better tyres = inform insurance?!?!

osc89er

osc89er

osc89er

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I've just been phoning around for tyres and one of the tyre companies seems to think that if I put tyres on the car with a higher speed rating then my insurance company will need to know about it.

Is this (as I think) absolute rubbish?
 
osc89er said:
I've just been phoning around for tyres and one of the tyre companies seems to think that if I put tyres on the car with a higher speed rating then my insurance company will need to know about it.

Is this (as I think) absolute rubbish?
Click to expand...
Yup.
 
AFAIK, yes that is utter bull-crap but it would seem to make sense..

If you uprate your brakes, you have to tell the Insurance comp...
If you uprate your suspension, you have to tell the Insurance comp...

Tyres make the *biggest* difference when judging a cars handling and braking ability, I'm very surprised that they aren't subject to Insurance queries.
 
I suppose if you change the rolling radius and you have an accident, the insurance company could argue the car has been changed from the original specification, should this contribute to the accident.
 
Caution....

I have heard of companies trying to get out of paying a claim if you a running none standard tyre sizes on a standard wheel. Now I am not sure if they have ever managed to get out of paying, but I have heard of this being discussed in other forums. Speed rating I would suggest is not issue unless it is less and you have a blow out, but I know a number of people ran different sized tyres on their 19" wheel'd M3's as the only 2 companies that made the exact size tyres were Continental or Michelin, and had insurance issues or questions raised.

I can't speak from a legal perspective, but it's not 100% black and white.
 
osc89er said:
I've just been phoning around for tyres and one of the tyre companies seems to think that if I put tyres on the car with a higher speed rating then my insurance company will need to know about it.

Is this (as I think) absolute rubbish?
Click to expand...

^ that was the question, and this is the answer -

merlin said:
Utter crap.
Click to expand...

Tyre sizes are a different matter.
 
i know somone that had the incorrect tyres on his car, was a 205gti and he put normal 205 wheels/tyres on it and crashed.. they didnt pay out as they were not the correct rating for the vehicle.. whether they'd do the same for better rating i dont know but i have never worried about it
 
I think common sense prevails here..

Merlin has answered the actual question..

But, if you fit different sized tyres to the rims, or put under-rated tyres on, then clearly you are opening yourself up for some liability...
 
ste_bla said:
just due to a higher speed ating does not always mean they will be better
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No, but Eagle F1s compared to Economy Ditch Finders will always provide a larger difference in grip and braking efficiency than any change in set up of your brake or suspension system.
 
ci_newman said:
No, but Eagle F1s compared to Economy Ditch Finders will always provide a larger difference in grip and braking efficiency than any change in set up of your brake or suspension system.
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Please show me an OEM who specs ditchfinders.

Brake efficieny can be measured by heat capacity and therefore fade, tyres dont do much about that one.
 
Fitting non standard sizes would require disclosure, fitting a tyre with a greater or equal speed classification to OE wouldn't as long as it's not rated lower than oe.
 
I had someone tell me this once. I laughed in their face. They went on to explain that the tyre had been chosen for the cars as thats what was used during development. I advised them that this was 7 years ago and that tyre technology had rapidly advanced since then, not least because the 'exact' model of tyre developed for the car was no longer avaible. :confused:
 
I always think its amusing how the performance difference from upgrading from a budget tyre to a performance tyre is arguably far more than fitting a K&N in place of the standard air filter.

Both involve replacing consumable parts with uprated consumable parts. Yet the filter is a 'modification' and the tyres are not.

How does that work?
 
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