Why a tire’s speed rating matters

There are really only two places where you would theoretically need to mind your tire’s speed rating: the track, and the Autobahn in Germany where there are certain sections without any speed limits. Other than that, our speed limits in Canada are well below the average tire’s maximum safe speed.

That said, a tire’s speed rating provides more information than the maximum speed you can safely reach. Indeed, the tire speed rating also provides useful info on the tires expected thread life. Tires with higher speed ratings will perform better when it comes to braking and they will have more grip, but they are also more prone to wear. So, if you are not planning to do any track driving, you probably want to go with a lower speed rating.

To see the speed rating of your tire, find the tire specs on the sidewall which look like this: P 225/55/R18 97T.

The final letter is the speed rating. There are 14 in total.

L : maximum 120 km/h

M : maximum 130 km/h

N : maximum 140 km/h

Q : maximum 160 km/h

R : maximum 170 km/h

S : maximum 180 km/h

T : maximum 190 km/h

U : maximum 200 km/h

H : maximum 210 km/h

V : maximum 240 km/h

Z: maximum 240 km/h +

W : maximum 270 km/h

Y : maximum 300 km/h

(Y): maximum 300 km/h +

Thank you to Bruce GM Digby for their help with this article.