Tire Ratings – Helping You Choose the Right Tires
Tire ratings can be a very crucial part in hunting for the perfect set of tires. Hunting for tires does not only mean looking for the tires that would fit the size that your vehicle needs, but you would also have to consider the kind of vehicle that you drive, your personal preferences , the terrain you often drive in, the weather conditions in your location, and the load that you often carry. With each of these factors, you have several choices for tires that deciding on a set that you need can become very tricky.
To find replacement tires for the ones you already have, start out by checking the tire label. It should have a set of numbers and letters and should look like this: P185/60R 14 82H. The first letter shows you what the tire is used for. In this case, the ‘P’ means P-metric, the size used for passenger car tires. You should also know how wide your tire is. The numbers appearing after the first letter signifies the width of the tire in millimeters. In this case, it would be 185mm. This code also shows that this is a radial tire, based on the 60R after the slash. The next set of numbers would be the wheel rim which in this case would be 14 inches in diameter. 82 is the tire’s load index, based on a Maximum Load Carrying Capacity Chart. This means that each tire would safely bear 1,047lbs, with all four tires having the capacity to carry a maximum of 4,188lbs or 1,900kg. The last letter would then be the speed rating. Q means 99mpg or 159kph, S means 112mph or 180kph, T means 118mph or 190kph, U means 124mph or 200kph, H means 130mph or 209kph, V means up to 149mph or 270kph, Z means more than 149mph or 240kph, W means 168mph or 270kph and Y means 186mph or 299kph. These indicate the maximum safe speed that the tire can safely carry in ideal conditions. It is possible that you may not feel the difference in using T tires and H tires for example, but you will definitely see a big difference as far as duration of use would be concerned.
As long as you know what you need to look for, tire ratings can definitely give you a hand in finding the perfect set of tires that you need.