Kevin M

iTrader: (12)

Esoterik, you should really tone down the rhetoric. claiming that these other WRX owners wasted their purchase, because they don't exceed 130 mph in their cars, is ludicrous. Personally, I don't give a damn what tires you put on your car, you shouldn't be driving that fast, ever, unless you're on a closed race course. Hell, SCCA Solo II autocross courses are limited by the rules to 65+ mph. Who cares if one can't go double the speed limit on a given tire if it does everything else you ask of it for the price? Furthermore, if you think buying H-rated tires are a waste because they don't allow you to fulfill the performance potential of the WRX, why aren't you griping about him not buying S03s or GSD3s or Azenis Sports or any of a dozen tires that are light years better performance wise than the ones being discussed here? Bottom line is, there's no need for criticism of people with priorities different than yours.

EsoterikWRX

I am only stating what SOA states. If you or anyone else disagrees, read your owner's manuel or the little sticker on the B-pillar. In addition, does anyone pump 86 or 87 octane? B/C I am sure you could get some quailty regular gas at some stations...
:rhetoric over:


Either way, I'm over it. Drive safe & play nice.

LUvikes29

Just to clarify some, here's why I think there's a discrepancy.

Subaru does not recommend a tire of less than a V rating because of sidewall strength, not because the car actually gets driven 130+MPH. I'm not sure exactly why, but it has to do with the way the suspension is set up, and during high cornering loads, in theory, if you had like a T rated tire on there, you could roll the tire off the rim because the sidewall isn't strong enough to cope with the lateral load. My Toyota Celica "requires" V rated tires , and that car essentially can't even go 130 unless it's falling off a cliff.

That having been said, that rule does not apply to snow tires because they're built differently (again, not sure why. I don't make the rules, I just play by them). Most true snow tires (with very few exceptions) are H rated, and they'll work fine. There are lots of M+S rated V and Z all seasons, but they generally suck in snow.
I had the BF goodrich's in question (T/A's) in a V rating on my 3000GT VR-4, and they drove about as well in winter as if I'd just wrapped my wheels in 4 blocks of ice and tried to drive down the street, so I'm guessing that the H rating is a much better winter tire than the V, which isn't really a snow tire, it's just an M+S tire.

HOWEVER, I seem to remember that whoever started this thread is in Missouri, so if you don't get that much snow, you're probably fine with a M+S tire. But I hope this answers your question about speed rating.

EsoterikWRX

That is from another site where they were there is similar 'rhetoric'.
And I'm still over it. Merry Christmas.