I need a new set of tyres and am contemplating getting a winter set, as the Continentals aren't much cop in the snow. The tyres specified for my SC are 109Y, but winter tyres are 109V, which are a lower speed rating, but more than adequate.

I'm worried that I could be found at fault in the case of an accident because of the lower speed rating?

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

technically replacement tyres must be rated to OE spec or above......say that lots do fit lower speed rated but i would be careful with the load ratings.. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
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Obviously you would need to cover your arse and tell your insurers but if it was illegal how could manufacturers like Porsche offer winter tyre programs with lower speed ratings ? 2008 MY Supercharged
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Thanks Stan, that's what I thought.

Good point Axle, but I don't think LR offer winter tyre sets, I will find out & ring my insurance co.

Definitely worth ringing the insurer, however V rated should be 150mph, my S/C is limited to 130mph anyhow.

(well at the moment it's top speed is 0, but that's another story ) Formerly happymadison1978

I guess it depends on whether the car is spec'd to need Y rated tyres, or whether it just happens to be fitted with them as that's what the manufacturer had available at the time.

V rated is still 149MPH so hard to argue that they aren't good enough.

I guess the question would be whether V rated tyres were ever fitted to a 4.2 SC or even any other FFRR by the factory

I'm sure I've run V rated tyres before & not given it a second thought as they would still be 'appropriate' for the vehicle as long as they carried the right load rating.

I've declared winter tyres to my insurance company - but wasn't asked for, nor provided a spec.

Interestingly when I type my registration in here I get different speed & load ratings for different diameter wheels......


Is there anything in the owners manual ?

the speed rating isnt just about the top speed the tyre is capable of but it also takes into account the 'forces' the tyre suffers getting to that speed..

for instance, because you legally cant exceed the 70 mph speed limit in the UK you could in theory fit a T rated [118mph] tyre onto a porsche ...but the porsche will rip the tyre to pieces on its 0-60 acceleration.. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
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All good points, thanks guys.

I checked the handbook & it says the only tyres for 20s are 109y rated & winter tyres can only be fitted to 19s, which it lists as 255/55 R19 111H Goodyear Ultra Grip.

Haven't had a chance to ring dealer yet, but don't think they will be much help.

Your dealer should be able to supply a topix list of LR homologated tyres. I tried to find the 322 list through google but found only the 405 list. It has several 255/55R20 V rated winter tyres. I'd say if LR have homologated the tyre it must be legal, though I'd still tell the insurers.

My winter tyre is Goodyear Duratrac 255/55R19 and I have been happy with them, alas they don't do a 255/50R20 which I assume is the size you have in mind. I have read on here that 255/55R20 will fit 322 20" rims. Only Range Rovers since 1988

I checked mine & they are V rated

If it helps, the Continental Tyres site recommends a V rated 275/40/22 for the L405 including the 5.0SC

(Tyre Finder in the top right - but shows nothing for the L322)

I haven't found any Winters higher than a V rating - looks like Conti only do an H rated SUV 255/50/20 winter,

Thanks Alistair, I checked the first site & it also gave me varying speed ratings, including the H rated Continental winter tyre, but has a disclaimer saying that fitting lower speed rated tyres can invalidate your insurance.

The Continental site says there isn't a winter tyre available?

I think I'll either stick with the OE continentals which appear to be summer tyres, or try the Purelli Scorpions which people seem to like a lot, as I tried Toyos once and they were too noisy.

Quote:

The Continental site says there isn't a winter tyre available?

Here in Sweden the law require a winter tyre to be fitted and it also states that the winter tyres can have a lower than the specified speed rating.

The AA seems to be of the same opinion:

The AA wrote:

If you fit winter or all-season tyres in place of your standard 'summer' tyres there should be no need to tell your insurer – even though the speed index might be lower.

A quick check online suggests the top speed of the 4.2 is governed to 130mph. It's construction and use regs which specify that tyres should be rated no less than the max speed of the car, so with that in mind, then H rated tyres at 130mph should in theory meet that regulation. It's also the principle I'm working to when looking for winter tyres at the moment. There are a lot more H rated tyres to choose from. Regarding telling insurance, there is a list that shows which insurers ate generally ok with changing to winter tyres and whether they need told or not. A number of years ago, I added a comment to my policy saying I fitted different tyres at different times of the year, but that the tyres met the load and max speed of the car. They had no issue with it.

Here is the list . . . .
https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savin...nter-tyres V8 or else ...