I’ve often seen ‘XL’ stamped on tyres. What does this mean, and is there a performance advantage?
XL stands for Extra Load – or is sometimes referred to as Reinforced. Essentially, tyres bearing this stamp are designed for heavy cars rather than ones that carry big loads. Not only are they constructed to cope with weight, but also the higher tyre pressure these vehicles need to run at. This marking is usually found on lower-profile tyres used on large cars. It highlights the fact they are built to a higher weight rating, as there is nearly always a standard version in the same size in the maker’s range.
Interesting about the higher inflation pressures, I hadn't thought about this, my car lists a 'fully laden' and high-speed tyre pressure of 42PSi on the front so I guess that's also where the X-L comes into it.
Oh gees, I've just noticed the statement above says 'big loads' where's puggy this afternoon?
It'll be interesting to see how badly it does in the white stuff!
it's probably better to look at test done in countries where they know what they're doing with them (actually, I think that one's ADAC)
