Does Speed Rating Matter On Winter Tires

Speed rating since higher performance tires tend to be capable of maintaining higher top speeds for a longer period of time.

Does speed rating matter on winter tires. R speed tires are rare but can be found on some heavy duty light truck lt tires as well as studdable and studless winter tires. Tire speed rating and why it matters. Speed rating r allows for speeds up to 106 mph 170 kmh under optimal conditions. A relatively new addition to the speed rating chart tires with speed rating w can achieve a maximum sustained speed of 168 mph 270 kph.

The tire speed rating is the maximum speed tires can safely carry a load the original weight of your vehicle plus whatevers in it for a sustained amount of time in ideal conditions. Nowadays it means 149 mph but no higher. Winter snow tires are the exception to the rule as most shops will install a winter tire of significantly lower speed rating. Yes its important for any tires but winter ones are an exception from the no downgrade rule.

This is due to the understanding by most that the winter tires are going to make your car handle a little differently usually a bit more play in the steering to give you exceptional winter traction. This is because in winter people usually drive at slower speeds so these capabilities become less relevant. While this is not always true in the majority of cases lower speed rated tires tend to have slower steering responses and reduced dry grip especially in winter snow tires. You can install tires with a slightly lower rating than your original tires.