Tires

It's a very common question -- what is the speed rating on my tires? And of course, what does that mean? The practice of branding a speed rating on tires began in Germany, where some highways don't have speed limits, as a way to ensure the speed capability of the tires were matched with the top speed capability of the vehicle they’re mounted on.

Using the 195/60R15195/60R15 87S tire in the image below as our example, the speed rating is denoted by the "S" at the very end.

tire's load index and tire's speed rating

Great, so what does an "S" speed rating mean? Each "letter" speed rating corresponds to a specific maximum speed. You can see from the table below, an "S" speed-rated tire has a fixed maximum speed of 112mph. It's important to note speed ratings only apply to tires that have not been damaged, altered, or driven under-inflated or while overloaded.

The most common tire speed rating symbols, maximum speeds and typical applications are shown below:

Speed RatingSpeed mphSpeed km/hCategory
L75 mph120 km/hOff-Road & Light Truck TiresOff-Road & Light Truck Tires
M81 mph130 km/hTemporary Spare TiresTemporary Spare Tires
N87 mph140km/h
P93 mph150 km/h
Q99 mph160 km/hStudless & Studdable Winter TiresStudless & Studdable Winter Tires
R106 mph170 km/hH.D. Light Truck TiresH.D. Light Truck Tires
S112 mph180 km/hFamily Sedans & Vans TiresFamily Sedans & Vans Tires
T118 mph190 km/hFamily Sedans & Vans TiresFamily Sedans & Vans Tires
U124 mph200 km/h
H130 mph210 km/hSport Sedans & Coupes TiresSport Sedans & Coupes Tires
V149 mph240 km/hSport Sedans, Coupes & Sports Cars TiresSport Sedans, Coupes & Sports Cars Tires

Now that you know your speed rating, let's find the right tires for your ride.

When Z-speed rated tires were first introduced, they were thought to reflect the highest tire speed rating that would ever be required, in excess of 240 km/h or 149 mph. While Z-speed rated tires are capable of speeds in excess of 149 mph, how far above 149 mph was not identified. That ultimately caused the automotive industry to add W- and Y-speed ratings to identify the tires that meet the needs of vehicles that have extremely high top-speed capabilities.

Speed RatingSpeed mphSpeed km/hCategory
W168 mph270 km/hExotic Sports CarsExotic Sports Cars
Y186 mph300 km/hExotic Sports CarsExotic Sports Cars

While a Z-speed rating still often appears in the tire size designation of these tires, such as 225/50ZR16 91W, the Z in the size signifies a maximum speed capability in excess of 149 mph, 240 km/h; the W in the service description indicates the tire's 168 mph, 270 km/h maximum speed.

Tire SizeSpeed
225/50ZR16225/50ZR16in excess of 149 mph, 240 km/h
205/45ZR17205/45ZR17 88W168 mph, 270 km/h
285/35ZR19285/35ZR19 99Y186 mph, 300 km/h

When the Y-speed rating indicated in a service description is enclosed in parentheses, such as 285/35ZR19 (99Y), the top speed of the tire has been tested in excess of 186 mph, 300 km/h indicated by the service description as shown below:

Tire SizeSpeed
285/35ZR19285/35ZR19 99Y186 mph, 300 km/h
285/35ZR19285/35ZR19 (99Y)in excess of 186 mph, 300 km/h

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