Ride quality difference in a H rated tire vs a V?

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I put GY Assurance Comforttred tires on my Accord a few days ago. One would think by the name that they would be quiet comfortable tires. Ummm not the case..at least not on the Accord.

Before I replaced the tires that the previous owner had (2 really low tread GY Eagles on the front and 2 Superguards(?) on the rear) the ride was very smooth (go figure?) I put the GY's on and ride became busier and just doesn't feel right. Looks like teh shop had to use a bit of weight to get these tires balanced as well.


In any event these GY's are rated as 91V tires. I spoke with Sullivan tire about exchanging the tires as they have a 30 day ride guarantee. I'm looking at the Michelin Primacy MXV4 in the H rating as I can't see why an Accord would need a V rated tire. The online chat person is saying since my Accord came with V rated tires, that is what I should get in the Primacys.

I'm looking for comfort over performance as I have a 100 mile a day commute.

Opinions on ride comfort of V vs H? I'd rather save the money on the H rated 92H Primacy



Goose
 
H rated would ride softer because the sidewalls are less stiff.You will lose a bit of handling when cornering.
I'd go with H rated and have.I don't think you'll be hitting 130 MPH.
I went with H rated Michelin Primacy MXV4's on my Lexus a month after I got it.
Got rid of the V rated horrible ride and noise of Bridgestone Turanza EL 400's.
 
There are a lot of people that like the Hankook Optimo H727. Its a "T" rated tire and they are putting them on cars rated as a factory V. Sure, you may substitute some handling, but get a longer lasting, more forgiving tire. So the H should be fine for you. Are they using your manual against you to sell you the more expensive V? Could be. I notice the mileage warranty goes down as the speed rating goes up. Guess its softer rubber that wears faster for better performance at higher speeds. Not sure.
 
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Higher speed rated tires usually have stiffer belt construction and sticky but fast wearing rubber. Why V rated tires are factory installs on passenger cars in this country is an interesting question. I had an ongong battle with a famous tire store because I had fitted the larger wheels from a 6 cyl Camry to a 4 cyl version of the car. The 4 came with 14s + "T" rated tires, the 6 with 15s + "H". My comment that it's STILL the same 4 cyl car fell on deaf ears. I went elsewhere.
 
Originally Posted By: Blue_Goose
I'm looking at the Michelin Primacy MXV4 in the H rating as I can't see why an Accord would need a V rated tire.

I'm looking for comfort over performance as I have a 100 mile a day commute.

Opinions on ride comfort of V vs H? I'd rather save the money on the H rated 92H Primacy

Goose


You sound like me. 90 mile daily commute, 2002 Accord.

It had Bridgestone tires when I bought it. Drove and sounded like a tank going down the road. I immediately got the Michelin Primacy MXV4's (H rated) put on. If you want peace and quiet then go with the Michelins.

I've had Michelins on lots of different cars and they have always been impressive. I'm convinced they are worth the price.
 
Well it sounds like if I want to be able to exchange the tires for the Primacy's I will have to go with the V rated tires. They won't exchange them for the H rated tires as that is not what Honda specs for.

So if I want the Primacy's it will be V rated or nothing. I guess they have to be better than the GY's that are on there now.

Or will I get probably the same ride quality as I'm going from a V to a V?

Goose
 
Weird that you're having problems with the GY's. I had those same tires on a 2007 Mazda 3 when they first came out and they were excellent tires. Really made that car nice to drive. They are very highly rated on Tirerack as well.

But if you are not happy with them or you think there may be a QC issue with the set you have then yeah thats a good reason to exchange.
 
Originally Posted By: Blue_Goose
Well it sounds like if I want to be able to exchange the tires for the Primacy's I will have to go with the V rated tires. They won't exchange them for the H rated tires as that is not what Honda specs for.

So if I want the Primacy's it will be V rated or nothing. I guess they have to be better than the GY's that are on there now.

Or will I get probably the same ride quality as I'm going from a V to a V?

Goose


Shop around, or order online and have them installed locally. The speed rating hard-line is CYA from corporate lawyers. See: http://is.gd/7lISSb

Ya know, I'm sure it's good advice in general to match the OE speed rating, but to refuse to install an H on a DD four-banger sedan just because it came with a V installed is....crazy, maybe? Gotta love lawyers.

I don't have much experience driving on V-rated tires---mostly when driving a friend's Suzuki Aerio, which was a tinny tin-box in general---but I suspect the H-rated Primacy will ride enough softer than the V-rated version to notice.

That, plus saving a few bucks, might make it worth shopping around for a place that will listen to reason. Good luck with that.
 
Originally Posted By: faramir9
Originally Posted By: Blue_Goose
Well it sounds like if I want to be able to exchange the tires for the Primacy's I will have to go with the V rated tires. They won't exchange them for the H rated tires as that is not what Honda specs for.

So if I want the Primacy's it will be V rated or nothing. I guess they have to be better than the GY's that are on there now.

Or will I get probably the same ride quality as I'm going from a V to a V?

Goose


Shop around, or order online and have them installed locally. The speed rating hard-line is CYA from corporate lawyers. See: http://is.gd/7lISSb

Ya know, I'm sure it's good advice in general to match the OE speed rating, but to refuse to install an H on a DD four-banger sedan just because it came with a V installed is....crazy, maybe? Gotta love lawyers.

I don't have much experience driving on V-rated tires---mostly when driving a friend's Suzuki Aerio, which was a tinny tin-box in general---but I suspect the H-rated Primacy will ride enough softer than the V-rated version to notice.

That, plus saving a few bucks, might make it worth shopping around for a place that will listen to reason. Good luck with that.


Oh, I see. You need to exchange at the same dealer where you bought the Comfort Treds. OK, offer to sign a waiver if that's what it takes to get the H-rated Primacy, maybe.

But before all that: See if they will re-balance the tires and basically do a "do-over" of the install. Maybe a wheel got mis-torqued or something.
 
The "lawyer" arguement is interesting, insofar as Tire Rack doesn't care what car you are buying for as long as they are convinced the size is correct, and another major chain I dealt with would NOT install the tires I wanted, "T"s for the 4 cyl Camry with uprated wheels, on the car but WOULD mount and balance them if I brought them IN off the car. They had all my vehicles in their computer database. We'd call that "constructive notice", right guys?
 
Yeah I'm sort of over a barrel here if I want the Primacys. They are pretty adamant about over V rated only. I suppose if the EX came with V rated tires then I guess they will be ok. Doesnt make sense to me but whatever.

The price diff is negligible between the H and the V really as they will match online pricing. It is a 3 dollar difference essentially between the H and the V
 
BTW the later BF Goodrich offerings at Wallyworld and a local outfit called "BJ's Buyers Club" are clearly Michelins with a slightly altered tread pattern. Michelin owns BFG now. We know pattern has a lot less to do with performance than construction and tread compound. I have a set on a Camry, and they are better in every respect than the old "TA" except for slip angle, in that respect they are just a bit looser.
 
Originally Posted By: stranger706
Weird that you're having problems with the GY's. I had those same tires on a 2007 Mazda 3 when they first came out and they were excellent tires. Really made that car nice to drive. They are very highly rated on Tirerack as well.

But if you are not happy with them or you think there may be a QC issue with the set you have then yeah thats a good reason to exchange.


This is a new Comforttred It is a V rated tire...the older version was not offered in the V. I did have a set of them on my Matrix a few years back and yes, they were very good tires. One of the reasons I got these but given GY's history of putting out egg shaped tires my feeling is even the V rated Primacys will give a better ride


Goose
 
Originally Posted By: Blue_Goose
Yeah I'm sort of over a barrel here if I want the Primacys. They are pretty adamant about over V rated only. I suppose if the EX came with V rated tires then I guess they will be ok. Doesnt make sense to me but whatever.

The price diff is negligible between the H and the V really as they will match online pricing. It is a 3 dollar difference essentially between the H and the V


I am not an Accord expert, but I think the EX has a firmer suspension than the LX and base trims. In that generation, it also had bigger wheels---16 vs. 15. (And maybe bigger brakes.) Honda sells itself as "sportier" than Toyota, or it did back when I paid attention.

So, fitting V-rated tires on the top-trim Accord makes some sense---but how about respecting the customer's knowledge of the most expensive purchase he will make, apart from a home, not to mention the customer's wants and needs? If he wants a tire rated for 130 mph and knows he will never come within 50 mph of that, go ahead and sell it to him. When I worked retail, the customer was always right.

Then the lawyers came along. Good luck.
 
On a 2005 Accord EX I replaced the factory V-rated Michelins with H-rated BF Goodrich Touring T/A's from Sams Club. The difference in ride quality and noise was not noticeable. An H-rated tire is still a "performance" tire as far as I'm concerned. Your new V-rated tires are also a performance tire and will be not be as soft or quiet as other "touring" type tires.

I always feel that new tires, especially performance tires are more susceptible to tramlining. New tires also often seem to have a little "tread squirm" when compared to the old, low tread tires that were replaced.
 
One thing to keep in mind about the V rated tires, it's not that you be getting to the tires speed rating limits, but more for the traction offered by a slightly softer tread. They put a V rated tire for cornering and handling more than speed.
 
Good point Tim..I was just reading about that over on the Accord forums

And what was said above makes sense, the EX suspension is a bit different than the LX and lower
 
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