Took my 1.4tsi 150 Octavia to ATS yesterday, they fitted H rated tyres. Only noticed this when I got home,some 60 miles from where fitted.
Checking online it appears they should be V rated, ATS obviously have databases with correct fitments for all cars.
Should I be able to get them to change them at my local depot?

Are they winter tyres ?

Unless your regularly going to do over 130mph I w oi uldnt really worry, I won’t always get the highest speed rating on mine..

If there’s a lesson to be learnt – don’t use ATS or Kwikfit – indy every time

What did they charge you for?
Are you going to Germany?

Technically I need a W rating.. I don’t exceed 130mph and I’m using H rated.

What size are the tyres? Looking on Mytyres site for a 150 1.4 Tsi they list 205/55 R16 91H and 91V (91 being the load rating) as being acceptable. What does it say on the tyre data sticker on the car?

OK thanks, just concerned about insurance company etc. If not correctly specified tyres are fitted.
I’ll check the tyre data label if I can find it!
I won’t be doing 130mph in the car, not sure it’s possible unless I get up at 2am to drive.

Can’t see a label apart from tyre pressures, owners manual says ” lower speed rated winter m + s may be used as long as the speed limit for that tyre is not exceeded”
These are Michelin Cross Climates so ate marked M&S. So should be fine but think I’ll check with Michelin/ATS and insurers.

H are homogenated for the car if m+s winter tires.

homogenated

What? There’s no cream on top?

Indeed even if Google thinks there is and likes to correct me on it.

Homologated *

*Qualified for use on the vehicle in question.

You won’t find a winter tyre with anything other than H on it in my (albeit limited) experience

You won’t find a winter tyre with anything other than H on it

I have 225/40 R18 92V winter tyres for my Golf (Conti Wintercontact 850P)

Summer tyres are Y rated

I’ll dig out my orthopaedic shoes

Unless your regularly going to do over 130mph I w oi uldnt really worry, I won’t always get the highest speed rating on mine..

You need the tyres with the correct speed rating for your car, irrelevant how slow you drive.

I had two Pirelli options for my winter tyres, one rated at H and one at V. I bought the V rated as my car requires V rated tyres.

I’m assuming they’re the correct size, what about load rating?

You should be able to find the ratings you can use in the car manual.
if the ratings are not right then get them changed as the insurance company could get stroppy.
when I asked about winter tyres for mine they said that the rating had to match or exceed the ones listed in the manual

I’d kick up a fuss as the speed rating is all about how the tyre handles speed and also the heat that builds up in the tyre.

So although you never drive at the maximum speed you car will still have the ability to heat the tyres up through acceleration.

Insurance companies would definitely pick up on the wrong type of tyre.

What’s on the invoice?

If the invoice says V then take the car back and point out you haven’t got what you paid for.

Otherwise, who knows, you may have accepted the tyres when you paid and drive away.

Did you tell ATS what you wanted – or did you leave them to decide what tyres they chose to fit to your car?

ATS obviously have databases with correct fitments for all cars.

They definitely have access; whether they choose to read and follow recommendations is anyone’s guess.

when I asked about winter tyres for mine they said that the rating had to match or exceed the ones listed in the manual

As I said above. Winter tires for that car are listed at H

My car is running these
Vredestein Quatrac PRO 235/50 R19 99V FSL, 3PMSF (4×4 all season)

V rated 3PMSF 4 seasons.

They do exist.

As I said above. Winter tires for that car are listed at H

Trailrat – where did you find that?

I told them the type,model of car and presumed they would fit the correct tyres – in the same way that an electrician would use the correct cable for a cooker installation.
They’re “professionals” in their line of work, so should be responsible for fitting the correct tyres. I am not the expert, so why should I know about speed or weight ratings.

I have never left it to the discretion of any tyre company anywhere to decide what tyres they choose to fit to any car of my mine.
I have always specified the make, model, load and speed ratings – and for good measure,
re-iterated the size and profile.
If you didn’t do that – caveat emptor.
On a few occasions the speed rating wasn’t as I had instructed so – reject and replace at their cost.
If you don’t know what spec should be fitted, refer to the handbook.
As for ‘professionals’, I wouldn’t put ATS in that category.
As for your spurious attempted comparison – a domestic electrician is legally required to be trained and qualified; there is no legal requirement for a tyre fitter to have any qualifications although such qualifications are available.
Your car, your choice.

Frank – you’re awesome 👌

You won’t find a winter tyre with anything other than H on it 

Erm, my Vector G3s are Y rated as specified by the car….

I think you have every right to reject those tyres if they are not certified for your car. The reality is that H will be fine, but insurance companies will chose any way to hammer you!!

singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/car-tyres-ats-fitted-wrong-speed-rating/#post-11457875
You don’t specify or check the pressures as well Frank? Amateurish.

I have never left it to the discretion of any tyre company anywhere to decide what tyres they choose to fit to any car of my mine.
I have always specified the make, model, load and speed ratings – and for good measure,
re-iterated the size and profile.
If you didn’t do that – caveat emptor.

Disagree, not with your approach as this is what I do, but if I was someone who knew nothing about tyres I would expect the garage to recommend and fit the correct tyres. The same way I’d expect them to use the correct oil for the car and, as said above, an Electrician would use the correct wiring.

The OP needs to check their handbook (or sticker in car, mine is inside the door on the B pillar), to understand what should have been fitted. As others have said the manufacturer may spec lower speed rated winter tyres (but they will be the same load rating).

Again, what have you paid for? what is on the invoice?

The garage may have specified the correct size/speed rating for the tire and somebody may have fitted the incorrect one by mistake (not fully reading the label), in which case politely point out you’d like them changing.

If not then I’d be asking if they would offer a good will gesture on a heavily discounted set in exchange for some 120mile old tires, you never know…

As stated by several peple, speed rating determins how a tyre behaves with regards to heat disipation and other factors. I had a conversation with Continental about fitting V rated tyres instead of W because of better availability. They said don’t because when testing was carried out the engineers may have determined that the W was benificial over V.

Winter tyres will also have been tested and approved, sometimes with a higher load (and inflation pressure) to acomodate the differences in speed rating. I found that a set of 91H winter tyres ‘squirmed’ more that 91V.

Many insurance companies are not bothered as long as you fit tyres that can cope with the max speed of your vehicle or because the max speed in the UK is 70mph.

Go back and get them changed unless the fitter/ manager was on the team that approved tyre combinations when your car model was designed and tested then they cannot know or say it is safe.

edit – if your handbook/ inside filler cap says they can be used then you are good.

. I found that a set of 91H winter tyres ‘squirmed’ more that 91V.

This may have been more to the nature of the larger number of smaller tread blocks and the sipes in winters than the speed rating.

@ jimw – I should have said both winter and the same tread pattern.

Dear Sir,

Thank you for contacting Michelin customer care.

Regarding your question, for the speed and load index of a CrossClimate tyres

You can always mount tyres with higher speed and load index but never lower.

In winter time you can go lower with the speed index, however this is still not something we recommend.

Therefore you are technically able to drive with your new CrossClimate tyres in winter, but not in the summer as your original speed index is higher than in this tyre.

The letters H and V are speed indexes, H = 210km/h and V = 240km/h. The speed index indicates the maximum speed the tyres can reach safely.

I hope this information was helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact us again if you have any further questions, we will be more than happy to help.

Kind Regards,

Elli

MICHELIN Customer Care
Passenger Car & Light Truck Tyres
Tel: 0845 366 1590; 0845 366 1535
E-mail: contact@tc.michelin.eu
Contact us: http://www.michelin.co.uk/contact
Web: http://www.michelin.co.uk

From Michelin. Waiting for response from ATS.

In winter time you can go lower with the speed index, however this is still not something we recommend.

For me this is the key point in that email. It links to what I was told by Continental and what Trailrat said about homolgation.

edit – I translate this as, you dont have to follow what the manufacturer said but really you should

Higher speed rating winter tyres definitely exist. My CrossClimates are rated Y.

I’m not sure my humble Focus will need to use 186mph max speed rating but its good to know its there.

ATS are replacing all four tyres with V rated Cross Climates on Friday. They apologised saying that some of their centre managers did not understand that Cross climate tyres are not Winter only tyres but all season, therefore they should not fit a lower speed rated tyre (which they can if for winter use only apparently🤔).

Off to do a few donuts now to make sure they don’t refit them to some poor unsuspecting buggers car😊

Good result, and reassuring that they are willing to remedy the issue so promptly. Not so reassuring that they acknowledge their centres are not aware of the basics.

That sounds dodgy though – being allowed across the board to fit a lower speed rating. Unless the car manufacturer allows for a lower speed rating in the manual then I still think the insurance company would be stroppy

Unless the car manufacturer allows for a lower speed rating in the manual then I still think the insurance company would be stroppy

This, definitely.
Some makes do allow for this, as I said, my Golf has Y rating on the homologated summer tyre, and V rating on the homologated winter tyre. In the manual it says that if winter tyres are fitted then you should set up alert to warn of exceeding rated speed, there is a section in the on board menu to do this. I am unlikely to exceed 149mph TBH, even though the car is electronically limited to 155mph.

I bet you lot are great fun at parties.