bhuwan

I have a Lexus GS300 AWD 2006 with Michelin Pilot A/S on them now (Speed rating W)

I am thinking of replacing them with a tire that has as speed rating of "V" -- is this recommended? I care more about the ride/comfort than than performance.

bhuwan

P.S. the new Tire are the Goodyear Comfort Tread Touring A/S

SChema

iTrader: (2)

You'll be okay, the "V" rating will hold up to 149.
I don't think the majority on this board will even reach that number; not saying the cars are not capable, just no reason to do it.

Teal Sc400

Most "V" speed rating tires have fair/poor tread life, if your concern is about tread longevity?

bhuwan

Wow I totally screwed the first post - I meant to say Whiskey Speed rating - not Victor

*Batman*

I only use Y rated tires.

Kansas

Then consider going down to an even lower speed rated tire such as "H" (130 mph maximum). You will likely get more miles out of H-rated tires too.

My 00 LS400 came with V-rated (149 mph) summer tires but I currently use H-rated all season tires (Michelin Primacy MXV4) in Spring/Summer/Fall and T-rated (118 mph) (Bridgestone Blizzak WS70) tires in Winter.

I certainly never approach 130 or 118 mph on public roads but I do occasionally take curves fast enough in dry weather to allow the tires break away in a controlled manner - even when I have the car on snow tires. I may be a geezer but I ain't dead yet.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

The one problem with dropping the speed rating is that typically you are going to a lesser performance tire as well.

Although we'll most likely never reach the speeds that tires are capable of nowadays, remember that the speed rating also means that the tire sheds heat very well, which can promote longevity, especially when driven hard, and that the tire will on average have a stiffer sidewall...

My opinion, you bought a luxury, performance car, and putting an inadequate tire on it, as small of a change as it may be, may decrease the handling enough to be noticeable...

Kansas

I was addressing the goals of the OP who said he cares "more about the ride/comfort than performance."

I used to think the same thing about dropping the speed rating until I realized that the difference between H and V rated tires in the same tire model line were too little for me to notice - and I consider myself a "sensitive driver" since I can tell from how a car handles when one tire's pressure is off by a couple of pounds.

I also began noticing that some European tire manufacturers said it was permissible to mix their H and V-rated tires of the same model on the same vehicle. How could they do that if there was a performance issue? Maybe it's all about the higher tread temperature that come with driving over 130 mph?

It is doubtful that anyone searching for maximum performance would be using all season tires anyway. Those people would be using summer-only tires in the "ultra high performance" category and put up with much shorter tread life and harsher ride.

Brandon@TR

I show the 06 GS300 AWD came with V rated tires from Lexus...