so what happens when you exceed the speed rating of a tire?

[slowjoe]

i have some michelins, cheap tires. 195/70/R14 87S The S speed rating is 112 mph. If i went above 112 mph, would the tires just blow up or something? or would some funky things start to happen. any have any experience in exceeding the speed rating? thanks. cuz i get pretty close sometimes and im not quite sure what to expect.

[jamal]

yes, they could actually explode after extended high speed use. Well, they'll overheat and the tread can separate. The ratings means that at the specified load and speed they will last at least 10 minutes. That assumes the tire is properly inflated and hasn't ever been punctured.

Additionally quit driving 100+ on public roads.

[Murphy]

today many car manufacturers use tires that exceed the top speed of the car itself, that way your unlikely to do them any harm as a result of high speeds
its pretty much like jamal said
They are tested at 77*F on a smooth wheel (like a dyno) and must sustain a certain speed for atleast 10 minutes.
that does not mean that the tire failed after 10 minutes.
Manufacturers make the tire for a certain market, then they test it at that rating, they dont build a tire for that rating. Its possible a tire rated S could easily pass a test for a V rating, but thats not the market the manufacturer wanted to sell it in.

Its possible you could sustain 130 and not have problems, but i wouldnt try it, thats testing the boundaries a little to much

[tris91ricer]

Additionally quit driving 100+ on public roads.

Take a left and come down from Moral Highground Hill, take a right at the light, and meet us at the Krispy Kreme in the Throttle Jockey Valley.

Not trying to be a dick, just wanted to come off as witty while telling you that the poor guy doesn't need your chidings -- Common Sense tells ya if you've got 195s on 14s, you shouldn't even take corners above 40, let alone hit triple digits on the interstate!

Needless to say I agree with you, but only when the cops are around.

[slowjoe]

haha thanks.

[evolutionmovement]

FWD cars often come with high speed rating tires because they put so much heat into the front tires also. The speed rating is essentially a heat rating. A heavy load will lower the speed capacity of the tires as well. I don't recommend going over the speed rating and would try to keep it below 80% as with anything.

[slowjoe]

very interesting. after removing the S rated tires off the steelies, i found that the inside of the tire was not perfect anymore. for people who have worked with tires(i worked at justtires) when removing a used tire to patch a flat or change it or whatever, it is usually still perfect on the inside and ribbed all around. but on the tires that i had which had exceeded the speed rating, there were smooth spots and areas with slight discolorations. i would guess that would be from the heat. so what im guessing could have happened next had i sustained the triple digit speeds would be the rest of the rubber melting from the inside out and then a catastrophic blowout. oh and just for reference, they were michelins in the front and geolanders in the rear. the michelins had a max pressure rating of 44psi while the geolanders were rated at 35. i ran them at 40 cold and 30 cold respectively.