Tyre speed rating

[Bunny55]

My W202 has a full size steel spare wheel with a brand new Michelin tyre which is 'H' rated.

The tyres on the cars alloys are 'V' rated. I am hoping to save some money by putting the new spare onto the car, thereby only having to buy one new tyre, rather than two.

What is the W202 C200 correct speed rating, if it is 'H' then can I have two different speed ratings on the same axle.

Personally as we are talking the difference between 130mph and 149mph I don't think it matters or will be detrimental in any way.

Thanks

Graham

 

[NW_Merc]

What size is your spare wheel and the others

 

[Bunny55]

They are all 195 65 15

 

[renault12ts]

H is speed rated to 150 mph. I suspect that's fine for your car.

 

[NW_Merc]

And what brand are they?

Pirellis are rated to 130 mph as far as I can see. I dunno why you're worried, your car will struggle to get over 120 anyways with ragging the @rse off of it. My C180 is the same.

 

[Bunny55]

They are all Michelins

I just want to make sure i'm not breaking any law

 

[NW_Merc]

It says H is rated up to 130mph for 15s

 

[renault12ts]

It says H is rated up to 130mph for 15s

You're right...the first site I found said 150...the rest say 130.

 

[jonc78]

According to my handbook (same car yours) the speed rating is H. By the way, what is the actual difference between tyres with different speed rating? Obviously higher rated tyres can go faster, I get that, but are they made differently/ different materials?

 

[NW_Merc]

According to my handbook (same car yours) the speed rating is H. By the way, what is the actual difference between tyres with different speed rating? Obviously higher rated tyres can go faster, I get that, but are they made differently/ different materials?

I think what it means, though I'm no expert is, that is the speed at which it can still safely grip in a straight line. Though your car if it was say a C36 or C43 could go higher, then it would result in the tyre life shortening.

Using the Bugatti Veyron as an example, at its top speed of 212, the tyres can last 12 minutes.

 

[Stratman]

I remember reading a comparison of running supercars in one of the car magazines. One thing that stuck was the Veyron's tyre requirements in the service schedule. New tyres every 2500 miles, and new wheels every 7500

 

[snail]

I just want to make sure i'm not breaking any law

But surely you always drive below 70, so there won't be a problem?

 

[bedwards1966]

My understanding is that you must have the correct speed rating (or higher). That figure can be found in the vehicle handbook.
Yes, I know it seems daft to fit tyres that are rated at 160mph or whatever on a car that probably won't exceed 130, especially as you can't legally drive above 70 in the UK, but my understanding is that not doing so could invalidate your insurance as they don't meet the specification that Mercedes says you need.

 

[renault12ts]

It may seem daft to fit tyres with the correct speed rating because you never intend going above 70. But the higher the top speed of the car, usually the greater the ability to accelerate more quickly to 60.

So, not only must your tyre be able to cope with a notional 160mph, but also the ability to do 0-60 in say 7 seconds.

 

[Bunny55]

But as the correct spec for the car is 'H' rating and the 4 tyres on the car are a higher spec 'V' rating, putting 'H' rated back on is not changing from original spec.

All I will have is a mixture of standard spec and higher spec.

Legal yes ?

 

[renault12ts]

But as the correct spec for the car is 'H' rating and the 4 tyres on the car are a higher spec 'V' rating, putting 'H' rated back on is not changing from original spec.

All I will have is a mixture of standard spec and higher spec.

Legal yes ?

Yes.

 

[markjay]

As far as I know the legal requirement is actually very minimal in this area, and it is that you do not mix cross-ply and radial tytes on the same axle, but that's about it. i.e. the car will not fail its MOT if the tyres are a mix of differnt brands or different rating as long as they are the same size. Of course, for safe driving (and for the benefit of the car's ESP and ABS) you would want the tyres on the car to be as identical as possible in terms of make, model, and wear.

 

[markjay]

You should also take into account the age of the spare tyre - the manufacture date will be stamped on the sidewall - e.g. 4407 means week 44 in 2007 - tyres should not be used beyond 10 years of age, although this is a manufacturer's recommendation and not legal requirement.

 

[sinewave]

It's about the full performance envelope.

Top Speed
Acceleration
Braking
Cornering
Loading
Gross Weight
etc
etc

The wrong speed rating can invalidate your insurance in the event of a claim.

Just use the speed rating recomended by the manufacturer or better, end of!

 

[markjay]

It's about the full performance envelope.

Top Speed
Acceleration
Braking
Cornering
Loading
Gross Weight
etc
etc

The wrong speed rating can invalidate your insurance in the event of a claim.

Just use the speed rating recomended by the manufacturer or better, end of!

I think the OP was asking about the legality of mixing tyres with different speed rating on the car - all meeting or exceeding the manufacturer's recommended speed rating.