Volkswagen Golf Quiz
Wheels and Tyres Guide - General Information

Winter tyres with speed symbol V

In this manual: Wheels and Tyres Guide - General Information
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Table → Anchor

The tyre industry now supplies winter tyres with speed symbol "V". But only under certain conditions may these tyres be used up to the maximum permitted speed vmax = 240 km/h.

Vehicles with V tyres

Vehicles requiring V tyres according to the vehicle's title document may be driven at speeds of up to “v”max = 240 km/h without any restrictions using winter tyres with speed symbol V.

Vehicles with W, Y or ZR tyres:

Under certain circumstances, vehicles requiring W, Y or ZR tyres according to the vehicle's title document may not be driven at speeds of “v”max = 240 km/h.

Why?

V summer tyres and V winter tyres without special identification have 100 % of their maximum load capacity (as specified by their load index “LI”) only up to speeds of 210 km/h. Travelling at over 210 km/h is possible with V winter tyres only if the maximum load of the tyres is not exceeded. The load capacity of the tyres decreases as the speed increases. Some vehicles have such a high maximum gross axle weight rating and maximum achievable speed that the load capacity of the V tyres is not sufficient for speeds of up to 240 km/h.

Example: tyre 205/55 R 16 91V

The load index (LI) 91 certifies that this tyre has a load capacity of 615 kg per tyre at up to 210 km/h. At a speed of 240 km/h, this tyre can carry a load of only 560 kg, i.e. the axle load may not exceed 1120 kg. The vehicle has a permitted gross axle weight rating of 1150 kg and an achievable maximum speed of 232 km/h. This vehicle may only travel at speeds of up to 230 km/h with V winter tyres.

This applies to all V winter tyres without special markings.

Winter tyres with the designation Extra Load XL → Chapter

Registration regulations in the Federal Republic of Germany

Only when winter tyres are in use may the top speed that a vehicle can achieve be greater than the maximum speed specified by the speed symbol of the tyre. In this case, a label stating the following must be attached at a location which is clearly visible to the driver:
Important! Winter tyres!
Maximum speed … km/h

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