The need for speed

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Mounting and balancing LT tires

All passenger tires are rated for certain speeds. Any tire with at least an Sspeed rating is considered a performance tire.

When Z-speed-rated tires were first introduced, they were thought to reflect the highest tire speed rating that would ever be required — in excess of 149 miles per hour. That was the speed rating ceiling at the time.

Later, W and Y speed ratings were added to identify tires that have even higher speed capabilities. (See chart below)

How to ID a tire’s age

“When was that tire made?” This is a question that a customer might ask. Determining a tire’s age is easy. All of the information you need can be found on the tire’s sidewall. Use this example:

Identification of tire age

EXAMPLE: XX B3 ABCD 2718

To determine when the tire was produced, check out the Tire Identification Numbers (TIN), which identify when the tire was made.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Numbers are a combination of the letters DOT, followed by eight to 13 letters and/or numbers that identify the manufacturing location (XX); tire size code (B3); and manufacturer’s code (ABCD), along with the week and year that the tire was manufactured.

Using the example above, the first two numbers identify the week (27) and the final two numbers identify the year of manufacturing (18).

Therefore, you can tell the customer that this tire was produced during the 27th week of 2018.

Performance tire speed ratings/maximum speeds (in miles per hour) and typical vehicle applications

S = 112 Family sedans and vans

T = 118 Family sedans and vans

H = 130 Sport sedans and coupes

V = 149 Sport sedans, coupes and sports cars

W = 168 Exotic sports cars

V = 186 Exotic sports cars

(Y) = >186 Exotic sports cars

Z = 149 Exotic sports cars