Tyres

[ashypd51]

time has come to change tyres, read a few of the posts re tyres need to be reinforced, my question is that do tyres that are marked with a high load rating ie. 97 or 99 v/h or xl etc. qualify as a reinforced tyre or does the tyre need to have the word 're-inforced' stamped on it.

 

thanx once again......... ashy

[strouf]

Every tyre manufacturer may use different ways to mark their tyres. "reinforced","extra load", or over 95 is fine.

[adrianf.]

Every tyre manufacturer may use different ways to mark their tyres. "reinforced","extra load", or over 95 is fine.

I used to have a set of 18" with Extra load but only 92, would these have been ok or not :)

[Guest HairyPlateEater]

if they were marked or described as extra load then they should be ok as they would have been a lower profile tyre (presuming they were fitted to a galaxy). With the tyre wall being narrower than on a standard 16" wheel the wall will be less likely to buckle under the extra weight of the car. Therefore a 92 load rating on an 18" wheel's trye would be the equivalent of 95 or above on a 16" wheel's tyre. I would presume :)

[tim-spam]

Tyre load index is not dependent upon tyre size at all. A load index of 92 gives a load rating of 630kg, 95 gives 690kg, and 97 gives 730kg. I think you will find that if the load rating is less than the minimum recommended by the manufacturer (in this case, 95), you may have problems with insurance, police, etc.

 

As regards reinforced tyres, these have reinforced sidewalls and generally run at higher pressures than standard tyres. They are normally recommended for heavier vehicles such as light commercials and MPV's. 'Reinforced' or 'Extra Load' does not imply a particular load rating, but, for a given type of tyre, the reinforced version normally has a load index 4 points higher than the non-reinforced version. On my car, the recommended tyre is a reinforced tyre with a load index of at least 95 - a tyre with a load index of more than 95 alone is not recommended, and neither is a reinforced tyre with a load index of less than 95 (although I don't think these are available in the 215/55R16 size anyway).

 

Hope this helps.