Are v rated tyres legal on a zs 180

[Blade9274]

If you put your reg into blackcircles it will tell you the speed rating, and V and W come up as acceptable.
I have always fitted W rating to my 180, the only thing I have to say is I had 2 infinity tyres on the front before fitting Kumho le Sport tyres all round, and I had ever felt so unsafe, the traction was shocking, I found them dangerous in the wet
The Kumho however are amazing, 4 fully fitted cost me £322.00

[maxtherotti]

v is the speed rating on the 16inch wheel

I have seen the reviews of infinity tyres on line and there shocking but i have had a set of 4 before and they were fine
also had michelin ps2's that made my t5 v70 understeer like a pig

to be fair if i had the money it would be on yokohamas or toyos but the budget wont run to them at the moment

Rob

ps i called my insurance company and asked the question and they said if the manufacturer specified w rated tyres thats what they would expect to be fitted as a matter of course when replaced and that a dim view would be taken on lower than specified speed/load rated tyres

[stamford]

I would like to add my 2 cents worth here and say why is it an issue as we cannot legally exceed 70mph anyway so what relevance is it if the tyre needs to do in excess of 160mph? How would a claim stack up if the Police found we had been excess of 70mph and say plus 100mph, would we still be covered then? Even if on track our standard insurance is invalid. Total BS and one I would use in court to prove the point if any insurer tried to back out of a claim due to a technicality. Besides the book says max of 139mph does it not for the 180? Plus all manufactured parts have a designed in safety factor.

[talkingcars]

I think the speed rating also reflects other perceived performance standards.

And UK insurance has to cover you for driving anywhere in the EU, Germany has many stretches of unrestricted motorway, I guess they maybe some effect on underrated tyres after driving legally over there.

[p_b82]

I know that we need the W rating for the reinforced sidewall on the derv - and as a result that is what i expect would be the case for the V6's too.

I would personally not fit what the OE recommendations are purely for the fact that if something were to happen and the tyres might have been the culprit, it would be such a shame for the sake of a few quid more....

It is the rubber on the corners that keeps us on the road after all!

[ian zs180]

Originally Posted by maxtherotti

Well have just returned them to get W's fitted
Shame as the nankangs that were fitted seem to get good write ups but not available in w rating so going for infinity


Rob

To be honest with you mate I think you have made the right choice and in my opinion nankangs are not a very good tyre. A mate had them on his Vectra and they were very scary in the wet I know the vectras arnt very good on handling anyway but omg it was lethel with them nankangs on so another good reason to swap them . What make of tyre are you swapping them for ?

[maxtherotti]

Originally Posted by ian zs180

What make of tyre are you swapping them for ?

Im getting infinity's fitted
there reviews online aint great but have run a set of them before on a ztt and they were sound so ill give them a go

Rob

[tcb 180]

Stick with V rating and better tyres. If you did get involved in an insurance wrangle they'd find something else not to pay out on anyway.

W rating and feedback that what you're buying are not very good? A no brainer I think.

I been on V rated for years.

[maxtherotti]

Originally Posted by tcb 180

Stick with V rating and better tyres. If you did get involved in an insurance wrangle they'd find something else not to pay out on anyway.

W rating and feedback that what you're buying are not very good? A no brainer I think.

I been on V rated for years.

As said above i am aware of there feedback but have used them before and they were fine
also the zs only gets used on nice days (so not much then lol)
will try them out if they are shocking its a good excuse for new wheels

[Maxxed_Ross]

Originally Posted by maxtherotti

Shame as the nankangs that were fitted seem to get good write ups

good write ups as ditch finders possibly. I had a set and they nearly killed me twice buy letting go - in the dry and in fairly normal situations I might add - with no warning at all.

I've heard loads of similar stories over the years so wouldn't touch them with someone else's barge pole

If you're after cheap-ish decent tyres then Barum Bravuris 2 get my vote. Had them on my ZS and both my previous Astras and loved them