Replace H-rated tires with S-rated? Advice please!
 

Friends,

I have a '96 Nissan Maxima with 186,000 miles, and I need new tires. The problem is, I'll probably be replacing the car in less than a year, so I'm not into investing a lot of extra cash to keep her going.

The tires on the car now are "H" rated, which are rather pricey to replace.

The question is: Can I replace the H-rated tires with S-rated tires? Why or why not? Would it be unsafe? I drive about 100 freeway miles every day, up to 80 mph when traffic permits.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

go ahead and get the S- rated... unless you plan on going above 112 MPH :D



Speed Rating - Miles/Hour - Kilometers/Hour - Typical Use

N=87 MPH, 140km/h, Spare Tires
P=93 MPH, 150km/h
Q=99 MPH, 160km/h, Winter, LT Tires
R=106 MPH, 170km/h, LT Tires
S=112 MPH, 180km/h
T=118 MPH, 190km/h
U=124 MPH, 200km/h
H=130 MPH, 210km/h, Sport Sedans
V=149 MPH, 240km/h, Sports Cars
Z=149 MPH, 240km/h and over, Sports Cars
W=168 MPH, 270km/h, Exotic Sport Cars
Y=186 MPH, 300km/h, Exotic Sport Cars

Interesting, I had never heard of W or Y (or the first three, for that matter).

Kruz, you took the words right out of my mouth...

I dunno, i'd probably stick with the H myself. H rated tires generally provide better handling overall which could help you get out of trouble if someone else is being an idiot. My V rated tires have saved me a couple of times!

Id never heard of the ones over Z, which are on my dad's SHO and they are really expensive. If your only keeping it for a year, get the cheaper ones and use whats left over on your next car.

And I can vouch that these ratings really do mean something. When my Ram was on the dyno, I had the speed limiter disabled for one pull, where I topped out at 142 mph on S-rated tires - at which point I heard the panicked dyno operator yell "whoa, whoa, let off! Let off!". The sidewalls were wrinkling and the tires were about to blow off the wheels...

In about a year, a new federal regulation may come into effect that would place stricter requirements on tires. Only H-rateed and above tires would meet the new requirements without being redesigned by the manufacturer. You don't have to worry if you're getting rid of it before then, and it may not be passed, but it's something to think about.

I'd still go for the H's, for handling.

Ever looked into Kumho or Toyo tires? You can get "Z" rated tires for $100 or so.

Got 'em on my 928 and luv 'em.

vagabundo, what is the original tire size fitment for the car? if the car calls for H-rated tires to begin with, no reputable tire shop will install less OE on it. Not only is it illegal in some states, but its downright stupid and dangerous. However, if the fitment is such that a set of S-rated tires meets the OE standard, then by all means, go with them, just dont expect the car to handle as well as it did on the better tires.

I just did a check on www.tirerack.com for your car. Fitment on the Maxima GXE and GLE is 205/65r15, for the SE it is 215/60r15. If you have the SE, then H-rated tires are the minimum acceptable replacement. However, you can get H-rated tires in that size for under $100 each from the tirerack. If your car is the gxe or gle, then you can get tires for even less, as the size is more common and you have better choice.

As a former tire salesman, I strongly recommend the Dunlop D-65's. Nice handling, quiet, long lasting tires, usually reasonably priced.

One thing to pay attention to with tires as well is the size of the motors in the car. Sometimes they force a car to take a higher speed rated tire because of the HP rating of the engine. Sometimes the torque of the more powerful motors is too much for the lesser tires.

My own opinion is to stay with the H tires if you can. They do make some good cheap H rated tires. I bought H rated tires for my car on tirerack.com for pretty cheap money recently. Even though you only may keep it for a year, thats still a pretty significant amount of time.

As Sion also said, it is very difficult to find a tire shop that would take on the liability of putting on a lesser rated tire. In this day in age, its kinda like a cover their own ass policy.

Thanks for all the advice guys (and ladies?). I think my Maxima is a GLE. It sounds like the best option is to go for inexpensive H-rated (instead of the Goodyear tires that I currently have).