Tyres with higher speed rating are cheaper?!

[BTB 500]

Been looking at new tyres for the Vito. Slightly puzzled why 225/55 R17 101H seem to cost significantly more than 225/55 R17 101V e.g.

Continental Vanco - 225-55-17-H - etyres

Continental Vanco - 225-55-17-V - etyres

Same tyre make, model, size & load rating. It's not just an oddity at this particular retailer - the H rated version appears to consistently be £30-£40 more expensive ... why??

Our Vito came with H rated tyres and I've stuck with them previously, but switching to V rated seems to be a no-brainer??

 

[C36fan]

Hi make sure of the payload of that tyres ,they might not suit the van.
I have fitted in mine Bridgestone 225/60/16 h and they cost £132 each .
My other set of wheels I have 235/45/18 and they are maxxis lovely tyres and they only cost £95 each .

 

[daveenty]

I agree with the load rating. That's the only explanation I can come up with anyway.

Just had a look at Event tyres and they have varying prices as well, but specify the different load ratings on their site.

 

[BTB 500]

They both have the same load rating - 101!

 

[moonloops]

The V rated tyre may be a more popular option and hence cheaper

 

[def90cars]

The V rated tyre may be a more popular option and hence cheaper

More common sizes are cheaper (including more common speed rating)

My Porsche always had cheaper tyres than my Lexus.

 

[BTB 500]

Why would they even offer the lower speed rating (given that the load rating is the same)?!

 

[BTB 500]

So ... 101V rated tyres being fitted by Event Tyres tomorrow, to replace the worn 101Hs on there now.

Bizarrely the H and V versions even have different plated tyre pressures (33 and 36 PSI, respectively):

 

[mersum1es]

Why would they even offer the lower speed rating (given that the load rating is the same)?!

Different speed rate means different rubber which offers different rolling resistance (fuel consumption), noise, wear rate and perhaps driving comfort.

 

[BTB 500]

Different speed rate means different rubber which offers different rolling resistance (fuel consumption), noise, wear rate and perhaps driving comfort.

I would expect the rubber compound to be the same, being the same size and model of tyre. I imagine there would be minor differences in internal structure/reinforcement though to give the higher speed rating, which could affect comfort slightly. The EU tyre labelling (efficiency, noise, wet grip) is identical for both versions.

 

[Rory]

I find getting answers to these kind of questions very difficult.

I wanted All Season tyres for my car - no-one makes both the front and rear sizes. Nearest I could get was to drop to H (from V) on the front. H is more than OK, and the car has a setting to limit the speed, not that it needs it) but the tyre manufacturer advised against it due to the different construction of H & V tyres - but then they evading telling me in what way they were different.

The other option was to go to extra-load (XL) tyres. "They're exactly the same" I was told. OK then, so why is the load rating at normal pressures lower than for a non-XL tyre? Silence! I suspect it's because the stronger sidewalls generate more heat. Whatever, it means if you replace standard tyres with XL, you really ought to up the tyre pressures a bit.

 

[Benzowner]

I think its all down to the car manufacturers. If they all go for V rated, H becomes scarce to up goes the price, more costly to make small batches.

 

[grober]

They might be made in different countries within and without the EU??