Tyre Speed Rating: Chart and What the Letter Means

Tyre speed rating chart in km/h

This tyre speed rating chart for India is the same one used worldwide, since tyres sold here follow the international symbol system. The order is alphabetical except for H, which sits between U and V. Older and very high speed tyres may show ZR inside the size, such as 225/45 ZR17, meaning a rating above 240 km/h; these usually carry a letter in the service description too.

How to find the tyre speed rating on your tyre

Read the main size marking on the sidewall. After the rim size comes a number of two or three digits followed by a letter, together called the service description. That number is the load index, which says how much weight each tyre can carry; our tyre load index page explains it. The letter that follows it is the speed symbol.

The same information is in the owner's manual and often on the label fixed to the door frame. If your size reads 195/55 R16 87V, the V means 240 km/h. If no letter appears, the tyre may be an old tube type two wheeler tyre or a special use tyre; check the manual.

Every part of the marking is decoded on our how to read tyre size page.

What an H tyre speed rating means for you

H tyre speed rating means 210 km/h. Few owners will ever drive that fast, so why does the letter matter? Because the same build that lets a tyre survive high speed also makes it handle heat better. On a long expressway run in summer, with a full family and luggage, the tyre heats up steadily. A tyre built for a higher speed is designed to cope with more heat, so a factory specified letter gives you a margin for those hot, heavy runs.

Higher rated tyres often steer more sharply but can ride a little firmer and wear sooner, as softer, grippier compounds are used. That is why the vehicle maker picks a rating that balances safety margin, comfort and tyre life for each model.

Bike tyre speed rating chart and notes for two wheelers

The bike tyre speed rating uses the same letters and the same km/h values as the car chart above. You will find it after the load index on the sidewall, for example 100/80-17 52P, where P means 150 km/h. On larger motorcycle tyres the marking may read like 140/70 R17 66H.

Bike tyre speed rating matters even on commuters because two wheeler tyres are compact yet carry a high load relative to its size, especially when riding two up. Some small, older or tube type tyres for commuters and scooters carry a modest rating or none at all; if the factory tyre had one, choose a replacement with the same letter or higher. See bike tyre size for your model's factory size.

Replacing tyres: the speed rating rule

• Match or exceed: fit tyres with the same speed symbol as the factory tyre, or a higher one.
• Never lower: a lower letter cuts the safety margin, and the vehicle maker's specification no longer holds.
• Same on an axle: the left and right tyres of an axle should carry the same letter. Ideally all four match.
• Mixing: avoid it; if a shop has no matching tyre in stock, ask it to order one rather than fit a lower letter.
• Spare: space saver spares carry their own low limit shown on a label; drive gently on them.

When the speed rating stops being valid

The rating is earned under test conditions: correct pressure, rated load and a tyre in good condition. In real use, several things lower the tyre's true capability:

• Running with low pressure, which makes the sidewall flex and overheat.
• Overloading beyond the load index.
• Damage from a pothole, kerb or puncture, even after repair.
• Age, as rubber hardens over the years. Check the tyre manufacturing date.

So the letter is not permission to drive at that speed; it is a margin. Keep pressures at the cold figure on the door sticker, raise them to the loaded figure where the maker gives one, and obey road speed limits.

Common questions at the tyre counter

Owners often ask if a tyre with a higher letter is a waste. It is not harmful; it can cost more and may ride slightly firmer, but it never reduces safety. Owners also ask whether a cheaper, lower rated tyre is fine for city only use. The answer is no, because a single highway trip, or a hot day with a loaded car, can push the tyre past its limit.

If two tyre options in the same size show different letters, the higher one is usually the better choice for highway drivers. For more tyre topics, see the home page.