Performance of tires?

Question

I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima. I have 245 45R18 size tires on the car. I called to price tires I was quoted a prices of 580.00 for 4 tires. Well when I got there I was told that price was for H class and not V class. The price for V class was 255.00 per tire. What is the difference?

Answer 1

The higher the speed rating of the tire the more components go into the construction of the tire which is one of the many things that determines how the tire rides, handles and stops. If your vehicle specifies a V-rated tire then you should stick with a tire of that rating (or higher) because everything else on the car - the brakes, the suspension - were designed around tires which those characteristics. Going to a lower speed rating than what the car was designed to use degrades the performance of the vehicle (and how it performs is why you bought it) and constitutes re-engineering the car, not something any of us are likely qualified to do.

Your car specifies a P245/45R18 96V sized tire (yes, you need to include that entire description, not just the 245/45/18) for which there are a surprisingly good number of choices out there.

If your looking for a smooth ride and long wear while retaining decent handling and want all-season capability the new Michelin Primacy MXV4 is a great choice. If you want a little bit more sport (handling) with your all-season tire you can't do better than the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position. These may ride slightly stiffer than the Michelin's but they still ride very nicely and they will offer much better handling. The Avon Tech 550 AS makes a great choice on a budget but are only sold in the U.S. through www.tirerack.com.

If all-season (snow) capability isn't a concern and you drive aggressively then the Yokohama ES100 is a great choice at a modest price and rides nicely for a ultra-high performance tire while the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position is really going to be the ultimate. This comes in an extra-load sizing (245/45R18XL 100W) so you can run up to 51 psi at the track if you want to :) It's also a nice choice as it uses an assymetric as opposed to directional tread pattern so you can use a normal rotation pattern, thus be less prone to suffering uneven tire wear. The one real limitation of directional tires is that you can not cross-rotate them.

Don't forget to have the alignment done when you get the tires installed. When your paying this much for tires, you want to get as much life out of them as you can.

One last thing to keep in mind; Most of the aftermarket replacement tires in this size use the Euro-Metric sizing system (no "P" at the beginning of the size = 245/45R18 96V for example instead of P245/45R18 96V) and because of the differences in load and inflation tables between the "Passenger-Metric" tires your car was originally fitted with and Euro-Metric sizing you will need to increase inflation pressure from 32 psi front and rear to 34 psi if you end up buying a Euro-Metric sized tire.

ASE Certified Automotive Service Advisor working in the tire industry

Answer 2

A performance tire has been tested and has to have a speed rating posted on performance. Normal passenger tires are only guaranteed to perform at highway speed (usually the upper limit is 70) without failure. Speed rating does not mean that a tire will give better mileage or stand up to road hazards better than a standard tire. In my humble opinion the extra cost of performance tires cannot be justified unless you are actually going to be driving at high speed.

Answer 3

The V means the tire is designed for greater speeds. Go to tirerack.com for an exact explanation of all grades of letter designations. The lowest speed rating for any tire is 81 mph.
The speed ratings are as follows:
M = 81 MPH
N = 87 MPH
P = 93 MPH
Q = 99 MPH
R = 106 MPH
S = 112 MPH
T = 118 MPH
U =124 MPH
H = 130 MPH
V = 149 MPH.

Answer 4

I believe the H rated tires are rated to 130mph. and the V is rated to 165mph. This means the tire can run this speed without coming apart. So do we really need V or Z rated tires?