Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Just though I'd respond. So many tires available, and there will be many different recommendations. I have the Yokohama Advan S4, great tire, but I don't like the flat spotting after the car sits, which is not unlike other UHP tires. I'll probably get killed for the recommendation, but take a look at the Michelin Exalto A/S. It's only a H rated tire, but it is superior in many categories. Take a look at the Tire Rack site for info and survey results. They certainly aren't cheap, but the daughter has the Michelin Exalto A/S on her Maxima and they are fantastic, good ride and great handling in rain and snow and looks like fantastic mileage.
Food for thought.

avs007

Tire shops have been known to refuse to install tires with a lower speed rating than OEM tires, because the car's speed limiter is set slightly above the speed rating of the OEM tire. They prob don't want the liability...

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

This point has been made many times, but I've never known a shop that would refuse to mount the tires, nor have I've ever heard of a state inspection facility even checking the speed rating. I think in this application as with most, a 130 mph rated tires is sufficient.

If mounting was a concern all one needs to do is to take the wheels to the facility and have the new tires mounted.
In fact, I never take our cars to a shop, I only take the wheels. Don't need some gorilla tightening the lug nuts to 150 lbs.

avs007

Quite common over here. I've had Costco refuse to mount 2 tires that were mismatched from the front (new tires were Grand Touring Performance Tires, old tires were high performance all season). I've also had both Les Schwab refuse to install H rated tires on a car that came with Z rated tires, and I also had America's Tire Company refuse to install non speed rated tires on a car that came with H-Rated tires.

All of them mentioned the factory speed limiter of 130mph for cars that came with H-Rated tires, 155 that came on Z-Rated cars, etc.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

You'll find that just the Z rated tire with no suffix is rated 149, but like I stated previously, easy way around if that should occur, just take the wheels to the shop. If they say they are Acura wheels and you need xxx tires, which again I highly doubt, tell them they are on your Honda.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Just wantd to add, I know of no law that inhibits the replacemnt of a tire with a lower speed rating. The NHTSA only specifies that the manufacturer have a placard with the tire information and recommends replacement using same.
If you come up with a specific law on the replacement let me know.

avs007

I know there is no law, I was just saying that I've seen tire shops refuse to install the above mentioned tires. Similar, to how I've also seen tire shops refuse to work on a tire treated with Fix-a-flat. No laws saying they can or can't, completely the tire shop's decision in all these cases.

The Z-rated tires on the cars I was referring to actually came with W-rated tires, but most people (including myself) just refer to them as Z rated.

But anyways, I hand-roll my wheels into the tire shop anyways... Not because of the speed rating thing, but becaues I don't trust the tire shop to install my wheels on my car. I've had them cross thread the lugs, snap the studs trying to remove said lugs, carelessly toss the wheel on the mounting machine, miss, and gouge the wheels... Forget to tighten the lugs (I carry a torque wrench in my trunk, so I went to check to make sure they were torqued to spec in the parking lot, and found some of the lugs were not even hand tight) Misplace or otherwise forget to reinstall the hub-ring-adapter on my wheels, etc, etc, etc. FWIW, most of these incidents happened at Les Schwab, so I actually never go there anymore...

I noticed when I hand roll in my aftermarket wheels (to America's Tire Company anyways), they are VERY careful when installing the tires

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

myron

iTrader: (4)

I have had a shop refuse to mount tires that were just under the speed rating. But I was there with my car so I couldnt even tell them that it wasnt for my car haha