Tires: V rated vs. T rated Tire- 2010 Ford Fusion, ford fusion, size tire

Question
I have 60,000 miles on the original tires (Michelin)and they need to be replaced in the next month or so.  I have found pricing for the same size tire in the T rating to be much less expensive than the V rating.  I am a middle aged woman who doesn't drive over 80 mph.  I drive 60 miles per day to and from work.  Would it be ok to use the T rated tire instead of the V?

Answer
Betty,

Yes, it is OK - you just want to be aware of a few things.

First, is that moving down in speed rating is directionally towards a less safe tire - one more likely to fail  The risk is very low, but because these types of failure can have tragic results, the overall direction may not be the way you want to go.

For this reason, I don't recommend any use less than an H rated tire.  You can find quite a few reasonably priced H rated tires - and frankly that would be my recommendation.

Second, directionally this is towards a softer riding, but less crisp handling tire.  That isn't always the case, but it tends to go that direction.

So there you have it.