I recently moved to CA and just blew a tire and was told I must use a V rating in CA. All of my tires are H ratings.

I only want to buy one tire to replace the blown one. Can anyone tell me if I MUST purchase a V rating in CA according to the law?

Can I get around this by purchasing mail order tires?

Thanks for your help.

 

Hey I had the same questions too, but what I did was go about buying a set up 4 v rated Michelin tires...I had H rated before and though the V rated tires are nice they will wear faster but handle better around corners and at speeds higher than 100 mph..so if you aren't speed racing or driving on the auto bahn then the H rated tire is totally sufficient.

 

I did a quick google search just out of curiosity if California has a requirement for speed ratings on tires and found absolutely nothing. So I am just guessing that the person who told you that you require a V rating is just suggesting you to do that just like a girlfriend might say something like "I must have this new purse!/I need this new purse!" etc, etc.

As far as their reasoning, I cannot be entirely sure except for unless they are a sports car enthusiast. Just as the post above, a V rating will be a higher performance rating which might compensate for high speed driving and maneuvering in hot temperatures if you live in southern CA. From a "physics" point of view, the V rating is not going to mean the exact same thing if you are actually in northern CA and see colder temps and more snow.

So in my humble opinion, if you are average to modest auto enthusiast, your H rating will be just great. If you live, eat, breath and crap motor oil, then spring for the extra rating (and make sure you have a high fiber diet).

 

The temperature rating is as follows: A, B, & C. C will get you through............but don't like sustained high speed touring. They work OK for the city. Most tyres are rated as B. I never purchase a tyre that isn't A as they will take sustained high speed temperatures. Naturally an A tyre is more costly than a C. An H rated tyre is sufficient but a V is for sustained high speed and the ply will not separate as quickly. Now, most all season tyres are NOT V rated............some are but the tread pattern will get you through light snow. Most V rated tyres are for summer use only and are not given a tread design for "all seasons".

r.