# "H" Rated Tires vs. "V" Rated Tires



## denm33 (May 29, 2007)

Anyone have any experience using an H rated tire? 

this is what I was going to put on the truck:
Michelin Latitude Tour HP ZP (Street/Sport Truck All-Season) 
for 2005 Volkswagen Touareg V8 
Size: 255/55HR18 
Load Rating: XL
Blackwall 
HR Speed Rated 
thanks for any tips.


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## nltomba (Jan 30, 2007)

I have the goodyear fortera triple treads.
great tire and H rated (130 mile/hour)
That is fast enough for me
109 load rating
60k tread life


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## DicknNancy (Nov 6, 2004)

*Re: (nltomba)*

There is more to a tire's speed rating than just the sustained maximum speed that the tire can acheive. There is handling and performance to take into account as well. 
As an independent tire dealer, the laws in our state, say that if a vehicle requires a v speed rated tire, I can not sell or install a lower rated tire. If I do and the vehicle is involved in an accident and the case goes to court, I will lose, because as the professional, I should have known better. As a consumer, you can do things and get away with it, but I would suggest that you use caution and replace your tires with the same speed rating and the same load carrying capacity. Do as you wish, but use caution. Tires are speed rated for a reason. 
I would never put a H rated tire on a vehicle that came from the factory with a V speed rating. Not on mine and certainly not on my customers. I have turned down a tire sale for these very reasons.


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## ehd (Sep 9, 2006)

*Re: "H" Rated Tires vs. "V" Rated Tires (denm33)*

The stock Goodyear Wrangler HP tires on each of our TRegs are H-rated; I assume most other stockers are also H-rated -- so I wouldn't hesitate to use them. But I'm going with v-rated tires as I replace each of them; primarily for the stiffer side-walls and better handling.


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## depiry (Feb 16, 2005)

Costco Has or can order Michelin 255/60/17 HP latitudes 106V rating,including mounting,balancing,road hazard warranty, Nitrogen fill,free rotation,$60 rebate on 4 until Feb 03,and starts again in June,for $202 Each. Marty
They probably have the 18' tires also.


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## NickM (Oct 20, 2001)

*Re: (DicknNancy)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DicknNancy* »_There is more to a tire's speed rating than just the sustained maximum speed that the tire can acheive. There is handling and performance to take into account as well. 
.

Generaly I agree but I guess it also depends on the nature and purpose of the tire...I'm running T rated Hakkapellita 5s this winter and they are spectacular ice and snow tires that obviously do not meet the speed rating of the Touareg, hence the handy speed warning chime should be set accordingly...I don't see any H or V rated snow tires that are anywhere near as capable, so in this case I don't think the blanket statement applies.
Generally though for non snow tires I agree, a higher speed rating usually means a more robust construction


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## nltomba (Jan 30, 2007)

*Re: (DicknNancy)*

question for you. 
what would you do if someone came in with 4 17 inch touareg rims and asked you to put on tires that are H rated?
17 inch fits on the V6 and V8.
top speed on the v6 is below 130 so that should be ok.
They fit the V8 too, so do you refuse?
What do you do if someone want super swampers on his v8 grand cherokee? Do you refuse?
Ps if you go to tirerack.com you will see that they recommend lots of H rated tires for a V8 touareg









_Modified by nltomba at 9:38 AM 2-1-2008_


_Modified by nltomba at 9:39 AM 2-1-2008_


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## sup44 (Nov 26, 2003)

*Re: (nltomba)*


_Quote, originally posted by *nltomba* »_question for you. 
what would you do if someone came in with 4 17 inch touareg rims and asked you to put on tires that are H rated?
17 inch fits on the V6 and V8.
top speed on the v6 is below 130 so that should be ok.
They fit the V8 too, so do you refuse?
What do you do if someone want super swampers on his v8 grand cherokee? Do you refuse?
Ps if you go to tirerack.com you will see that they recommend lots of H rated tires for a V8 touareg











I'm with you on this one... I had this happen to me at a tire shop and it pissed me off... Better to figure out some legal way to have the customer sign a waiver or something than to piss them off and refuse to sell them a H rated tire.... I ended up just buying the tires off the Internet and having them mounted and balanced at Sears..... my 18" tires are H rated, my 20" tires are W (or on some sites VR). The refusal saved me money, thus I guess I owe the shop a thank you...








The H rated 18" bridgestone dueler H/Ls seem to perform about 90% as well as the V rated OEM Contis that I replaced them with. IMO I gave up 10% of the sticky feel of the Contis for the awesome tread wear of the bridgestones... 
I swap out my 18" tires in the summer for my 20s, thus the sticky feel isn't as much of a concern in the winter..,but even if i didn't swap,,, I'd prefer a H vs a V just because the tread wear and price on a V is typically less desirable and the added performance is minimal on this vehicle....



_Modified by sup44 at 3:28 PM 2-1-2008_


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## ehd (Sep 9, 2006)

*Re: (nltomba)*


_Quote, originally posted by *nltomba* »_...Ps if you go to tirerack.com you will see that they recommend lots of H rated tires for a V8 touareg









As mentioned above; VW's Goodyear stockers are H-rated; also the dealer's rep recommended a H-rated Michelin over a v-rate on replacment of the stock Goodyear Wrangler HP's -- and the highly recommended Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza only come in H-rated for the 18" TReg. So, tirerack.com is not the only one


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