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Tire Speed Rating?
- Thread starter CapnPete
- Start date
h0gr1der
New member
Blatantly stole from some other website about tires;
To support running at higher speeds, V-rated tires will have a stiffer sidewall and slightly firmer ride than H-rated tires. For normal driving conditions the H-rated tire will provide a more comfortable ride and the V-rated should give slightly better handling.
I was in the same boat, chose V rated because I figured they may hold tolerances to a higher standard due to speed and heat action on the tire. I have read in multiple places the sidewalls will be stiffer, giving a harsher ride. I reckon I'll start my rear tire pressure testing at 20 PSI though, so it will probably be cushy enough.
To support running at higher speeds, V-rated tires will have a stiffer sidewall and slightly firmer ride than H-rated tires. For normal driving conditions the H-rated tire will provide a more comfortable ride and the V-rated should give slightly better handling.
I was in the same boat, chose V rated because I figured they may hold tolerances to a higher standard due to speed and heat action on the tire. I have read in multiple places the sidewalls will be stiffer, giving a harsher ride. I reckon I'll start my rear tire pressure testing at 20 PSI though, so it will probably be cushy enough.
Hypurone
Active member
Well, yes and no. The speed ratings on tires are for maximum sustained speeds. Most will never see the max speed much less sustain it! A T rated tire is rated to 118mph and a V rated to 149mph. But, there are other factors that go along with the speed rating such as: tread compounds that relate to more/less traction & treadwear, sidewall compound/construction, ride comfort, cornering and general handling etc.
A V rated tire will outperform the T rated tire in all areas except for treadwear as a rule....
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T rated tire is better. Softer side walls; the tire is rated for a much heaver machine (car) you will be putting the tire on a bike at a fraction of the weight. so go with the softer side wall.
SpyderAnn01
Active member
So you’ve got 2 votes for V and 1 for T. I run the T only because that is what is generally available. I get 20,000 miles with great handling in wet and dry conditions, my F3T won’t pull me and my trailer at 118 mph so I’m not gonna even try for 130 mph!
h0gr1der
New member
T Rated is 118 MPH continuous, H rating is 130 MPH continuous, V rated is 149 MPH continuous.
On Tire Rack it shows the Altimax 205/60R15 H rated (130 MPH) tire is 2 lbs heavier (20 lbs) than the T rated (118 MPH rated) (18 lbs). That 2 lbs is going to make it a harsher ride, but maybe not by much. I'll see how it does when my tire arrives tomorrow.
The Kenda front tires I took off were 2 lbs heavier than the car tires I put on. They were H rated, while I used the T rated car tires. I can definitely say the car tires drive and ride better than the Kenda OEM tires.
On Tire Rack it shows the Altimax 205/60R15 H rated (130 MPH) tire is 2 lbs heavier (20 lbs) than the T rated (118 MPH rated) (18 lbs). That 2 lbs is going to make it a harsher ride, but maybe not by much. I'll see how it does when my tire arrives tomorrow.
The Kenda front tires I took off were 2 lbs heavier than the car tires I put on. They were H rated, while I used the T rated car tires. I can definitely say the car tires drive and ride better than the Kenda OEM tires.
I think you'd be hard pressed to tell if there was any real difference in the ride between a T rated tire and a V rated tire, even if they were otherwise identical (& few are!) Our Spyders just aren't set up with that type or degree of 'tight suspension & frame rigidity' in them!! There's just waaay too much bush & frame flex, and the OE shocks & coils are pretty forgiving & cushy too, so any difference between the two different tire ratings will just get lost in amongst all the other little bits of flex & cushiness & give! 
pps:
But tire wear & life, you might possibly notice a little difference between the two there. Possibly, you might even notice some difference the various compound's heat tolerance brings to how 'grippy' the tire feels in its handling, so you might be able to tell there's a difference in handling performance at the extremities of the Spyder's capability, IF you ever get your Spyder out there!! But really, both of those tires are going to be so much MORE tire than what our Spyders actually need that you'll very likely never reach the tires extremities! And if you've come straight off the Kendas, you'll just be so happy about how much better everything feels that any/everything else will just blur into the background noise until it comes around to tire replacement again! And that's a little difficult to predict, not only because of the different ryding styles, conditions, & loads etc that each ryder might have, but also because most tire manufacturers have their own little secrets & tricks that they believe make the critical difference in their tires vs anyone elses & between their tires various ratings!! Altho they do test tires to destruction to arrive at those ratings, so if you plan on ryding at sustained speeds in excess of 149mph........
H0gr1der, YOU might get a little better tire life out of the V rated tire than SpyderAnn would if she ran one, but I expect the T rated tires she runs will be much better suited to her ryding needs than a V rated tire would be anyway, simply because of the number of long miles with relatively high loads while travelling at less than the V fast speeds that she tends to ryde & that I doubt you do or will do frequently, so it's not really a fair comparison. Maybe you'd get better tire life from a T rated tire as well, but would that come at the loss of some degree of traction or wet road grip over what you'll get with the V rated tire?! I don't really know, & I think you'd be hard pressed to tell too, at least without either/both of us spending some quality time on a skid pan with some pretty expensive testing gear. Either way, I'm firmly of the opinion that either rated version of these tires will suit your ryding needs/wants significantly better than the OE Spec Kendas do, so I reckon you are already onto a winner there..... the little differences that might be gained by running a T rated tire versus a V rated tire or vice versa are really going to be minor when you stack them up against the fairly significant benefits you've already felt between running the Kendas & running a 'real' car tire at or around the right pressure for the load! And then there's the expected tire wear & life benefits between a Kenda tire & any other car tire too. So you're a winner already, it probably doesn't pay to get too stressed over the minutiae.... :lecturef_smilie: Well, that is unless someone wants to pay me to do that testing, of course?? I've got some skid pan time due!?! Anyone?!?
pps: But tire wear & life, you might possibly notice a little difference between the two there. Possibly, you might even notice some difference the various compound's heat tolerance brings to how 'grippy' the tire feels in its handling, so you might be able to tell there's a difference in handling performance at the extremities of the Spyder's capability, IF you ever get your Spyder out there!! But really, both of those tires are going to be so much MORE tire than what our Spyders actually need that you'll very likely never reach the tires extremities! And if you've come straight off the Kendas, you'll just be so happy about how much better everything feels that any/everything else will just blur into the background noise until it comes around to tire replacement again! And that's a little difficult to predict, not only because of the different ryding styles, conditions, & loads etc that each ryder might have, but also because most tire manufacturers have their own little secrets & tricks that they believe make the critical difference in their tires vs anyone elses & between their tires various ratings!! Altho they do test tires to destruction to arrive at those ratings, so if you plan on ryding at sustained speeds in excess of 149mph........
H0gr1der, YOU might get a little better tire life out of the V rated tire than SpyderAnn would if she ran one, but I expect the T rated tires she runs will be much better suited to her ryding needs than a V rated tire would be anyway, simply because of the number of long miles with relatively high loads while travelling at less than the V fast speeds that she tends to ryde & that I doubt you do or will do frequently, so it's not really a fair comparison. Maybe you'd get better tire life from a T rated tire as well, but would that come at the loss of some degree of traction or wet road grip over what you'll get with the V rated tire?! I don't really know, & I think you'd be hard pressed to tell too, at least without either/both of us spending some quality time on a skid pan with some pretty expensive testing gear. Either way, I'm firmly of the opinion that either rated version of these tires will suit your ryding needs/wants significantly better than the OE Spec Kendas do, so I reckon you are already onto a winner there..... the little differences that might be gained by running a T rated tire versus a V rated tire or vice versa are really going to be minor when you stack them up against the fairly significant benefits you've already felt between running the Kendas & running a 'real' car tire at or around the right pressure for the load! And then there's the expected tire wear & life benefits between a Kenda tire & any other car tire too. So you're a winner already, it probably doesn't pay to get too stressed over the minutiae.... :lecturef_smilie: Well, that is unless someone wants to pay me to do that testing, of course?? I've got some skid pan time due!?! Anyone?!?
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BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
Well actually it is a Brainer …… the ratings for both those tires are different ….. the " T " rated one is better …..I have said this many times over the years ….. Mike
hyea:
BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
Not so with the Altimax
h0gr1der
New member
I was ignorant when I made my choice, right now if I had to do it over again I'd go with the T rated tire. I'm a cruiser, not a racer. Heck, the RTL I bought would out corner my 2 wheel cruiser on the OE Kenda tires. The Vredestein T rated front's I put on there are impressive, to say the least. I've read about a ton of paper on tire selection and setup, both for cruising and racing. A lot of stuff there. A T rated tire will save you on unsprung weight over an H or V rated tire. Have to see on the tread wear though. I've been doing pressure testing runs on the fronts, down to 18 PSI with only 2 PSI buildup over 1 hour. I expected more. Next- 16 PSI in the fronts, looking for 4 PSI buildup. Wonder how the V rated rear will pan out, pressure wise?
Rattlebars
New member
I got myself a Khumo ECSTA AST 225/50R15 which is a good looking tire. The bike shop WILL NOT mount it. Where do you get your non-oem tires mounted??
Rattlebars
New member
I found an independent shop here in Taylors SC to get the Kumho mounted.
https://www.cyclespecialtiesperformance.com/
https://www.cyclespecialtiesperformance.com/
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