Can Your Insurance Be Void if Your Tyres Speed Limit Is Less than Your Top Speed?

FreddyMerc on 03/05/2020 - 10:52

Hello,

Another member posted in the comments that:

"your tyres speed rating must match the top speed on your car, or your insurance could be void."

I called him out on this stating it was BS but most others seem to agree with him.

My car has a top speed of 272km and the tyre rated to 260km. If I got into a carpark crash at 10km the other party is saying insurance would be void based on tyre speed limit.

The max legal speed is 110km so in what case is it possible that max tyre speed would ever be a factor?

Automotive Car Insurance Insurance

Comments

  • oscargamer on 03/05/2020 - 11:08
    +4

    What speed rating is on your tyre placard?
    What speed rating is on your tyres?

    If actual is less than placard, then yes, you might have a problem.

    • FreddyMerc on 03/05/2020 - 14:30

      Yea, two tyres are rated at W (270) and the placard says Y (300)

      Surely they can only void if something happens when you were going faster than 270km.

      • BOGOF on 03/05/2020 - 16:13
        -1

        What is the top speed of your car as determined by the manufacturer?

        • oscargamer on 03/05/2020 - 19:34
          +1

          I'm guessing that the W rated tyres are not OEM?

          Me - i'd get Y rated. Why would you even give your insurer a reason to refuse a claim?

          • FreddyMerc on 04/05/2020 - 17:50

            @oscargamer: Nope, some cheap brand, I'll get the RE003 from the deal. Cheers

            • billy_bob on 04/05/2020 - 18:07

              @FreddyMerc: Why would you fit some cheap brand tyres to a Civic Type R? Defeats the purpose of having a car like that. You may as as well drive a Camry. The current Civic Type R is one of the best handling front wheel drive cars in the world right now, so putting shitty tyres on it is like having a nice single malt whiskey with coke…..you just don't do it.

              • FreddyMerc on 04/05/2020 - 19:36

                @billy_bob: Easy bro, I bought the car last week and there were two brand new tyres on the front but I didn't recognise the brand. The car was used.

                • billy_bob on 04/05/2020 - 23:21

                  @FreddyMerc: Fair enough, hope you negotiated the price down a bit for the shitty front tyres. If you are really into driving and want to see what your car can do, I recommend doing a track day at Winton if you are in VIC :)

              • The mikky on 06/05/2020 - 14:42

                @billy_bob: I actually have a friend who will buy like $400 plus bottles and then mix it with Pepsi max. I cringe.

                • billy_bob on 06/05/2020 - 15:20

                  @The mikky: Hey mikkey, I'm sure it wasn't you, but could the person who negged my comments at least have the courage to identify yourself and explain what you you disagreed with in my comments. Constructive discussion is better that anonymous flaming….

            • billy_bob on 04/05/2020 - 18:08

              @FreddyMerc: Michelin PS4 FTW!

        • oscargamer on 03/05/2020 - 19:35

          Totally irrelevant BOGOF. Tyres fitted must be rated as per the placard, not anything else.

          • BOGOF on 04/05/2020 - 08:04
            +2

            @oscargamer: Wrong.

            According to ' NSW Vehicle Standards Information No. 9', it specifically states on page 4:-

            If the speed rating of the tyres specified for your vehicle is higher than 180 km/h, you may fit tyres
            with a lower speed rating, but not lower than the vehicle’s top speed.

            https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/roads/safety-rules/stan…

            • oscargamer on 04/05/2020 - 08:26

              @BOGOF: Ok, so where does the placard enter into the discussion?

              • BOGOF on 04/05/2020 - 09:22
                +1

                @oscargamer: For a number of reasons:-
                The placard is for the manufacturer/importer to state they have complied with 'Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 23/02 – Passenger Car Tyres) 2007' https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2007C00769 This is federal legislation that adopts "The technical requirements adopted by the United Nations – Economic Commission for Europe Regulation No 30 – UNIFORM PROVISIONS CONCERNING THE APPROVAL OF PNEUMATIC TYRES FOR MOTOR VEHICLES AND THEIR TRAILERS" - Note this legislation is for the manufacturer/importer of the vehicle as it refers to tyres fitted to new cars, and not the subsequent owner/user.
                This is where State Government steps in, as there is no provision in the above legislation for fitting alternative tyres. For example in NSW (where OP appears to be?) this is covered in ' NSW Vehicle Standards Information No. 9' (referenced in my post above and 'Yippy's post below.

                This Vehicle Standards Information (VSI) No. 9 is intended to provide vehicle owners, operators and
                licensed certifiers with guidelines for fitting alternative wheels and/or tyres to those supplied as original
                equipment by the vehicle’s manufacturer.

                QLD also has Vehicle Standards Instruction G19.11 (page 13)
                https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/-/media/Safety/Vehicle-standards-…

                VIC has Vehicle Standards Information VSI 26 (page 3)
                https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/-/media/files/documents/safe…

                I haven't looked at other States & Territories

                So to answer OP's question. Yes you may void your insurance if you fit tyres with a speed rating lower than the top speed of the car, BUT if the placard has a higher rating than the top speed, you only need to comply with the top speed rating.

                So just to clarify……
                If the top speed of the car is HIGHER than the placard, then you MUST fit tyres to the placard rating (or higher)

                If the top speed is lower than the placard, then you CAN fit tyres to the top speed rating (but not lower)

                • oscargamer on 04/05/2020 - 09:28
                  +1

                  @BOGOF: "If the top speed of the car is HIGHER than the placard, then you MUST fit tyres to the placard rating (or higher)

                  If the top speed is lower than the placard, then you CAN fit tyres to the top speed rating (but not lower)"

                  That is good. So for us mere car users, if we fit tyres that comply with the placard we are good. If we fit tyres that are lower spec than the placard, we might be in the poo.

                  OP - change those tyres.

      • 82norm on 04/05/2020 - 11:12

        I agree with you, but I’d be more worried about going to jail, than insurance being voided.

  • [Deactivated] on 03/05/2020 - 11:20

    If that's the case, I would imagine so many cases of void claims due to bald tyres.

    Still, I'm curious to know the official answer.

    • trex on 03/05/2020 - 11:38
      +1

      Under insurance T&Cs, vehicle must be road worthy. If tyre has worn down to any of its tyre wear indicators or less, then it is considered to be un-roadworthy. So yeah, bald tyres can void insurance.

      • [Deactivated] on 03/05/2020 - 11:40
        +1

        Must be one of those things that are stipulated but never enforced.

        …or just a lot of uninsured drivers.

        • trex on 03/05/2020 - 11:50

          Not so sure about never being enforced. Read this from Whirlpool

          • [Deactivated] on 03/05/2020 - 11:54

            @trex: Not much information on the consistency of enforcement. Just lots of disorganised jibber jabber.

            • trex on 03/05/2020 - 12:07

              @[Deactivated]: Read OP comment that "My insurance company has informed me that the claim is being investigated due to the condition of one of the tyres being below the legal tread depth.". Don't know what's the conclusion but insurers do look at condition of tyres.

              • [Deactivated] on 03/05/2020 - 12:08

                @trex: Yes, that's the one case. To establish consistency it would require multiple cases, at least anecdotal but better yet through publish statistics of denied claims.

                • trex on 03/05/2020 - 12:16

                  @[Deactivated]: Consistency with insurance companies? lol…. They will try everything to deny a claim. T&Cs is very clear cut that vehicle must be road worthy and having a bald tyre goes against that. Personally I don't ever want to find out the hard way.

                  PS : why the down vote on my comment on tyre wear indicator above?

                  • [Deactivated] on 03/05/2020 - 12:19
                    +1

                    @trex: They consistently try to deny claims. 🤣

                    Ps. I didn't downvote. I rarely if ever use the downvote as a protest to the limit of 5 downvotes. Either unlimited, or none to prevent vote bias.

                    • trex on 03/05/2020 - 12:22
                      +1

                      @[Deactivated]: LOL… that we can agree on.

                      Ok, in that case my PS comment wasn't directed to you but to the person who down voted it.

        • gromit on 04/05/2020 - 15:45
          +1

          I think the enforcement comes down to type of accident. e.g. they tried to argue this with my mothers old car about a decade ago where a puncture from a piece of metal on the road sent her into a guiderail. I think the only thing that eventually got her the payout was the fact her annual insurance bill with them was worth more than the value of the car due to her business which they would have lost had they stuck to it.

          • [Deactivated] on 04/05/2020 - 18:02

            @gromit: Mmmm. That is a new perspective. If the collision was caused by a possible deficit in friction, look for blame on tyres.

  • dassaur on 03/05/2020 - 11:21

    Whatever's on teh placard on the door jamb - that's what matters. Can't be below that. Does it actually have speed index? I know load is on there.

    • hmac on 03/05/2020 - 13:10
      +2

      If the speed rating of the tyres specified for your vehicle is higher than 180 km/h, you may fit tyres
      with a lower speed rating, but not lower than the vehicle’s top speed

      • bdl on 03/05/2020 - 15:27

        OK, gonna go buy some Chinese tyres for my Ferrari then :)

      • cameldownunder on 04/05/2020 - 16:25

        What is the top speed of a car, where can I find it, is it the highest number on my speed thingy in the dashboard ?

  • John Kimble on 03/05/2020 - 11:47

    What does your insurance PDS say?

  • Amaris on 03/05/2020 - 12:10

    My car has a top speed of 272km

    What car do you have?

    • Euphemistic on 03/05/2020 - 13:46
      +2

      It’s someone from ozbargain. It’s either a Camry or a high yield investment $80k Merc.

  • whooah1979 on 03/05/2020 - 12:13

    The rule should be that the insurance is void if the driver speeds and causes an accident.

    • D C on 03/05/2020 - 17:13

      If I was the insurance company I'd say @OP often drives at 272km/h and has caused damage to their tyres.

      Had @OP not damaged their tyres, then that tree would not have fallen on their car. Claim denied, have a nice day.

  • BOGOF on 03/05/2020 - 12:26

    Carmakers are required to fit tyres that can match a car's top speed, but when owners come to fit replacement tyres to their car they have to be minimum of S rated, which is 180 km/h.
    However, load ratings of tyres must be at least equal to those specified by the manufacturer on the tyre placard fitted to vehicles made after 1972.

  • JimmyF on 03/05/2020 - 13:06
    -1

    I called him out on this stating it was BS but most others seem to agree with him.

    Then you are wrong….

    My car has a top speed of 272km and the tyre rated to 260km.

    You need to have tyre that matches or is greater than the speed rating that your car says it should have. You'll find that speed rating in your manual or the placard on the car.

    So yes if you have a lower rated tyre on the car than it is meant to, they can void your insurance.

  • akyeeeahdude on 03/05/2020 - 15:57

    Technically, if you don't fit tyres that meet the manufacturer's speed rating requirements, then your car is not roadworthy so theoretically, an insurer could decline a claim on those grounds. It would be very unusual though.

    • quasi on 03/05/2020 - 18:37
      +1

      spot on i think. technically illegal but unlikely to be enforced. they are more focussed on tyre wear. unless of course if the claim is related to speeding, they may well look at it

  • bobbified on 03/05/2020 - 20:59
    +2

    "your tyres speed rating must match the top speed on your car, or your insurance could be void."

    The policy may be void if the insurer can show that the under-spec'd tyre was a factor in the cause of the crash.

    It's the same as if you had busted headlights and you rear-ended a car during the day. Your vehicle is technically unroadworthy, but they cannot decline your claim based on that because the headlights played no role in the crash. Had the crash happened at night, then the insurer can decline the claim because the lack of headlights likely hindered your ability to see the vehicles in front.

    • 82norm on 04/05/2020 - 11:09

      How would they prove that your headlights were faulty? Even if they were to check the fuse,you could argue the case and say they blew when the accident occurred.

      • bobbified on 04/05/2020 - 13:39

        I was just using headlights as an example.

        But if you're asking how to check, the cabling and circuitry could've had pre-existing damaged or the bulbs could've been busted at the time of the accident. For the cabling, it could be burnt or melted through. And the bulbs themselves - if the outer glass was still intact and the filament was broken, it's likely the lights were already busted prior to the collision. There may also have been eyewitnesses who saw the lack of headlights.

      • 2024 on 04/05/2020 - 18:47

        I vaguely remember a crash investigation tv show a long time ago mentioned something along the lines of the filament in the globe breaks differently if it’s lit up when the accident happens… I’m guessing it would have scorch marks or something?

  • Cheekykent on 03/05/2020 - 23:17

    Refer to relevant state rules.
    In Victoria passenger vehicles are minimum S rating however most manufacturers do not recommend going down 2 speed ratings from manufacturers recommendation.

  • backpaqer on 04/05/2020 - 07:48

    I'd say it depends. If the tyres were the basis of rejection of a claim you could take it to court and test it. If the tyres had no contributing factor to the accident the claim shouldn't be denied. Same if you had a faulty headlight (and therefore unroadworthy) but the accident happened in broad daylight. Still, why not fit the placarded tyre? And placard is only one set of parameters on a tyre, there's also traction rating, temperature and wear ratings.

    • bobbified on 04/05/2020 - 10:08

      This sounds very familiar… 😒

      • backpaqer on 06/05/2020 - 08:21

        Great minds,.. :)

        A friend used to drive his car around on cross-ply tyres on the rear because they had really poor traction and Yokohama a001R's on the front that stuck to the road like nothing else. It was hilarious.

  • MontyMacaw on 04/05/2020 - 09:41

    The speed rating put to one side as it has been well covered with some facts already, if anybody thinks an insurance company is going pay out a claim on a car that would have not been issued a roadworthy certificate they are at least naive and at worst pig ignorant. It is every DRIVER’s responsibility to ensure the vehicle they are driving is compliant with the roadworthy certification standard. My question to some is: why the hell would you risk life and limb driving with a bald tyre??? You deserve to get treated like crap for that. What else do you do recklessly in you life??? The mind boggles…

  • trapper on 04/05/2020 - 15:00
    -2

    If it sounds like bullshit, it's usually bullshit.

    And in this case, yes it is bullshit.

  • Herbse on 04/05/2020 - 15:49

    If the reason for the accident is found to be because of the tyre speed not matching, then yes.

    If you hit someone in a car park and they find out your have the wrong kind of tyres. They will not.

  • UFO on 04/05/2020 - 19:19

    Any tyre you fit to a car must satisfy LOAD and SPEED ratings. The excuse "but I don't like 270km/h" is mute, because that's not the point. Of course you aren't driving at 270km/h!! This standard dictates the durability of the tyre at both maximum speed, and all speeds below it.

    In other words, a 270 rated tyre may have a max speed of 270… but at 100km/h its also stronger than a 260 rated tyre at 100km/h.
    Load rating is obvious- the amount of dead weight on each corner of the car. But speed rating is about how the tyre handles that weight when accelerating, braking, cornering (ie under stress).

    YOU MUST HAVE THE RIGHT SPEED RATED TYRE!! It's not as simplistic as "max speed of 270km/h". Doesn't work like that.

    It's not roadworthy, and your insurer will void any claims in an instant if they see you've got the wrong tyre on your car.

    • akyeeeahdude on 05/05/2020 - 09:38
      +1

      UFO is technically correct. Tyres with a higher speed rating are indeed better quality so the example of "but at 100km/h its also stronger than a 260 rated tyre at 100km/h" is actually correct. I've upvoted the comment as someone downvoted it.

      • UFO on 05/05/2020 - 10:51
        +1

        Haters gunna hate. Thanks mate.

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