Tires: Sustituting H for V tires on Honda SI, Tire Speed Rating

Question
Hi Bill,

I saw your response to the other person about this and want to check with you for my car. My 2003 Honda Civic S1 hatchback calls for 195/60R15 tires which have to be ordered here and are quite pricey. The Auto dept at Walmart told me it would be dangerous for me to use H series tires and would have to sign liability waivers for them to install them due to potential sidewall failure (they don't sell V's) . Is this true and  if I want safe tires do I need the V series. I drive fairly slow.

Answer
Richard,

First you have to understand that I don't like the words "Safe" and "Unsafe" - too black and white.  I prefer the term "Risk" as I think it coveys a more easily understood concept.

V speed rated tires have a lower risk of durability failures than does the H rated (and lower speed rated) tires - and the lower the speed rating, the higher the risk.  I personally think everyone should use an H speed rated tire at a minimum.

WalMart is going to be concerned about legal liability, so putting on anything other than what the vehicle manufacturer specifies increases their risk of a lawsuit.  Signing a waiver is their way of doing what the customer wants without excessive risk.


Here's a more detailed examination of the subject:

http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html