of a tire if it doesn't meet the original equipment requirements. That is, if you install a tire that is smaller or larger or doesn't bear the required speed rating, they will not pro-rate the tire based on wear-out. If you suspect that you will want to take advantage of the tread life warranty, you may want to consider this.
Page 2 of Michelin's Promise Plan describes "mis-application" as a warranty exclusion. This may not be something you're concerned with, but it is something to keep in mind.
There may also be a liability issue if you install tires with a lower speed rating than required. I suspect that Sam's Club will not do it; most tire shops will not. And for good reason. The speed rating has less to do with a vehicle's top speed and more to do with how a tire is constructed. If you get into a personal injury accident and the prosecution has a slick attorney, they could point to under-spec'd tires as a contributor to the accident. It's probably not likely, but it's a risk I personally wouldn't take. Again, you may or may not be concerned about it, but it is something to keep in mind.
I'm a Sam's Club member myself, and also typically buy Michelin tires. As you have found, they are very often the best deal out there, and sometimes by a wide margin. However, I would not recommend the Defender XT for your RAV4 because of the insufficient speed rating. I would use the Goodyear tire myself, because it is itself a very good tire, and it does come in the speed rating required by Toyota.
(Tire Rack's database may list S-rated tires as acceptable, but Tire Rack won't be your defense attorney in court. I personally use their database as tire information reference only, and not necessarily as a hard-and-fast no/no-go gauge on tire applicability.)
Read page 11 of the Michelin warranty...
IMPORTANT: It is recommended that the replacement tire speed
rating be equal to or higher than the OEM tire speed rating. If a lower
speed rated tire is selected, then the vehicle top speed becomes limited to
that of the lower speed rating selected. The customer must be informed
of the new speed restriction & the vehicle’s handling may be adversely
impacted.
Tire is still warrantied, the speed rating of the vehicle is just lowered. The vehicle is limited far below 130 MPH anyway so this is a non issue. If you cause an accident for any reason, your liability insurance will be used to pay for any damage or injury regardless of tires, so as long as you have auto insurance, again I think you're reaching a bit there.
I think it's important to note that every single tire installed by Toyota at the factory, whether it's a 215/70R16 on a base model FWD, a 225/65R17 on a mid-line model, or a 235/55R18 on a Sport model, is an H-rated tire. Toyota must feel strongly enough that H-rated tires add value to the vehicle (likely in the area of safety) to make that a requirement. More on speed ratings here:
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
Note that Michelin will not warrant the tread life of a tire if it doesn't meet the original equipment requirements. That is, if you install a tire that is smaller or larger or doesn't bear the required speed rating, they will not pro-rate the tire based on wear-out. If you suspect that you will want to take advantage of the tread life warranty, you may want to consider this.
Page 2 of Michelin's Promise Plan describes "mis-application" as a warranty exclusion. This may not be something you're concerned with, but it is something to keep in mind.
There may also be a liability issue if you install tires with a lower speed rating than required. I suspect that Sam's Club will not do it; most tire shops will not. And for good reason. The speed rating has less to do with a vehicle's top speed and more to do with how a tire is constructed. If you get into a personal injury accident and the prosecution has a slick attorney, they could point to under-spec'd tires as a contributor to the accident. It's probably not likely, but it's a risk I personally wouldn't take. Again, you may or may not be concerned about it, but it is something to keep in mind.
I'm a Sam's Club member myself, and also typically buy Michelin tires. As you have found, they are very often the best deal out there, and sometimes by a wide margin. However, I would not recommend the Defender XT for your RAV4 because of the insufficient speed rating. I would use the Goodyear tire myself, because it is itself a very good tire, and it does come in the speed rating required by Toyota.
(Tire Rack's database may list S-rated tires as acceptable, but Tire Rack won't be your defense attorney in court. I personally use their database as tire information reference only, and not necessarily as a hard-and-fast no/no-go gauge on tire applicability.)
Read page 11 of the Michelin warranty...
IMPORTANT: It is recommended that the replacement tire speed
rating be equal to or higher than the OEM tire speed rating. If a lower
speed rated tire is selected, then the vehicle top speed becomes limited to
that of the lower speed rating selected. The customer must be informed
of the new speed restriction & the vehicle’s handling may be adversely
impacted.
Tire is still warrantied, the speed rating of the vehicle is just lowered. The vehicle is limited far below 130 MPH anyway so this is a non issue. If you cause an accident for any reason, your liability insurance will be used to pay for any damage or injury regardless of tires, so as long as you have auto insurance, again I think you're reaching a bit there.
I think Page 11 might be giving you a safety warning; if you install tires of a lower speed rating, you may not be able to drive as fast as you used to. I don't think this is a warranty statement; I think this is a safety statement.
Liability insurance can absolutely consider the condition of equipment during a claim. My folks are full-time RVers and insurance companies would actually say this in seminars. They can elect to not cover a portion of a claim due to faulty equipment. Or if they do cover the claim, they can elect to discontinue your coverage after the claim. Again, I didn't say that these scenarios are all that likely to happen, but it's a risk you take by installing tires with a lower speed rating.
We all have to make our own decision on whether the reward is worth the risk. The risk is probably low, but I wager that the reward here is low, too. Because you (correctly) said that both tires here are so good, and so close, that your decision is a toss-up, I would recommend the tires that meet the performance requirements of your vehicle (the Goodyears).
Liability insurance can absolutely consider the condition of equipment during a claim. My folks are full-time RVers and insurance companies would actually say this in seminars. They can elect to not cover a portion of a claim due to faulty equipment. Or if they do cover the claim, they can elect to discontinue your coverage after the claim. Again, I didn't say that these scenarios are all that likely to happen, but it's a risk you take by installing tires with a lower speed rating.
We all have to make our own decision on whether the reward is worth the risk. The risk is probably low, but I wager that the reward here is low, too. Because you (correctly) said that both tires here are so good, and so close, that your decision is a toss-up, I would recommend the tires that meet the performance requirements of your vehicle (the Goodyears).
I should say that I almost bought a set of Michelin 235/65R17s from Sam's for our Honda a few years ago. The installer at Sam's said that they could install them, but that Michelin would not honor the tread life warranty because they were the incorrect size. This seems to correlate with the statement on Page 2 of Michelin's warranty book ("misapplication"). Then again, that statement is vague enough that two people could probably interpret it differently. The only way to know, I guess, is to check with your local Sam's Club store and see what they say. They may not care one way or the other. You sometimes get different stories from different people.
I ended up buying the correct size in Michelins (225/65R17, same as yours) at Sears, who matched Sam's price. Our Honda requires T-rated tires, so the speed rating wasn't an issue. Next will likely be the Defender XTs that you are considering. I do like them better than the asymmetrical Defenders.
I ended up buying the correct size in Michelins (225/65R17, same as yours) at Sears, who matched Sam's price. Our Honda requires T-rated tires, so the speed rating wasn't an issue. Next will likely be the Defender XTs that you are considering. I do like them better than the asymmetrical Defenders.
Originally Posted By: Ken2
Quote:
The RAV came with H rated tires, but according to Tirerack, anything S and above is fine.
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
To get a tire to pass an H speed rating almost requires the tire to have an overlay - commonly called a "cap ply" and nylon is a commonly used material.
This overlay restricts the growth of the tire due to centrifugal forces as well as the movement caused by the standing wave. Not only does this result in reduced stresses in the tire, it also reduces heat generation.
Member Capriracer -who wrote that article- clarified in another thread that he's recommending tires with a cap ply, not an H rating. He just simplifies it and says "get an H rating" because pretty much all H rated tires have a cap ply.
My Hankook H727 tires have a cap ply, but they're only T rated.
Long story short, there are tires below the H rating that are well made and safe, and meet Capriracer's recommendation.
I'm actually not weighing in as to whether the OP should or should not choose any of the tires in question. I'm simply clarifying some info.
Quote:
The RAV came with H rated tires, but according to Tirerack, anything S and above is fine.
http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html
To get a tire to pass an H speed rating almost requires the tire to have an overlay - commonly called a "cap ply" and nylon is a commonly used material.
This overlay restricts the growth of the tire due to centrifugal forces as well as the movement caused by the standing wave. Not only does this result in reduced stresses in the tire, it also reduces heat generation.
Member Capriracer -who wrote that article- clarified in another thread that he's recommending tires with a cap ply, not an H rating. He just simplifies it and says "get an H rating" because pretty much all H rated tires have a cap ply.
My Hankook H727 tires have a cap ply, but they're only T rated.
Long story short, there are tires below the H rating that are well made and safe, and meet Capriracer's recommendation.
I'm actually not weighing in as to whether the OP should or should not choose any of the tires in question. I'm simply clarifying some info.
Biggest misconception is that the SPEED rating of a tire is the only criterion to determine its applicability...
The construction of the tire, regardless of the speed rating (a T-tire can be made to the same construction standards as an H-rated tire), affects PERFORMANCE...cornering "stiffness", braking stability, etc. all which will come into play in general and more particularly in critical emergency situations...such that....
...if you don't know the construction of the tire, getting a QUALITY tire meeting the specifications for the car is advised...of course, there are cheap tires in every rating, so you CAN get a higher quality but lower rated tire than a cheap higher rated tire...
....and the difference between a cheap tire and quality tire that meets one's needs (dry or wet traction, summer, winter or all-season use, long-term treadwear or performance tire, etc.) is minimal over the lifetime of the tire....e.g. $200 more per set over 20,000 miles is 1¢ per mile...
The construction of the tire, regardless of the speed rating (a T-tire can be made to the same construction standards as an H-rated tire), affects PERFORMANCE...cornering "stiffness", braking stability, etc. all which will come into play in general and more particularly in critical emergency situations...such that....
...if you don't know the construction of the tire, getting a QUALITY tire meeting the specifications for the car is advised...of course, there are cheap tires in every rating, so you CAN get a higher quality but lower rated tire than a cheap higher rated tire...
....and the difference between a cheap tire and quality tire that meets one's needs (dry or wet traction, summer, winter or all-season use, long-term treadwear or performance tire, etc.) is minimal over the lifetime of the tire....e.g. $200 more per set over 20,000 miles is 1¢ per mile...
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