I'm considering buying "V" speed-rated Yokohamas (Yokohama 540's made for Nissan dealerships and Sears only) or "H" rated Continental CH95's for my 16' SE rims. (Tire size 215/55/16) I've never owned a set of V-rated tires. The mileage warranty is a suprising 40,000 miles on the Yokohamas and 60,000 on the Continentals. The difference in price is about $100+. I'm hearing that the V-rated Yokohamas will give me less treadwear life (I don't care) but will provide a smoother, more stable, quieter, ride and that cornering and braking will be improved as well.

I'm looking for feedback/recommendations from anybody who's had personal experience with these tires or who has replaced a "H" rated tire with a "V" rated tire (any brands). I've checked out www.Tirerack.com, but because the Yokohama is a private label tire, I can't review any customer's comments on this tire. The Continental's had an average rating but I'm a little skeptical because the tire rated only a "6.0" on the "Would Buy Again" category.

Will I regret buying the Continentals? Are V-rated tires worth another $100 or am I spending money unnecessarily (Haven't we all done so on our cars?). I'm soliciting lots of comments, please.

 

V rated tires are rated to 150 MPH whereas H rated are rated to 130 MPH. If you don't plan on exploring that part of your performance envelope then save some dough and get H rated tires. I don't know if V rated tires are really going to offer you better cornering, quietness etc. Maybe they do because the tiremaker, knowing you spent more on those tires, put more into them Also, V, W and Z rated tires tend to be unidirectional, so when it comes to rotating your tires, you're limited to moving them front to back only, not criss cross as well. Not a big issue but worth mentioning.

DW

 

I have Pirelli P6000 H rated. I figured that I'm not going to be driving at 140MPH at all. These tires are smooth as hell and I liked the tread pattern for wet weather. They stick really good once you get about 5000 miles on them.

 

red:

dont forget about changing tire sizes -- with the factory 215/55/16 tire size, you could go either way -- to 225/50/16 or 225/55/16. i went with the 225/55/16, and got the dunlop sp sport 8000. the tires cost $102 and came with excellent ratings (performance, noise, etc.) if you go with the 225/50 size, the same tire can be had for $88 at tirerack.com or tires.com (discount tire). i bought from tires.com, they can either ship the tires to you, or have them shipped to the nearest discount tire store. the installation is free, but you have to pay for balance and rotation.

you're probably wondering about the size differences between the sizes. the difference is about 1/2 inch diameter (bigger or smaller, depending on which tire you go for), so it doesnt change the speedo reading too much (+/- 1-2 mph at 60mph).


oh yeah, youre asking about the tire ratings.... the sp sport 8000 tires are "w" rated, not that i would go that fast, but a little more assurance during the spirited drives is nice....

dfwmax

 

I have Yokohoma AVS dB v-rated tires on my car. They are fabulous. I would have a hard time settling for an H rated tire now that I have the Yokohomas.

When I bought my car it came with S rated Generals... Let's not even talk about those tires...there is nothing good to say!

 

So what size are the rims on a 96 SE? What size tires will fit on those? I've heard too many different numbers.