My car came with a brand new full size spare when i bought it. The tire is a Goodyear Eagle GA 205/65 R15 (97 gxe) i recently bought another brand new tire off the internet which carries the same name and size but a slightly different tread (i assume one tire is a bit older than the other)



The left one has slightly more cuts in the center and is rated at 94V, while the right one is missing those cuts/grooves and is rated at 92H. I think its not a big deal because i am not racing anyone, just normal driving. I paid CAN $30 cash for that one tire i bought so its not a huge loss if i cant use it, but what do you guys think?

Also the speed rating is different on all my tires (2 fronts, 2 rears and the two replacement tires)

Here is a pic of my front Michelin Road Handler Tplus (rated at 92T):

Here is a pic of my rears Sears Road Handler Voyager LX (rated at 92S)

Just to compare here is the speed rating chart:
Speed Symbol Maximum Speed
Q 99 MPH / 160 KPH
S 112 MPH / 180 KPH
T 118 MPH / 190 KPH
U 124 MPH / 200 KPH
H 130 MPH / 210 KPH
V Above 130 MPH / 210 KPH (without service description)
V 149 MPH / 240 KPH (with service description)
Z Above 149 MPH/ 270 KPH
W 168 MPH / 270 KPH
Y 186 MPH / 300 KPH
Z Above 186 MPH / 300 KPH

I would like to eventually replace my two rears with the Goodyear Eagle GA's that have different tread and put move them to the front, while moving the Michelin's to the rear. So would the difference in speed rating be an issue? I do not plan to go that fast but out of curiousity what happens when one exceeds the speed rating of a tire? (I am sure the tire can actually go faster as the rating is scaled back for safety reasons)

 

anyone? .

 

Mixing speed ratings is never recommended, but can be done on the same axle. Mixing tread patterns is the same way.

If you have one "odd" tire, I would NOT run it fo rany longet than you have to. Both rears should match, and both fronts should match. This includes size, model, trad design, speed rating, and hopefully, tire wear.

Other than that, you are bodering on unsafe conditions because the car is not as predictable as it should be.

 

in the first photo, do you think the tread is too different ? some family members of mine failed to even catch the small difference

 

The tread IS pretty close. I'd just be ver careful until you determine whether the tires behave differently. I did the same thing once- bought "identical" tires with different speed ratings, and they were very slightly different.

 

what no one has a minute to say what they think ? i dont believe that cmon guys help me out

 

I think you are fine. The differences are minute. If you were mixing All-Seasons with summer performance tires then I would be worried. Don't sweat it unless you hit some water and lose control.

 

If you don't believe me, then go ask at a tire shop. Stop bumping this thread. You got an answer.

 

don't worry about it. just drive the car. the difference in the tread is very minor- just a production revision over time.

only thing I would do is to keep the same brand/load rating on the same axle. otherwise, drive happy.

 

If anything, you might experience different wear patterns.

Here's where I'm coming from. My wife hit a curb in a bank drive thru with her minivan with only 5K miles on it. She had the tire replaced with a seemingly equal OEM (Mich. Symmetry). When I looked into it, it was the same brand, model and size, but the tread pattern, sidewall design and speed and load ratings were slightly differnt. I initially was sweating the downgrade from 98T to 97S rating, but figured it would be ok. When it came time to replace the tires, the "new" tire was worn more on the shoulders, even though I kept it inflated at the same pressure as the other three.

 

It's not unheard of for a tire to come in two different speed ratings for a different size. The Falken Ziex is a great example -- there are H-rated and V-rated versions for a lot of the sizes in which it is made. There will have to be differences in the construction of the tire for each speed rating, so it's not out of the question for one to have slight differences in the tread pattern.

Whether that affects you depends on a lot of factors, but you'll probably be okay. Worst-case scenario, you'll have slightly better traction or a slightly smoother ride on one side. Nothing major, and certainly nothing catastrophic.

 

Thanks guys, you've reinforced my own opinion, im going to wait out the summer on my bad tires and put these puppies on for next winter if all goes well.

Much appretiated