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I've got a Vauxhall Meriva B (2011) 1.7 Diesel auto, and it needs new front tyres.

Currently it's got 205/55R16 94V Michelin Energy Savers on it. I've been looking at some tyre sites (eg, black circles), and if I put in the registration then I don't get this tyre size option - I get 205/55R16 91T.

The 91 rating tyres are cheaper than the XLs, so obviously I'd prefer to buy those. Is black circles wrong, or does my car just have tyres that are stronger than it needs? How can I find out?

BTW, I've checked the car manual, and while it indicates the tyre size, it makes no mention of speed or load rating that I can see.

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Black Circles has a tyre rating guide:

enter image description here

You can see a V is rated to 149mph whereas a T is only rated to 118mph. How fast are you thinking of travelling?

If you are concerned about the XL rating (which just stands for Extra Load) this really comes down to how much you load the vehicle. They have stronger sidewalls to resist deformation - useful for a heavily loaded van, or a hard driven rally car perhaps.

I would suggest that a Meriva is not going to need V rated tyres - ever. Although, as Mauro points out - that warning note about choosing a tyre rating which is recommended in your car manual is going to be a good thing!

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  • Remember the warning, the manual for the car will include a specific speed rating normally, if you go below this it may invalidate your insurance.
    – Mauro
    Nov 13, 2014 at 15:38

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