"all season" tires

[Robert Myers]

With much snippage: At 07:14 AM 10/26/01, Roger M. Woodbury wrote:

>When I buy tires, I try to buy the best combination of speed rating/wear
>factor that I can get.  This usually means that I end up with "S" rated
>tires.  On my Audi 200 Quattro Avant, the manual called for V rated tires,
>which I found unnecessary.  The "V" rated tires that I did use on either the
>5000CS Avant Quattro or the "V" rated tires that came on the 200 originally,
>did not offer anything to justify the higher cost.  In a land of speed
>limits never exceeding seventy miles per hour, an "S" rated tire is
>sufficient.

Agreed - the justification for higher speed rating tires based solely upon 
posted speed limits in the US is minimal at best.  Speed limits, if obeyed, 
are simply too low to require anything more than an S-rating.

However - and this is a BIG HOWEVER - higher speed rated tires get that 
higher speed rating (in part, at least) based upon their stiffer 
sidewalls.  Those stiffer sidewalls translate directly into sharper turn-in 
and, in general, a better handling car, especially at speed.  To me this 
fact alone justifies the greater expense for Z-rated tires for my cars.  My 
car simply handles better with Z-rated rubber therefore I use Z-rated rubber.


Bob
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  Robert L. Myers   304-574-2372
  Rt. 4, Box 57,  Fayetteville, WV 25840 USA   WV tag Q SHIP
  '95 urS6  Cashmere Grey - der Wunderwagen    ICQ 22170244
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