If my '02 Accord came with H rated tires, and I was to put on a T rated tire, I've been told that I'll notice a difference in handling. I was told that the T rated tire will ride a little better, but I'll notice that my steering won't be as crisp...

Any truth to this? Or will I really not notice a difference??

 

Whoever told you that is a big fat liar. A tire's construction and tread compound determine ride and handling. The speed rating simply rates how well the tire dissipates heat and can withstand high speeds.

Jon

 

That's what I thought, and since this car rarely sees speeds faster than 75mph, I'm not really concerned. Thanks!

 

the difference between speed ratings also have to do with the material in the tire... most tires that have a h-rating or higher have nylon in them and most of the s and t rated do not have the nylon in the tire... the nylon in the shrinks when the tires heats up so that the tire doesn't have that feeling that it is rolling over itself.. so yes there is a difference in the tire's

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">that the tire doesn't have that feeling that it is rolling over itself.. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Wtf does that mean???

 

basically like a nylon hose when it heats up it shrinks right... well that nylon shrinks around the polyester's and steel inside the the tire to keep it in place so that you don't get that feeling that the tire is rolling over itself when you take a corner to hard... and another thing is the strength of the bead bundle. the thicker it is the better for handling as well.. really cheap tire's have a small bead bundle and you more expensive tire's and better handling tires have a thicker bead bundle.. all these things tie into with the compund of the tire for handling