mpd333

I know this has been talked to death over the past few months, but now it is time for my questions which could not find an answer to when I searched. Debating between 16 inch and 15 inch tires. Yes, I know, 15 inch better in the snow, but I do a lot of winter highway driving on clear roads. Though it looks like price might help decide the decision for me -- will probably settle for the 15 inch tires.

In the 15 inch tires, first tire I am looking at is the Dunlop WinterSport M2. The 195/65-15 is a "T" rated tire. In comparison, the 16 inch tires are "H" rated. How does a "T" compare to an "H"?

Second tire is the Pirelli Winter 210 Asimmetric. The common size most people get their 15 inch winter tire is: 195/65-15. Though at Tire Rack's web site, they do not list this tire? They have a 195/50 and 195/55. Thus the sidewall is shorter/small. Does anyone have these as winter tires on their car? What type of performance differnce can one expect? Don't know if their not including the 195/65 on the website was a mistake or they do not offer them, I know Gary@Ronal is offering them.

Thanks in advance!

Ed

T vs. H ratings...
The T, H, Z, etc. are speed ratings. The T is rated to 118 mph, the H is rated to 130 mph. I've heard that an H rating is the minimum you'd want in a tire, but not sure about whether it this minimum rating would apply to a winter tire.

HTH

Ed
99.5 1.8TQMS

mpd333

In trying to answer my own question, found:

T-Rated: speed = 118, Load index: 79 (937 lbs.), Load index: 98 (1653 lbs)
H-Rated: speed = 130, Load index: 81 (999 lbs.), Load index: 100 (1744 lbs).

Now for my stupid question: assuming one does not exceed (say) 90 during the winter womths, would one notice a difference when driving T rated tire and an H rated tire of the same size and manufacturer?

Thanks!

Drew S.

Many people can quote the speed rating of the letters T, H, V, Z, Y, and W but they don't mention the construction, performance or handling.

A case in point: many of us have Z-rated tires on our cars (comes with the sports package). People will tell you that Z's are good for up to 149 MPH, yet our cars are governed to 130 MPH, and even altered cars aren't reaching 149. So is the Z tire overkill? Absolutely not! The more expensive tires, in addition to performing at higher speeds, are also made with special formulations of materials that give better handling and grip. This is the most important aspect when choosing a tire. Choose one that will perform well in the conditions that you will be driving. Top speed is almost irrelevant. I bought my tire for high performance and handling, not high speed.

On a snow tire, I don't know if H and T even matter. I would look at the tires performance for the kind of driving you will do. I bet the manufacturers made the tires with winter performance in mind, and found that their tires met the qualifications for H or T, so they advertise them that way. H-rated tires are good up to 130 MPH. Are you considering driving that fast in potentially snowy conditions? Or are you more concerned with how they will handle driving and braking in the snow?

mpd333

Currently have the Dunlops from the sports package. With winter approaching, no plans for 130 mph in the snow. Understandably the Winter tires have different treads and are designed for a different purpose. As such, handling/responsiveness will be impacted.

Let's just pick a winter tire: Dunlop Winter Sport M2. Suppose I go with the 195/65-15 rather than the 205/55-16, what difference will I notice? By going with a 15 inch rather than a 16 inch, I would assume my ride will be slighly smoother? (I have a 50-50 chance in my guess). My reason for this is based on my understanind that as one increases tire size - goes to 17 inch or so, the ride quality becomes slighly more harder. Opposite should be true?

Beyond the tire size, using the same brand tire (the Winter Sport M2), will I notice a difference in the 15 inch being "T" rated verus the 16 inch being "H" rated. Given it is the same tire type, one can assume it is made with the same compounds, tread pattern, etc.

thanks in advance!

Drew S.

First, yes, the 15" should feel smoother. This is because you are considering a 65-series tires, which is a higher profile (which means a wider sidewall). The more sidewall you have between the wheel and the road, the more "cushion" you will get from your tires. However, in addition to a smoother ride, you will notice that the higher profile tores don't like to take turns fast like lower profile tires. The 65's will squeal and not hold the road as well in the corners. So you have to back off a little when driving on them.

I can't say for sure on the question of the 15" T vs. the 16" H tires, but I have a hypothesis. Remember in my previous message I said that the letter rating was more than a speed rating, and it really pertained to handling and performance? Well, my theory is that there is a point at which performance changes, and the tire manufacturer is reluctant to rate a tire any higher. For instance, the 16" tire with a 55-series sidewall may be H rated, but with the 15" tire, the series is 65, which is a wider sidewall, perhaps too wide of a sidewall for the manufacturer to call them H-rated.

I think "H" is where performance ratings start, and a 65-series sidewall is hardly a performance tire. It doesn't make much sense to try to put 65 and H together on a tire. The 65-series tire just won't handle hard turns well. Does that make sense? In the same way, it wouldn't make sense to have a 40-series tire rated as "T". A 40-series would not be a good choice for a touring tire. It would transmit every bump in the road to the passengers.

And that's my hypothesis.

DougR

You could do the M2 in 205/60/HR15, close enough on diameter and H-rated