9000CS Tire Selection Help

I live in the south in a mountainous area. It's often wet but, apart from a bit of stop-start city driving, I mainly use an Interstate that has only moderate curves and grades. I'd like a comfortable tire, too. The owner's manual says it should be "Z"-rated (hard to find, I know), but the Toyos that came with the car when I took it over are "h"-rated ones...

I have heard good things about Falkiens.

Anyone care to comment?

Reply to
Valjean
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Well.... the 'speed rating' you mention is entirely up to you.

You'll probably have 195/65xR15 tyres unless it's a performance model.

The R simply means Radial. The numbers indicate tread width in mm, profile and wheel size in inches

The letter in front of R - the "x" designates the design speed limitation. You can choose according to your driving style.

From the owner's manual the speed code is this... ( all maximum speed )

S = 180 kph - 115 mph T = 190 kph - 120 mph H = 210kph - 130 mph V = 240 kph - 150 mph Z = >240 kph - >150 mph

So unless you go racing you don't need Z rated tyres !

H is probably a sensible choice and widely available.

Graham

p.s. the speed rating is entirely unrelated to general durability.

Reply to
Pooh Bear

I was told that the speed rating must cover the top speed of the car (manufacturer's data) for passing MOT.

Reply to
Johannes

Yes, a lot of tyre places say that - it's crap.

Reply to
Grunff

Evidently not it seems.

I guess since all radial tyres are legal for the national limit, any other sanction would appear to be encouraging speeding.

Graham

Reply to
Pooh Bear

p.s. HR seems to be standard factory fit too.

Graham

Reply to
Pooh Bear

If the manual states it should be Z rated, and you don't fit a Z, in the UK, in the event a claim, your insurance may be invalidated, and you may leave your self open to not only a charge of driving without insurance, but also prosecution for driminal negligence for deliberatley driving an unsafe "in the eyes of the law" machine by not speccing sufficient quality tyres, along with a large legal bill from your insurance company to recover anything they have to pay out for injuiry/repair to a third party (how much does it cost to compensate someone for loss of a bodypart (hint more than loss of life actually)). They can't deny 3rd party cover, in a claim against you. But they will claim it back.

Reply to
Sleeker GT Phwoar

It is not the MOT safetyu standard. It is the manufacturers safety standard. The same car will be sold in countries with different or no sped limits, and can be driven across borders. That is why they spec 150mph+ rated tyres to a UK car. because there is nothing to stop you driving to germany and driving at 160mph. If the 70mph rated tyre was to blow out at 110, and you didn't know it was only rated to 70, but it had been specced as a UK spec tyre by the manufacturer, whose fault would it be? the tyre was legal for the country it was specced for. The car was legally allowed to cross borders, and the speed being done was legal in the country it was being done? Again, whose fault was the speed related blow out.

Reply to
Sleeker GT Phwoar

I believe the codes are related to sidewall rigidity. Higher = more rigid hence better (ie safer) handling at higher speeds.

Reply to
Dan RatherNot

I went from 195/65xR15 to 205/65xR15 with my 93 9000CSET. That seemed to improve handling nicely.

Reply to
Dan RatherNot

Indeed. The UK can't apply law 'extra territorially'. A UK test purely applies to the UK. Since our official top speed is 70 mph - lol - any old radial will do.

I notice that my 9000 is specced at 131 mph max so an HR tyre is ( just about ) fine for use in any country.

It would be intereting to know what tyres get fitted to an Aero for example.

Graham

Reply to
Pooh Bear

I'm sure you're largely right. I don't recall any tyre fitting outfit checking this stuff specifically though. Then again only recently have I had a car specced at > 120 mph.

I very much doubt a typical insurance claim would be challenged on the basis of a 130 mph type tyre being fitted in place of a 150 mph type though. Unless the accident happened in Germany at a speed between 130 and 150 mph. A nasty thought !

I notice that even the 9000 Aero is only rated at 149 mph max. That would infer a V rated tyre unless there's something to say otherwise.

I never saw a requirement mentioned in the manual btw.

Graham

Reply to
Pooh Bear

I recently has Z rated tyres fitted. My car only require V rated, but all the tyres he had of the size 205/55/16 were Z rated. These tyres are also fitted to Mondeos and probably many other medium (mediocre) cars.

Reply to
Johannes

Oh agreed, I didn;t mean "the manual says use Z rated", I meant, "IF the manual states Z rated".

As it happens, my current 1990 Celica does actually require Z rated 15" tyres. Quite hard to get hold of actually. And not cheap.

Reply to
Sleeker GT Phwoar

My point was that tyre dealers only store the ratings that cover most of their cases. I.e. if he buys a lot of Z rated tyres for 205/55/16, he probably get discount. We can thank the Ford Mondeo for that. Rare combinations will be more expensive.

Reply to
Johannes

The codes are related to how well the tires holds up to heat generated by the higher speeds, not necessarily related to sidewall rigidity.

The tire requirements are specific to different handling packages on the model of the car. Tirerack said a H rated tire was correct for a 1993 Saab 900 turbo. The tire shop I went to would not install an H rate tire because I have a 1993 Commemorative Turbo 900 which was factory specified for a V rated tire. I know its terrible to have to drive a car like that, but I needed new tires, so I had to choose between a Cooper and the same model Michelin which was already on the car. I suppose I could get the H rate tires if I took the just the rims into the tire shop . . .

So now I think about those expensive tires when I go into a turn - and I slow down :-( This takes some of the fun out it, but it does minimize the whining noise, from the passengers.

Reply to
ma_twain

I don't know about the 9000 Aero, but the Celica GT4 ST185.

2 litre, 4 cylinder turbo 200BHP. Good for 130-140mph. Toyota spec 215/50R 15 Z's probably a slightly heavier car than the Aero thanks to the very weighty cast iron 4x4 system.
Reply to
Sleeker GT Phwoar

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