Same tire, same price, different speed rating...

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I'm looking at getting some General Altimax RT43s from Discount Tire for my Malibu, and they have the T and H speed ratings available for the same price. They are the same except for some minor differences. The T has 44 max psi, B temp grade, and 75k mile warranty. The H has 51 max psi, A temp grade, and 65k mile warranty. The mileage doesn't matter enough as I don't drive enough mileage before they need to be replaced from age anyway. From what I understand, the H may be a stiffer tire making the car ride stiffer.

For the same price which would you guys get?
 
I have the T rated on the Camry which gets better winter weather traction ratings than the higher speed rated versions. The only thing I don't like about it is the B temp rating since I can see the psi fluctuations inside the car on a monitor. Kind of annoying esp in summer when trying to get the psi correct. But all in all happy with the tire. You can hear a tiny bit of noise from the tread as you're driving but hardly worth mentioning. Ride isn't too soft either. Have about 18k on them and tread looks like new.

The CR buying guide that just came out ranks it highly and on their recommended list.
 
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Capriracer and others here recommend an H speed rated or higher tire as they usually have a cap belt which makes them much less likely to have an internal belt failure. For me I'd get the T rated tire on the CRV for the floaty ride and the H rated on the Focus to help it handle.
 
A V speed rating is what I like to use. Have had 3 4cylinder Camry's since 2001, and they all came from the factory with V rated tires. I ran a set of H-rated on the 07 I had and it had much less straight line tracking for one. Always chasing the steering wheel back and forth. Did not do that with any of the V tires I've tried with several different brands.
 
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Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Capriracer and others here recommend an H speed rated or higher tire as they usually have a cap belt which makes them much less likely to have an internal belt failure. For me I'd get the T rated tire on the CRV for the floaty ride and the H rated on the Focus to help it handle.


Many T rated tires also have the cap ply now too. I checked before I bought my Yokohama Avid Ascent in T because it has the same internal structure as the H.
 
higher rating
if specs are exactly the same physical properties sometimes its the exact same tire layup except ones that tested to be slightly inferior get binned to be Ts.
 
Originally Posted By: raytseng
higher rating
if specs are exactly the same physical properties sometimes its the exact same tire layup except ones that tested to be slightly inferior get binned to be Ts.


I think that usually applies in electronics, but with tires, I would think the compound would be different. Possibility construction too. That's why you get a longer treadwear rating on the lower speed rating, a harder compound that lasts longer.

I usually go for the T speed rating over the H. T is good for 118 and tested at that speed for 70 minutes. Don't intend to go anywhere need that fast and I'm not taking corners at that high speed so don't really need the extra traction that an H rated tire would give you. But if you don't intend to get the full mileage out of the tire, I'd go for the H rating.
 
Originally Posted By: Traction
A V speed rating is what I like to use. Have had 3 4cylinder Camry's since 2001, and they all came from the factory with V rated tires. I ran a set of H-rated on the 07 I had and it had much less straight line tracking for one. Always chasing the steering wheel back and forth. Did not do that with any of the V tires I've tried with several different brands.


The tires on there now are V rated Kumho Ecsta ASXs (great deal on them because they were being discontinued) and they've never been a very great ride, and I think one of them is out of round now or has a slipped belt (feels like a square tire at exactly 20-30mph).

Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: raytseng
higher rating
if specs are exactly the same physical properties sometimes its the exact same tire layup except ones that tested to be slightly inferior get binned to be Ts.


I think that usually applies in electronics, but with tires, I would think the compound would be different. Possibility construction too. That's why you get a longer treadwear rating on the lower speed rating, a harder compound that lasts longer.

I usually go for the T speed rating over the H. T is good for 118 and tested at that speed for 70 minutes. Don't intend to go anywhere need that fast and I'm not taking corners at that high speed so don't really need the extra traction that an H rated tire would give you. But if you don't intend to get the full mileage out of the tire, I'd go for the H rating.


Yeah, I have no intentions of taking this car that fast, lol. But I only drive 5-6k miles per year so the tires will rot out long before I reach 65k miles.

I went ahead and ordered the H rated. $70 a piece which I think is a pretty decent price. Should be $388 out the door and $75 less after rebate.
 
The T-rated tire will use a tread compound that places emphasis on wear instead of traction. The ply layup might be the same, I know Dunlop made to Toyota specs a T-rated version of the SP Sport 4000 for the 2004-2009 Siennas and the plies/tread was the same as the V-rated version used on the V6 Camrys and Lexus LS430s.

Michelin did make the Defender in some H-rated sizes, now the replacement for it is almost all H-rated.
 
Originally Posted By: nthach
The T-rated tire will use a tread compound that places emphasis on wear instead of traction. The ply layup might be the same, I know Dunlop made to Toyota specs a T-rated version of the SP Sport 4000 for the 2004-2009 Siennas and the plies/tread was the same as the V-rated version used on the V6 Camrys and Lexus LS430s.

Michelin did make the Defender in some H-rated sizes, now the replacement for it is almost all H-rated.


Just to clear up a possible misconception.

As a general rule, S and T rated tires do not need a cap ply - typically made of nylon. H rated tires generally need a single cap ply, and V and higher rated tires need 2.

So the ply layup is very likely different between T, H, and V rated versions of the same make and model. This would be in addition to the tread compound difference.
 
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