Tyre speed rating — symbol table
The letter after the load index — the V in 205/55 R 16 91 V — is the speed rating: the maximum speed at which the tyre can carry its rated load under the conditions the manufacturer specified.
Lookup
| Symbol | km/h | mph |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 5 | 3 |
| A2 | 10 | 6 |
| A3 | 15 | 9 |
| A4 | 20 | 12 |
| A5 | 25 | 16 |
| A6 | 30 | 19 |
| A7 | 35 | 22 |
| A8 | 40 | 25 |
| B | 50 | 31 |
| C | 60 | 37 |
| D | 65 | 40 |
| E | 70 | 43 |
| F | 80 | 50 |
| G | 90 | 56 |
| J | 100 | 62 |
| K | 110 | 68 |
| L | 120 | 75 |
| M | 130 | 81 |
| N | 140 | 87 |
| P | 150 | 93 |
| Q | 160 | 99 |
| R | 170 | 106 |
| S | 180 | 112 |
| T | 190 | 118 |
| U | 200 | 124 |
| H | 210 | 130 |
| V | 240 | 149 |
| Z | >240 | >149 |
| W | 270 | 168 |
| (W) | >270 | >168 |
| Y | 300 | 186 |
| (Y) | >300 | >186 |
Read it with the load index
The letter is a lab rating, not a speed limit — and it is not permission to run a bakkie at 240. What it tells you is how much heat the tyre sheds at speed. On SA's long, hot N1-and-N3 runs a higher-rated tyre keeps a safety margin a lower-rated one doesn't have.
Ratings always pair with the load index: a tyre carries its full index only up to its rated speed. Z, W and Y are the high-speed end — Z means "over 240 km/h" with the exact ceiling in the manufacturer's data book.
Working through the rest of the sidewall? How to read tyre sidewall markings — and the pressure converter sorts the psi/bar/kPa argument at the compressor.