Ok, so I know that opinions on tires are about as plentiful as right thumbs, but I have a tire question. I'm looking at the michelin pilot super sport all seasons, I'd kind of rather have dedicated summer tires, but my life circumstances right now are much better with a set of all seasons, I still have my snow tires/wheels sitting in storage though. The one question I've come up against is the load rating for tires. I'm pretty sure I've always bought tires with a load rating of 87, but I have the choice between an 87 and a 91 with these tires. Is there any performance downside with the 91? Will I even notice a difference?

The tires will be used for commuting, time attack, and a couple of east coast to colorado drives in the early winter months. I know that's alot to ask from one set of tires so I expect to compromise, but the load rating is a bit of a mystery to me.

 

My Countryman’s tires have a 95 load rating. I’m shopping for new shoes for him right now, so I just looked into the very question you are asking.
Basically it is the amount of weight each tire can safely carry at a given psi. From what I’ve gathered, the higher the number, the stronger the tire.... so the high numbers probably have a bit stiffer ride, I would guess.

here is a good little explanation and chart for load and speed ratings:
https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/...e-descriptions