QuestionQUESTION: Dear Mr. Smith,
I have a 2002 Toyota Avalon XLS and just replaced all 4 tires. I went with the Michelin Primacy MXV4 due to my research. The tire place replaced my old tires with V rated (P205/60R16 92V) instead of H rated tires, which were on there before and which are listed in my owner's manual. Is this okay? Will the ride by stiffer and harsher? Are they safer or better in some way? Should I go back to the tire place? I would appreciate your insight. Thank you very much.
ANSWER: Bob,
As a general rule, higher speed rating usually mean increased handling, but worse ride. But that is not always the case.
Also a higher speed rated tire is safer because it has more capability.
If I were you, I would not go back unless I had a specific problem with the tires.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my question. I have a follow-up question. Are the V rated tires comparable to the H rated tires regarding traction and control in snow, ice, and rain...in my case, with the same manufacturer and model of tire for both ratings?
AnswerBob,
As a general rule, dry and wet traction improve with higher speed ratings, but snow traction decreses - but that is not always the case - like the ride vs handling issue. These properties are highly dependent on how the tire was designed - and in your case, in theory, they should be exactly the same.
But I wonder why Michelin would produce a tire in different speed ratings. Usually that means that one (or both) of the tires is an Original Equipment tire - and if that is the case, the differences between the tires could be huge and there would be no telling what the difference would be unless you had access to the vehicle manufactirer's specs (which isn't going to happen.)
