What are OE tyres? OE tyres are Original Equipment on certain makes and models of cars, but they are not simply a throw away specification.
Most boil down to these two groups, R&D which are built and designed alongside the development of the car to maximise the tyres potential performance, complement/maximise the vehicles handling dynamics and improve driving characteristics and to improve road and driver safety. Methods used are modifying the tyre with compound adjustments, changes to the shoulder and/or tread profile design, even sidewall rigidity are adjustments amongst others. The second is what we call, a ‘blueprint’ or donor tyre used in the development of the vehicle, these are generally tyres already in circulation and have been chosen by the manufacturer during the R&D phase to design the car around, these usually do not get the coveted ‘printed’ car manufacturer OE branding. Like the Lotus Evora and Lotus using MO (Mercedes) fitment tyres during development and retail release.
Due to the unique specifications of these tyres and the association with high performance manufacturing, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Falken, Goodyear, Kumho, Michelin, Pirelli and Yokohama are the most commonly used manufactures of these very high performance tyres.
The easiest way of identifying if your tyre is OE is by way of the sidewall markings printed on the tyre. These unique markings indicate that a tyre is approved by the vehicles manufacturer, in the trade known as ‘Homologated’. The tyre manufactures can not indicate approval on their own, even if in theory or practice they are suitable.
Need help finding an OE tyre for you vehicle, contact us
at Turner Tyres and we will be happy to help find what you need.
Not quite as in depth as our Load rating explanation.
As with load ratings, speed ratings are just as important. This rating indicates the speed a tyre can achieve for an extended period of time before it begins to show signs of failure or performance/grip drop off. Most vehicle wont reach the high speeds indicated, but its not just about top speed, it also helps indicate its resistance to deformation due to acceleration torque and cornering speed, even braking weight transfer also plays a factor in choosing a speed rating.
And when making changes to speed rating beyond a single code, notify your insurance company, as trivial as it sounds and usually not costing anything when you notify them of the change, some insurance companies do class a significantly lower speed rating as a modification as its no longer inside the manufacture specification, similar to changing tyre size or swapping run-flats for non run-flats.
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