What brand of tire did Dodge put on the R/T. I hope they are not Z rated, are they?

 

They're Firestone Firehawk GTA3 tires. NOT Z rated. They may be H rated at best.

 

That is correct....the tires on an R/T Dodge Caliber are Firestone's and also, they are all season 'performance' tires as well [sm=smiley20.gif]
Kelly S

 

What does a Z or H rating mean?

 

The letter ratings on the side of tires, H, V, S, Z are all speed ratings. Basically they certify that the tires are capable of handling a set certain speed. You wouldnt race a car with tires that are designed to blow apart at 100mph.....and that's what the ratings tell you...

H rated tires are usually your general all around tire...and I believe are rated for up to 120mph.... Z rated tires are really pointless on the average daily driver and they are rated for 190+mph

 

Since they are made for such high speeds they are very soft, so they can grip the road. But in being very soft they also wear very quickly. Z rated tires are very very expensive, worthless to the everyday driver and horred in snow.

 

One thing to note is that some people think that just because they have a "Z" Rated tire, that they can take their basic everyday car such as the Stratus Sedan and do corners over 100 MPH and expect it to stick. Thats a common misconception of the letter rating system. Basically it just means that if you have a "Z" rated tire, it won't come apart or if you have a vehicle that will handle corner speeds over 150 MPH, the tire will handle the stress of taking a corner at that speed, but its NOT guaranteed to stick. I know my comments may seem dumb but I know people who have actually though just the opposite of what I said.

 

I agree...I had Toyo Proxes4's on my Stratus previously, and they sucked in anything but dry, hot weather. They also had horrible traction in the snow....so horrible in fact that I almost couldnt come to a complete stop for fear of being stuck. They are also extremely priced for the low amount of mileage you get out of them. People should really only buy Z rated tires if you use the car as a track car or as a weekend driver....because they arent made for daily driving purposes.

Actually, your comments are 100% accurate in my opinion. People get a car that says SS on it or get new tires on it that are designed for high speeds and all of a sudden they're Tony Stewart on the steet. Again, Z rated tires shouldnt be on a daily driver.....they're just being wasted on your car. Coincidentally, I went from a Z rated Toyo (expensive and overpriced p.o.s. tire) to a V Falken tire (cheaply priced, decent tire) and the ride and handling difference is noticable. Just because a tire states being Z rated, doesnt mean its a great tire. Just like everything else, you can spend alot of money for crap.