Tyre Experts: Reinforced Tyres?
 

..Not run-flats. Whats the deal with tyres marked with reinforced or extra load? I'm looking to get a set of tyres and seeing reinforced version of Dunlop Sport Maxx costing a little more than standard versions of Dunlop Sport Maxx. I'm looking in my manual and says nothing about reinforced/extra load tyres. Are these more resistant to punctures or have stiffer side walls or are meant for towing etc, and will tyre pressures be different for these sort of tyres. Basically are they worth getting over a standard version?

Thanks

My Spec B Legacy Tourer has extra load tyres, something to do with it being a fast car with a high top end and the potential to carry extra weight in the back I would assume?

Dunlop have a tyre technical page

Dunlop Tyres UK

and although it mentions RF (reinforced tyres) Im still at a loss what the difference is :)

Interesting page all the same :)

As far as I know you just need to make sure the tyres you get are the correct load rating for you car. If that means you have to buy the tyres marked "reinforced" or whatever other marketing name they are given, then they are the ones that you need.

I'm not aware of a specific category of tyre called "reinforced" that is some special standard that people need or don't need. I think its just marketing indicating a high load potential.

If you are able to use both tyres, as may be the case, I am uncertain of what differences you would experience if you chose the higher rated tyre. Maybe different steering feel, pressures may need to be a little different, not sure

This should explain it. load index rating

The above link only explains the load index and speed rating. There's a drop down menu at the top where you can get technical info on absolutely anything to do with tyres.

Extra load tyres are what I would recommend for a Impreza, it means the walls are stronger, for things like hard cornering.

You need at least a load rating of 87W for the classic Impreza, I use a 91Y which is an XL rating.

Always seems strange to me to have to have a tyre rated for 130 mph or so when the speed limit is 70 anyway!

Les

Yes, load ratings aren't just about how much junk you carry in the trunk. It's also about how you drive; in terms of how hard you go round bends and how fast you cruise on motorways.

A tyre with a higher load rating doesn't need to have the air pressure raised as much to compensate for high speed motorway, heavy cornering or extra weight.

However pressures should still always be taken into account to ensure the correct contact patch is maintained, to avoid excess wear and the risk of a blow-out caused by the tyre being overloaded and not enough pressure for the circumstances its used under.


Also interesting to note that a tyre rated above 130mph is incapeable of its rated sustained maximum speed at its maximum stated load rating without suffering eventual failure.

OK, a bit more thorough googling revealed that my car's OE tyres are rated with load rating of 89Y. What reinforced\"extra load" tyres means is that it means just that, the tyres can carry more load than the standard tyres. If you load your car up, normally you increase tyre pressure to account for this extra load. eg, a standard tyre's max load, tyre pressure can be increased to a max of 35psi. Extra Load tyres allows you to safely increase pressure to 45psi to carry even more load. So unless you regularly carry heavy loads, eg some large MPVs, Vans, towing etc then there is no need to for Extra load tyres. "Extra load" does not equate to increase performance, grip or stiffer sidewalls or resistance to puncture.

Not totally correct, as it misses out: Sustained high speeds, and high cornering speeds, both which put load on the tyre and need to be compensated for in the same way as carrying weight.

The manufacturer of a car states the suitable tyre load ratings and pressures on the door jamb or owner's manual. This is based upon normal driving situations. Hard use makes both of these inapplicable.

Seems even stranger to fit a car capable of 130mph that are only safe to 70mph dont you think?

It seems strange then that BMW for example would fit Michelin Cup tyres that are rated with a load index of 87, which are not extra load tyres, to the M3CSL, a car thats expected to experience sustained high speeds and cornering. Yet a Ford Galaxy is fitted with a load index of 94. From what I can gather the speed rating has no bearing on the load rating since the Galaxy can have a load index rated at 94 but a speed rating of H or V.

The blackcircles website has useful info. about tyre makes - and choices for Imprezas that echo two or three of the favourite tyre choices as frequently aired on scoobynet. The thing about reinforced tyre walls (typically on tyres marketed as an 'XL' variant) - is that four wheel drive vehicles apparently exert more outward pressure on the tyres and stronger tyre walls are recommended to minimise unwanted tyre flexing which undermines cornering stability and the more serious possibility of tyres not being adequately secure within wheel rims under extreme cornering.

I'm getting my new tyres fitted this week - Goodyear Eagle GSD3 F1 XL (215/45/R17Z). Damn good tyres, easily good for between 30,000 and 40,000 miles if you remember to regularly swap each side back to front to even out the wear. I didn't and my back tyres still have lots of tread, have done about 35,000 miles and were fitted in Feb 2004, whereas the front ones are bordering on the minimum and were fitted Sep. 2004 - so I probably could have gone through to next year with proper rotation. I always keep them inflated as per handbook 33lb front and 32lb back. Apart from pslewis, many will be scoffing at my claims of tyre life, so I'll admit my driving style is sympathetic to the vehicle and I tend to hang well back from other traffic, until such times as I can press on safely with sustained purpose along quiet open roads.

I had Dunlop Sports Maxx fitted to my 03 STi, I took them off after about 1000 miles, they are absolute rubbish. I hadnt realised that companys were making a non stick tyre. I have gone through many different brands of tyres but these really are the worst I have ever had. They were rubbish in the dry and really quite scary in the wet. I have now gone back to my favourite Yokohama Parada Spec 2s. Much better and safer.

Tyres aren't rated specifically as to the lateral loads or flexing or the strength of their sidewalls. Not in terms of resisting cornering loads anyway.

Best option is to poll opiniion and review comments of others. Some tyres will work better on certain vehicles. Some won't work properly at all. i.e. Do not fit F1 GSD3s to an MG TF.

There's loads of info on the tirerack website.

Load index is the ability of the tyre to carry weight. RF or XL denotes tyres that may be inflated to higher pressures. Normal tyres are rated to 36 psi, XLs or RFs rated to 42 psi or thereabouts.

Tyre (tire) info page: Tire Tech

Articles:-
Sidewall guff: Tire Tech - Speed Rating, Load Index & Service Descriptions

Load rating: Tire Tech - Load Range/Ply Rating Identification

HTH

J.

Thanks, this confirms my findings. Its purely there to identify its ability to contain air pressure, higher pressure - increased load carrying capacity. I'll be saving my dosh and purchase non XL/RF standard tyres since I won't be carrying any heavy loads. The Dunlops Sport Maxx are quite highly rated according to their survey:-
Consumer Survey Results By Category

They're the least expensive of the top ten in that survey.

jonc

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that as one tyre works well on one car that it must work well on all cars.

STi models seem to really like tyres with higher load ratings, we use 95Y rated tyres as they work better than lower load rating tyres but again, this is tyre AND car specific.

Some cars work really well on heavily directional tyres but others don't. Some work really well on heavily asymmetric tyres, but others don't. Some people like their car on heavily directional tyres but we've yet to find one that works well on an STi, at least to the standards we require.

Mike

Mike,

I realise some tyres work better on some cars than others. I've already looked into on this and other forums for my car and these Sport Maxx are generally highly praised. Anything is gonna be better than the Bridgstones RE040 that I currently have!! and these are supposed to be OE.

I ordered the Sport Maxx based on numerous reviews and tests, but as it happened the van turned up at Micheldever without them and I got F1 GSD3's XL instead. A lucky escape ?

I've seen some discussions where Evos don't get on with the Sport Maxx, due to overheating them too easily. Another thing to consider is that for at least a few hundred miles most tyres have poor grip due to the mould release agents, so hard to give a proper judgement before that. I'm not sure I can believe that any such premium tyre can be 'non-stick' though.

Coming back to the original subject, the XL tyres do generally have stiffer sidewalls, this may simply be a side-effect of that rating but it does give a different 'feel' which many may prefer.

One major issue with tyre reviews. Be very careful to note which country the reviews are coming from. No use fitting "excellently" rated tyres based on a review from Saudi or Dubai if you live in Fort William.

Climate, road construction materials (and maintenance :rolleyes: )and legislation may mean your chosen tyre doesn't work very well at all or you can't even get hold of it or you can't run it legally in this country.


J.