Speed Rating on Tires
- Thread starter TorontoLS
- Start date
n8bachelor
Dedicated LVC Member
Does anyone know what is the recommended speed rating for Michelin Pilot MxM4 tires for a 2000 LS-8 Sport? I have to replace my tires and was asked whether they should be 96H or 95W rated....
Thanks in advance.
See tire rack's tire tech section here.
It will tell you all you need to know about the speed (H & W) and load (96 & 95) rating of your tires.
I doubt you need any tires rated higher than H.
eastcoastLS
Dedicated LVC Member
well he has a sport which means it 'can' get up to around 143 (up and beyond the H tire rated range) fwiw tires i bought are z speed rated.
It all depends on what you want; Z-rated tires are generally going to have stiffer sidewalls than H-rated tires, so they're going to contribute to a slightly stiffer ride. On the plus side, they should help in the handling department, as they will flex a bit less than the H-rated tires.
In broad, general terms, H-rated tires are more for cruising, while Z-rated tires are more performance-oriented. If your car is a sport, it almost certainly came from the factory with the Z-rated tires.
Will most people be able to tell the difference between H-rated and Z-rated tires? Not if you showed them the markings on the sidewall and explained it to them.
The speed rating really isn't that big of a deal. You can run up to top speed on H-rated tires; it's just that Z-rated tires are rated for maintaining those speeds (which is something sane people do not do unless they're on the track--or on the Autobahn, which happens to miss the entire US by, oh, an ocean's width
).
In broad, general terms, H-rated tires are more for cruising, while Z-rated tires are more performance-oriented. If your car is a sport, it almost certainly came from the factory with the Z-rated tires.
Will most people be able to tell the difference between H-rated and Z-rated tires? Not if you showed them the markings on the sidewall and explained it to them.
The speed rating really isn't that big of a deal. You can run up to top speed on H-rated tires; it's just that Z-rated tires are rated for maintaining those speeds (which is something sane people do not do unless they're on the track--or on the Autobahn, which happens to miss the entire US by, oh, an ocean's width
).
