Speed rating on tires - question (Take two)
 

Apologies for the double post - I was lurking in a KISS newsgroup for some
strange reason and inadvertently x-posted to it instead of
rec.autos.makers.honda. :-/

Again...

I've had my 2004 Civic LX for a few days now and I really like it. I do
have one concern, however. The dealer replaced the original Firestone tires
with Bridgestone Insignia's, which I know are low end OEM-type tires. My
concern is that these tires are S-rated, but my manual says that H-rated
tires are recommended for the LX model (S is acceptable for the base DX).

I know that the maximum speed capability for an S-rated tire is 180km/h
(112mph). Because I never approach anywhere near that speed, I figure the
S-rated tires should be OK on my LX, notwithstanding that they probably
won't last long with all the driving I have been doing as of late. But what
I would like to know is if I could use a Q-rated winter tire on the car
during the winter months, or if this is too big of a drop from the
recommended H.

Thanks in advance.