Tires: tires for Lexus, 1997 lexus es300, lexus es300

Question
Have a 1997 Lexus ES300.  Tires have a V92 rating.  Can I use a lower category and if so, how much lower?  Looking to keep the car maybe another year.  Also looking to move from Missouri to Colorado and can you suggest a National company to purchase from so that the warranty and service is good nationwide.

Answer
Raymond,

first, you should never use anything lower in Load Index (92), and I am not a fan of using something lower in speed rating (V).  This is what the vehicle manufacturer designed the handling of the car around and using a lower speed rating is in the direction of sloppier handling.

But higher speed rated tires tend to be more expensive and tend not to wear well, so I can understand why someone might want to use a lower speed rating.  But I don't recommend anyone use a tire lower than an H rating.

I explain that here:

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