Why do all low profile tires have to be of high performance design?

[grampi]

Originally Posted by blacksan

The inherit limitations of the short sidewall design is my guess.

Someone else mentioned the sidewall thing in a similar discussion in another forum and said the shorter siewall needs to be stiffer. I guess my counter to that is; isn't the shorter sidewall stiffer than a higher profile tire simply by virtue of being shorter? Why the need to make it even stiffer still? Just seems like overkill to me.

[Imagine]

Originally Posted by grampi

Someone else mentioned the sidewall thing in a similar discussion in another forum and said the shorter siewall needs to be stiffer. I guess my counter to that is; isn't the shorter sidewall stiffer than a higher profile tire simply by virtue of being shorter? Why the need to make it even stiffer still? Just seems like overkill to me.

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Yes it is stiffer because it is shorter, my guess is that they make them thicker for rim/blowout protection. For things such as potholes. I had a 40 series Toyo go flat due to a nail once. I could hardly tell because the sidewalls were so stiff.

[grampi]

Originally Posted by Imagine

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Yes it is stiffer because it is shorter, my guess is that they make them thicker for rim/blowout protection. For things such as potholes. I had a 40 series Toyo go flat due to a nail once. I could hardly tell because the sidewalls were so stiff.

My guess is there's a more sinister reason for it. I obviously don't have any proof to back this assertion up and it's just a theory, but I think it's all about money.Tire makers have never made low profile tires available in a non-high performance design, therefore anyone who wants them must buy them as high performance tires. This basically results in double payments to the tire makers from consumers because 1) the tires are more expensive to purchase than regular touring tires BECAUSE they're high perfromance tires, and 2) they're purchased twice as often because they only last half as long as touring tires. It would also cost tire makers more money to make a given tire model available in both high performance and touring designs so they choose to make them only in a high performance design.

No, my guess is (and again, it's just my theory) a T speed rated touring tire in a 40 or 50 series would be just as safe and durable as a Z speed rated tire, but they aren't made available because tire manufacturers would lose money by doing so.

For what it's worth, I emailed these questions to a specialist at the Tire Rack and am waiting for a reply. However, I realize that the Tire Rack is a business, and businesses exist to make money, and I'm sure they know they make more profit selling a high performance tire than they do selling a touring tire, so they have a vested interest in promoting what makes them the most money, so there's a good chance the response I get will be slanted. I wish there was a true tire expert I could ask these questions of who doesn't have any alterior motives so I could get the REAL answer on this issue.