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Tire Speed Ratings

The subject if tire speed ratings can be a bit of mystery. Not many of us pay much attention to all the markings on theside wall of our tires. This Channel P101tv artyicle is about tire speed ratings. Also look to the articles menu to the left to see other tire related articles.

From what I can work out, tyre speed ratings were originally developed in Europe as a way to assist high performance vehicle owners when choosing replacement tyres to match the speed capabilities of their vehicles.

All tyres are marked with letters to indicate their speed rating. The chart shows the speed rating letter in CAPITALS and the associated maximum speed.

You will notice that the Z rating is for speeds in excess of 149mph or 240km/h, but there are two different ratings below it. When Z rated tires were introduced, there was a lack of street legal cars that were able to obtain speeds that high or higher. Hence, it was believed that future vehicles would be unable to or would be manufactured so that they could hit those break neck speeds. However, as we know now, there are countless vehicles that can easily go past 149mph or 240 km/h, especially our beloved Porsches. This is why the W and Y ratings were eventually introduced. See also our article on the Porsche Tire "N" Rating for Porsche approved tires.

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By: hoffman

Date: 16-01-14

Rated: 0

Great article. I never used to pay much attention to the markings on the tyres. Thanks.

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