I was curious how much of a leeway there is on the speed ratings of street tires. Two of my tires are rated H to 118mph and the other two are only rated to 106mph. I usually don't go over 90mph for legal reason but wanted to know if the tire is going to disintigrate at 107mph.
The only reason I wanted to know is the other day I had a porsche turbo come up going about 90mph on an open highway with very light traffic. I pimped him a little and the guy took off to 110mph.
They're rated for continuous operation at that speed, IIRC. So it's unlikely they'll blow the first time you hit that speed, but they probably won't be able to handle the heat of staying there.
H is rated 130 mph. I don't think it is the speed as much as resisting the heat build up due to deformation ot the tread. Keep doing that and you will find the answer to your question.
what does it mean when you say you "pimped him a little"?
The ratings are for prolonged operation at that speed at their rated load. It's pretty rare for a tire to fail from excessive speed. Improper inflation, damage, or general poor condition will vastly increase your chances of a high speed failure, though. For the occasional jaunt into "going to jail" territory you'll probably be fine*.
Thanks for the info folk. I don't think I'll have to worry about sustained speed above 100mph.
I didn't do anything serious just let the guy pass and got right behind him. I love to piss people off in expensive cars. Around the SF bay area you see tons of really expensive cars driven by complete turds who can't handle them. My car is 31years old, 3500lbs, and powered by a 185hp I6 so I'm just using what I got.
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