14 hours ago, noccer99 said:

it needed 91V and Michelin's was 94V.

It is fine to run a higher load rated tyre on a car.

My Fabia has 88's all round, but only requires 84's.

Thanks. AG Falco

My concerns with a higher (but not a lower - that would definitely be unsuitable/unacceptable/incorrect) load rating/index are

1) in the event of an accident, would the insurers say that the tyre did not match the car manufacturer's specification?

2) would it give a firmer ride to the detriment of the occupant's comfort?

Any thoughts on this, anyone?

10 hours ago, noccer99 said:

in the event of an accident, would the insurers say that the tyre did not match the car manufacturer's specification?

Most insurers struggle to identify the correct car but if it came down to a technical point, they would have to prove that a (probably lower load rated tyre) would have had an effect.

10 hours ago, noccer99 said:

would it give a firmer ride to the detriment of the occupant's comfort?

I just changed my Fabia's tyres and bought the correct load rating of 84. It might be my imagination but the ride does seem better, however that could also be attributed to the different tyre brand and having the allignment done too.

It can depend on the tyre make etc. I put slightly more sporty tyres with a higher load rating on my folks old fabia and it made a big difference in handling. The tyres that were on it were comfort tyres according to tyre service. They give a smoother ride but not so good at handling.

Alasdair

Tyres are a very underrated very complex car component and even the same make and model of tyre will vary within its range of sizes.

You could ask insurers about tyres but their answers tend to vary on many matter of the insurance hence the varying premiums. But I can't see an insurer being upset if the only difference is one step up in Load Index and I'd be ery surprised you'd notice much if any difference when driving. (unless there's a big difference in design, tread, compound and composition of the 84 tyre to 88 tyre).

6 hours ago, CharlieH said:

It might be my imagination but the ride does seem better, however that could also be attributed to the different tyre brand and having the allignment done too.

Just changing from worn to new tyres if you have chosen correctly should give you better braking, steering, suspension, handling, ride comfort and noise. Alignment change if it was required would also help to some extent.

If you want to know more loads of info in the 'Tyres & Wheels' forum on this site. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/213-tyres-wheels/

HTH.

Please remember what ever tyre type snd speed or load rating there might be XL / Reinforced sidewalls. For those that see very little snow and find Summer / Standard UK fit tyres as OK, maybe take a trip oop north of Brechin this week.

20 hours ago, noccer99 said:

My concerns with a higher (but not a lower - that would definitely be unsuitable/unacceptable/incorrect) load rating/index are

1) in the event of an accident, would the insurers say that the tyre did not match the car manufacturer's specification?

2) would it give a firmer ride to the detriment of the occupant's comfort?

Any thoughts on this, anyone?

1, It would exceed the manufactures specification.

2. Depends on the make / quality of the tyre, tyre pressures used.

Tyres as they age get harder and this also degrades the ride.

So just fitting the same tyres as you had but with newer ones will improve the ride.

You can find many budget tyres make a thicker / heavier tyre than the premium makes in the same size.

In the winter, tyres with more natural rubber will produce a better ride.

Again premium tyres can have more ( expensive ) natural rubber in them.

Tyres get harder the colder it gets, unless you run winter tyres.

HTH

Thanks. AG Falco