Tire shopping can be confusing. The most popular tire size in the UK is 205/55 R16, but if you search for this on any online tire retailer, you get presented with a myriad of options.

205/55 R16 91T, 205/55 R16 91H, 205/55 R16 91V, 205/55 R16 91W, 205/55 R16 91Y, 205/55 R16 94H XL, 205/55 R16 94V XL, 205/55 R16 91W XL.

It's common knowledge all these tire sizes exist, but it's less known that they could all be exactly the same tires.

With the introduction of the Michelin CrossClimate and Pilot Sport 4, Michelin will now only be making the highest load and speed rating version of the tire, meaning in the above example, the produced tire would be the 205/55 R16 94V XL, which would be suitable for any 205/55 R16 fitment.

The benefit to retailers and the supply chain is huge. Instead of having to stock eight different tires, they can now stock one, and it makes shopping for tires online a whole lot easier for the consumer too. But what about any negative aspects of using the higher load and speed rated tire on a vehicle originally specified with a lower option?

The Law and Insurance

Legally, and from an insurance standpoint, you're absolutely fine using a higher load and speed rating. The law says your tires must at least meet the minimum load rating, so if a car is specified with 91 rated tires, 91, 94 and 98 are all fine. Speed rating is even less strict, with cars specified with 91V summer tires often specifying 91H winter tires.

The other potential negative aspect of using a higher rated tire is a loss of comfort, extra noise and reduced MPG due to weight, but fortunately in the real world the difference is negligible, or often nothing.

For the Michelin Primacy 3 in 205/55 R16, the 91V version of the tire weighs 8.948kg, while the 94V XL version weighs in at 8.964kg, just 16g heavier, which will be unnoticable from a fuel consumption and comfort / noise point of view.

Michelin are doing an interesting job trying to simplify the world of tire shopping, and if other manufacturers follow suit, the entire supply chain from production to a customer having the tires fitted is about to become a whole lot simpler.