Please note the following INTERNATIONAL SPEED-ratings:
N=87 MPH, 140km/h U=124 MPH, 200km/h
P=93 MPH, 150km/h H=130 MPH, 210km/h
Q=99 MPH, 160km/h V=149 MPH, 240km/h
R=106 MPH, 170km/h W=168 MPH, 270km/h
S=112 MPH, 180km/h Y=186 MPH, 300km/h
T=118 MPH, 190km/h Z=149 MPH, 240km/h and over
H-rated tires DOESN'T belong to any Pantera. It is NOT the question, how fast you are supposed to go legally on the streets you are driving, it is the capacity of the VEHICLE you are driving. Think logic...if tire manufacturers would produce tires just to keep up with the max.-speed in each country, it wouldn't even being necessary to produce all those different rated tires. I can assure everybody as a Ingenieer, that the weight to speed ratio is the most important factor with respect to any tyre. The test procedure which the meber before tried to explain, is partly false and I don't know from where he got the informations. Don't forget that the ambient temperature and air pressure is another factor in the test procedures. But in general we shouldn't mislead folks in a deadly and wrongful direction. AGAIN: Stay safe and don't be SORRY !! Think twice before you are going with under-rated tires on a basically heavy but pretty fast car. And one more thing: The price shouldn't be the factor for safety, life isn't a question of money, it is a fact of safety. And tires can be a very dangerous factor, we all have seen that in the past on Vehicles not even half capable of the speed (and weight) of a Pantera.
Some more info:
Load Ratings
Many tires come with a service description added on the end of the tire size. These service descriptions contain a number, which is the load index, and a letter which indicates the speed rating. The load index represents the maximum load each tire is designed to support. Because the maximum tire load capacity is branded on the tire's sidewall, the load index is used as a quick reference.
Load Index Pounds Kilograms
71 761 345
72 783 355
73 805 365
74 827 375
75 853 387
76 882 400
77 908 412
78 937 425
79 963 437
80 992 450
81 1019 462
82 1047 475
83 1074 487
84 1102 500
85 1135 515
86 1168 530
87 1201 545
88 1235 560
89 1279 580
90 1323 600
91 1356 615
92 1389 630
93 1433 650
94 1477 670
95 1521 690
96 1565 710
97 1609 730
98 1653 750
99 1709 775
100 1764 800
101 1819 825
102 1874 850
105 2039 925
110 2337 1060
And don't forget TIRE - PRESSURE, another factor which could lead to very hazardous situations:
Your tires support the weight of your vehicle, right? Well, they don�t! It�s the air pressure inside them that actually supports the weight. Maintaining sufficient air pressure is required if your tires are to provide all of the handling, traction and durability of which they are capable.
Since air is a gas, it expands when heated and contracts when cooled. In most parts of North America, this makes fall and early winter months the most critical times to check inflation pressures...days are getting shorter...ambient temperatures are getting colder...and your tires' inflation pressure is going down.
The rule of thumb is for every 10� Fahrenheit change in air temperature, your tire's inflation pressure will change by about 1 psi (up with higher temperatures and down with lower).
In most parts of North America, the difference between average summer and winter temperatures is about -50� Fahrenheit...which results in a potential "loss" of about 5 psi as winter�s temperatures set in. And a 5 psi "loss" is enough to sacrifice handling, traction, and durability !
Additionally, the difference between cold nighttime temperatures and hot daytime temperatures in most parts of the country is about 20� Fahrenheit. This means that after setting tire pressures first thing in the morning, the vehicle�s tire pressures will be almost 2 psi higher when measured in the afternoon (if the vehicle was parked in the shade). While that is expected, the problem is when you set your vehicle�s tire pressures in the heat of the day, their cold pressures will probably be 2 psi low the following morning.
And finally, if the vehicle is parked in the sun, the sun�s radiant heat will artificially and temporarily increase tire pressures.
It�s important to remember that your vehicle's recommended tire pressure is its "cold" tire inflation pressure. It should be checked in the morning before you drive more than a few miles, or rising ambient temperatures or sun�s radiant heat affects it.
And by the way, if you live in the North and park in an attached or heated garage you will "lose" pressure when you leave its warmth and venture into the real world outside during winter. Add 1 psi "cold" pressure tire pressure to compensate for each 10� Fahrenheit temperature difference between the temperature in the garage and outside !!!
Hope this gives some more clear vision to the tire matters. And again, tires are coming in different ratings NOT because of the LEGAL speed limits of the country you are in, but because of the diferent weight:speed-ratios in different climates. That has nothing to do with the mixture of a tire (soft, medium, hard, etc.) just belongs to the fundamental basics for handling your vehicle within a certain safety envelope. Below and above, left and right of this envelope, there is NO safety margin anymore. And we all do better stay within that envelope.
Wish you all a successful and enjoyable PANTERA time !!!!!!
Fritz
[This message has been edited by Fritz (edited 04-29-2001).]