Owner`s manual

• Regardless of the speed and handling capabilities of your
car and its tires, a loss of vehicle control can result from
exceeding the maximum speed allowed by law or warranted
by traffic, weather, vehicle, or road conditions.
• High-speed driving should be left to trained professionals
operating under controlled conditions.
• No tire, regardless of its design or speed rating, has
unlimited capacity for speed, and a sudden tire failure can
occur if its limits are exceeded. See “Tire Speed Ratings,”
the next section in this manual.
Refer to your vehicle owner’s manual for any tire pressure
recommendations for high speed driving.
TIRE SPEED RATINGS
A tire bearing a letter “speed rating” designation indicates the tire’s
speed capability according to standardized laboratory tests. This
speed rating system is intended to permit comparison of the speed
capabilities of different tires. When replacing your tires, consult
your vehicle owner’s manual and tire information placard for recom-
mendations, if any, concerning the use of speed rated tires.
• To avoid reducing the speed capability of the vehicle, replace
a speed rated tire only with another tire having at least the same
speed rating. It is the “top speed” of the “slowest” tire on the
vehicle which limits the vehicle’s top speed without tire failure.
• The tire’s speed rating is void if the tire is repaired, retreaded,
damaged, abused, or otherwise altered from its original
condition. Thereafter, it should be treated as a non-speed
rated tire.
• Non-speed rated tires are usually for ordinary passenger
car or light truck service and not for high speed driving.
• For winter tires used in cold weather conditions, it is generally
acceptable to apply a tire with a lower speed rating than your
original tires; however, speed should be reduced accordingly.
All winter tires should be the same speed rating. Some
vehicles have specific recommendations regarding winter tire
use; consult your vehicle owner’s manual and tire information
placard. See “Winter Tires” in this manual.
These speed ratings are based on standardized laboratory tests
under specific, controlled conditions. While these tests may relate
to performance on the road, real-world driving is rarely identical to
any test conditions. Your tire’s actual speed capability may be
less than its rated speed since it is affected by factors such as
inflation pressure, load, tire condition (including damage), wear,
vehicle condition (including alignment), driving conditions, and
duration at which the speed is sustained. Use the following chart
to compare the speed ratings of tires.
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