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 Post subject: W....what?
PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 12:16 pm 
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Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:06 pm
Posts: 24113
Location: Twixt Heaven and Hell, but nearest Hell
Bought a 2016 Passat

Need 2 tyres

being quoted for W rating (168 mph)..........its got 6 gears but its only 120PS 1600cc FFS

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 Post subject: Re: W....what?
PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 5:28 pm 
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Location: 1066 Country
wannabeeahack wrote:
Bought a 2016 Passat

Need 2 tyres

being quoted for W rating (168 mph)..........its got 6 gears but its only 120PS 1600cc FFS

My motor has got 6 gears on a 1500.

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 Post subject: Re: W....what?
PostPosted: Sun Dec 20, 2020 5:50 am 
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Joined: Wed May 16, 2012 6:33 am
Posts: 13810
wannabeeahack wrote:
Bought a 2016 Passat

Need 2 tyres

being quoted for W rating (168 mph)..........its got 6 gears but its only 120PS 1600cc FFS

But are there any that aren't W or Y rated anyway?

And even the budget tyres for my size all seem to be W rated anyway.

If your tyres are similar to mine (235/45 17) then on Kwik-Fit's site there's only one that's just V rated apart from the Continental *winter* tyre.

Anyway, the speed rating thing has always been one of those curiosities - your car only does 110mph, but you need tyres rated to 168mph :-s

Of course, it's apparently illegal not to have tyres at the same rating as those originally fitted, and if you don't then this can invalidate your insurance:

KwikFit wrote:
As well as safety reasons, having the correct speed rating is important from a legal perspective. Fitting tyres that have a lower speed rating than the manufacturer’s recommendation can invalidate your car insurance. It is important to check your vehicle handbook and ensure that any new tyres match, or even exceed your cars maximum speed. You should never fit a tyre with a lower speed rating than was originally fitted to your vehicle during production.

But it's not a thing I've ever specifically checked when buying tyres, and just rely on the fitters to ensure they're fit and proper 8-[

And I'm not even sure how to find out what VW's original speed rating is. Most obvious place is that Vehicle Data sticker in the service book (which states the engine and chassis numbers, paint code etc), but I can't find it there #-o

But I've still got the original spare in the boot (full-sized) and it's a W rating [-(

And the tyres I've got fitted at the moment are actually the top Y rating, so I'm good for 186mph :-o

https://www.kwik-fit.com/tyres/informat ... eed-rating


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 Post subject: Re: W....what?
PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:06 pm 
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Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:06 pm
Posts: 24113
Location: Twixt Heaven and Hell, but nearest Hell
fitted budget 99V as i always have...

rated 136mph, about 60mph higher than i ever drive

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 Post subject: Re: W....what?
PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:42 am 
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Joined: Wed May 16, 2012 6:33 am
Posts: 13810
wannabeeahack wrote:
fitted budget 99V as i always have...

rated 136mph, about 60mph higher than i ever drive

Maybe yours are smaller tyres, but even the budget variants on mine seem to all be W-rated. Or at least you can easily find budget W-rated tyres for much the same price.

To be honest I normally buy budget tyres and have never really paid much attention to the speed rating. But the last tyres I bought from Kwik-Fit are Goodyears, so as you'd maybe guess they've got a higher speed rating than the original tyres.

(Funny that Kwik-Fit never seem to have budget tyres in stock for my size, but they can fit the Goodyears while the car's on the ramps anyway. That's both axles that's happened now, but at least I've got four good tyres with very little mileage on them :? )


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 Post subject: Re: W....what?
PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:13 am 
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Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:30 pm
Posts: 53921
Location: 1066 Country
Quote:
Funny that Kwik-Fit never seem to have budget tyres in stock for my size, but they can fit the Goodyears while the car's on the ramps anyway.

Hate everything about that firm.

Other than they are the only place you can get a puncture repaired on a Sunday.

They really are the Indian/Nigerian Call Centre of the motor trade.

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 Post subject: Re: W....what?
PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 1:45 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2016 7:56 pm
Posts: 2466
Quote:
"Other than they are the only place you can get a puncture repaired on a Sunday."

National Tyres do puncture repairs on Sundays.


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 Post subject: Re: W....what?
PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 2:50 am 
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Joined: Wed May 16, 2012 6:33 am
Posts: 13810
heathcote wrote:
Quote:
"Other than they are the only place you can get a puncture repaired on a Sunday."

National Tyres do puncture repairs on Sundays.

Was waiting on Sussex to say that there's no National Tyres branch in Brighton & Hove (as far as I can see), so his point wasn't entirely incorrect. But since he's not replied, I'll make the point for him 8-[

But I think you are right in general terms, and the reason I was looking at the National Tyres branch locator was to check the opening times of the branch in Dundee near where I used to live, and indeed it's open on Sunday. But the other National Tyres branch in Dundee (Broughty Ferry branch) isn't open on Sunday, so presumably it's not a universal thing.

But we certainly don't have a National Tyres branch in St Andrews, and as far as I know Kwik-fit is the only one open on Sundays here too, although I've never availed myself of their puncture repair service on a Sunday, maybe because I'm in church praying that I won't have a puncture on the Sabbath [-o< :---)

(And, for what it's worth, I only started going to Kwik-Fit at the time of my last MoT when I couldn't get a slot anywhere else (and my taxi test was also imminent), so for that and another couple of reasons I was pleased enough with the service. Went back again during lockdown when a spring broke during one of my shopping trips ](*,) but was a bit more dubious then, so I'm not sure if I'll go back when my MoT is due again in a couple of months.)

Anyway, while I was on the National Tyres website, had a quick look for my tyre size, and indeed even the budget option was W-rated for speed, and many were Y, which is the next rating up (there's no X). Only £47 a corner too for the budget tyre, which is the cheapest I've seen by maybe a fiver or so :-o

Image


Ironically, the V-rated ones are the most expensive ones, but that's because they're mainly winter tyres, or some other kind of special tyre. In fact there's also an oddball H-rated tyre, and again that's another winter tyre or similar.

Image

(The images just show the budget option and a few of the V-rated and the H-rated one. Must have been twenty or so tyres in total, and most W- or Y-rated)

If like me you don't know the fine details of the speed rating system, there's no real logic to the lettering as far as I can see, and although H-rated sounds like it will be a totally different ballgame to a V-rated tyre, the sequence is in fact H - V - W - Y :?

https://www.kwik-fit.com/tyres/informat ... eed-rating


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 Post subject: Re: W....what?
PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:49 am 
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Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:06 pm
Posts: 24113
Location: Twixt Heaven and Hell, but nearest Hell
anyway, went with 99V

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 Post subject: Re: W....what?
PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 12:03 pm 
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Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:30 pm
Posts: 53921
Location: 1066 Country
Quote:
But since he's not replied, I'll make the point for him 8-[

Most grateful.

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