V or H ?

[mustangflyr]

Time for tires on my 80 GS1000E. The Suzuki manual says use only V rated but I'm considering to H. Any opinions?

[tkent02]

Do you travel at sustained speeds over 130, or 149?

[mustangflyr]

Nope rarely top out the 80 mph speedometer.

[tkent02]

Nope rarely top out the 80 mph speedometer.

No Brainer.

Some folks(like those who sell tires) will argue that the speed rating should cover the top speed of the bike, even if you never use it that way. They say in case someone steals it, and goes flat out, that they won't have a tire fail, causing an accident where a bunch of children get killed or something.

Sounds like a crock to me. If he steals my bike, I'd rather he gets killed on it. He'll probably miss the kids anyway.

[Sandy]

I tried an H rated Pirelli on a previous GS1000 quite a few years ago just to see what it was like compared to the V rated I usually ran. No I don't sustain the speeds either tire is rated for but I do cruise quite briskly, usually 80+ mph with occasional bursts into the upper reaches of the bikes ability but still under what either tire was rated for. The H rated tire literally disappeared in under 3,000 miles while I was getting almost twice that out of the V rated tires. My guess is that the tire was probably running hot because of the higher cruising speeds thus creating the poor tire life where a V rated tire is designed to run cooler at higher speeds. I was quite disappointed because I was expecting the same or possible better mileage. Boy was I wrong. Maybe with newer tire designs you won't see this difference but that was my experience and since then have always run V rated tires and continue to get what I would call respectable mileage out of them. Running an H rated tire just could give you a false sense of savings. Others will probably chime in with their experience, but that was mine.

[tkent02]

I tried an H rated Pirelli on a previous GS1000 quite a few years ago just to see what it was like compared to the V rated I usually ran. No I don't sustain the speeds either tire is rated for but I do cruise quite briskly, usually 80+ mph with occasional bursts into the upper reaches of the bikes ability but still under what either tire was rated for. The H rated tire literally disappeared in under 3,000 miles while I was getting almost twice that out of the V rated tires. My guess is that the tire was probably running hot because of the higher cruising speeds thus creating the poor tire life where a V rated tire is designed to run cooler at higher speeds. I was quite disappointed because I was expecting the same or possible better mileage. Boy was I wrong. Maybe with newer tire designs you won't see this difference but that was my experience and since then have always run V rated tires and continue to get what I would call respectable mileage out of them. Running an H rated tire just could give you a false sense of savings. Others will probably chime in with their experience, but that was mine.

You sure the Pirelli wasn't just a softer compound?

[Sandy]

You sure the Pirelli wasn't just a softer compound?

Pretty sure it wasn't, it was rated as a touring tire. I've run lots of R compound tires in the past like Michelin PZ2 and PZ4 as well K591R Dunlops and the occasional soft compound Phantom and they even got better mileage, except for maybe the PZ4s. Besides I don't think I've even heard of soft compounds being available on an H rated tire.

[Sandy]

I don't mean to scare anyone away from using an H rated tire. It's just that there's more to it than just reading the sustained speed rating on the side of the tire. V rated tires run cooler at higher speeds, that's just what they do, that's one main reason they can sustain a higher speeds and probably get better tire life for that type of riding over an H rated tire. If your not into high speed cruising and are using your bike for commuting and don't go too crazy with the throttle on the highway you most likely will get good value for your money with an H rated tire and be totally safe while doing so. You just have be aware of the differences and decide what will fit your needs. That I believe was the question.