Tire Speed Rating Guide
Enter your tire speed rating — see maximum safe speed and performance characteristics.
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Speed ratings aren’t new. But they’re part of the larger picture of tire transparency. A friend of mine, a guy named Tom, imports tires from Europe for his vintage Porsche. He showed me an EU tire label. It had a QR code. I scanned it. The code led to a database with the tire’s rolling resistance coefficient, wet grip rating, noise level in decibels, and even a snow traction score. That’s a level of detail that US consumers don’t get. Tom told me “I only buy tires that meet EU standards. Even if I’m using them here. The EU labels are honest. The US system is from the 1970s.” He’s not wrong. The Load Index Calculator is another area where US and EU standards align – load index is global.Tire Load Index Calculator
Enter your tire size and load index — see maximum weight per tire and recommended load for your vehicle.
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Load index is the same in Detroit as in Düsseldorf. A 94 load index is 1,477 pounds everywhere. That’s one area of consistency. Sustainable tires are the bigger trend. Tire manufacturers are using more recycled materials, renewable resources, and low-carbon manufacturing processes. Michelin announced a tire made from 70% sustainable materials – natural rubber, recycled steel, recycled carbon black, and even orange oil. Bridgestone has a tire made from guayule, a desert shrub that produces natural rubber without tapping rubber trees. Goodyear is testing soybean oil in tread compounds. These tires are available in Europe now. Some are coming to the US this year or next. The Tire Size Comparator doesn’t measure sustainability, but it can help you find sustainable tires in your size.Tire Size Comparator
Compare two tire sizes side by side — see diameter, width, sidewall, and revs per mile.
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If you’re looking for an eco-friendly tire, search by size. Then check the manufacturer’s website for sustainability claims. Some brands are better than others at communicating this. I had a customer who wanted the most sustainable tire available for her Toyota Prius. She found a tire made from recycled plastic bottles and natural rubber. It cost $40 more per tire than the standard option. She bought it. She told me “I’ll pay extra to keep plastic out of the ocean.” That’s her choice. Not everyone will make that trade. The EU tire label includes a noise rating. Quieter tires are more comfortable. They also reduce noise pollution. In the US, noise isn’t regulated. Some tires are loud. Some are quiet. You have to read reviews or test them yourself. The Tire Speed Rating Guide doesn’t cover noise, but higher speed ratings often mean stiffer tread compounds, which can mean more noise. That’s not always true, but it’s a trend. A few years ago, I tested two tires in the same size. One had an EU fuel efficiency rating of A. The other had a D. On the same car, the A-rated tire improved fuel economy by about 3%. That’s not huge. But over 60,000 miles, that’s about 1,000 fewer gallons of gas burned. That’s real. The US proposal for tire labeling would likely use a similar A-to-E scale. It would also include a QR code linking to a government database. That would be a massive step forward for transparency. Will it happen? The tire industry is fighting it. They say it would add cost. They say the data is already available through UTQG. But UTQG doesn’t measure rolling resistance. And the traction test is done on wet asphalt, not snow. There’s a gap. Tom, the Porsche owner, told me “the EU figured this out. The US will too. It just takes longer.” He’s right. It always takes longer. In the meantime, what should American buyers do? If you care about sustainability, look for tires with recycled content. Check manufacturer websites. Ask your tire shop. Some brands are more transparent than others. If you care about fuel economy, look for tires with low rolling resistance. The UTQG treadwear rating doesn’t tell you that. But some tire models advertise low rolling resistance. Look for “LRR” in the description. If you care about noise, read reviews. Tire Rack has user reviews. Consumer Reports tests noise levels. If you see an EU label on a tire sold in the US, it might be from a global brand that uses the same label everywhere. That label is reliable. You can trust it. The Load Index Calculator is still the most important tool for safety. Don’t ignore load index for sustainability. A sustainable tire that’s overloaded is not sustainable. It will fail early. It will create waste. It will be unsafe. The Tire Size Comparator is also critical. A tire that fits wrong isn’t sustainable either. It will wear unevenly. It will need replacement sooner. Do the math first. Then choose the eco-friendly option. I’m not saying sustainable tires are a gimmick. They’re not. They’re real. They work. They’re getting better every year. But they’re not magic. They still have to fit your car, carry your load, and last a reasonable number of miles. The EU label system is a good model. The US should adopt it. Until then, do your own research. And if you see a tire with an “A” for rolling resistance and a “B” for wet grip, that’s a good tire. Buy it if it fits your budget.