What is the best tire for the XC90??

[Mr. P]

Here is the Tire Rack test showing the two original equipment tires that come on the XC 2.5 AWD, the Michelin and Pirelli, with the Pirelli costing around $121 each and the Michelin around $200 each. Neither seem to be very high up the performance chart, so it appears that there are some better choices.

Here's the link, any and all comments are welcome, as we're all in this together and we're looking for a consensus, or good comments one way or another.

None of the tires I posted images of look all that good visually, with regards to how I would anticipate them handling transient manuvers like quick lane changes, spirited back road driving, and "wagging the tail" due to high cross section and generally open tread pattern. The more open the tread pattern the better the tire generally works in the wet, and depending on pattern, the snow (I may be in Nashville, but I grew up in Erie, PA :-)

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=HAS



Here is another important link, the owner survey part, this makes for some good reading if you're considering the Geolander, which appears to be the best tire for the price. http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComments.jsp?additionalComments=y&tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=Geolandar+H%2FT-S+G051&commentStatus=P


Mr. P



http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/michelin/mi_4x4_synchrone_ci2_l.jpg
From France, the Michelin


http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/pirelli/pi_scorpion_ii.jpg
And from Italy, the Pirelli



But..........From Japan, the Yokohama is waaaaaay higher in the performance charts, in every possible way, so this certainly appears to be a better choice..
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/yokohama/yo_geo_hts_g051_owl.jpg
GO51

Note: This tire comes in three tread patterns, and three different weight ratings, look at the writeup and you'll see the alternatives.




Here's the Yoko GO52, note the difference in tread pattern
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/yokohama/yo_geo_hts_g052_ci2_l.jpg




Here's the Yoko GO53, note tread difference
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/yokohama/yo_geolandar_hts_g053_ci2_l.jpg



Contrary to popular belief, I'm not on the marketing staff for Yokohama, as a matter of fact, I'm not too high about having the word "Yokohama" emblazoned on the side of a vehicle built in Sweden, but hey, I guess I can get over it, ha ha.





Jumping over the Khumo, from Korea, to the Firestone in third place, all of which are probably essentially "dead even" the way these tests are actually done, we have the Firestone, which appears to be a good choice too.
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/firestone/fs_destination_le_owl_ci2_l.jpg

Back when Ford had problems with Firestone, jointly putting a cheap tire on their SUV and jointly suffering from the blowout issues, partially due to underinflation and running too fast with too heavy a load, I got a bad feel for Firestone and purchased Bridgestones for my 928. Since then I learned Firestone did, indeed, build a great high performance tire (SZ50 EP) and I have a set of those on one of my 944s, and they handle very superbly. Therefore, I know Firestone can build a good tire, and seeing this particular test makes me consider the Firestone as analternative. I'm also searching the higher performance tires to see if they offer alternatives in the size we require for the XC90, and I'll report in later.

I'm interested in your opinion, and anyone who may be running one tire or another with good or bad results.

regards, Mr. P

[Mr. P]

Okay, here's a search at Tire Rack doing a look at everything they have in the standard stock 235/65-17 size. There are 29 alternatives. The Michelin Synchrone is the most expensive of the entire lot, but it's not the best handling. Strange, perhaps they got a deal on volume buying or something. In any case, that tire will not be my replacement, under any circumstances.

Check out this link, and realize they put the low performance tires at the end of the list, and the ultra high performance tires first. I'm surprised to see the Continental 4x4 Contact (Street/Sport Truck All-Season) which Porsche provides from the factory for the Cayenne, has a horrible test rating when it comes to tire wear (perhaps this is becaue the customers are all driving the Cayenne, notorious for erasing rubber due to weight and power, and stiff suspension?)

regards, Mr. P


http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?startIndex=0&width=235%2F&ratio=65&diameter=17&search=true&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&x=18&y=9



Looking at the test data, the Yoko Geolander appears to be one of the best.
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/yokohama/yo_geo_hts_g052_ci2_l.jpg



I just realized this tire comes in three different tread patterns, so look carefully. The GO53 has what appears to be a better "summer highway performance" pattern. Here's the explanation

The Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S family of Highway All-Season sport utility vehicle, pickup truck and van tires are designed to provide a combination of comfort, handling and year-round traction, even in light snow. The Geolandar H/T-S family features three different All-Season tread patterns (Yokohama's G051, G052 and G053 designs) and three different internal constructions, tuned to meet three different modes of driving. Depending on the tire size selected, Geolandar H/T-S tires address the needs of light duty on-road driving (G051), make a statement for the drivers who want attention-grabbing looks (G052), or deal with the heavy loads that require Load Range E tires (G053).

The Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S (G051, G052 and G053) family of Highway All-Season light truck tires each specialized for a different type of light truck use.

Geolandar H/T-S G053 tires are available in heavy-duty Load Range E (10-ply rated) sizes for 1-ton pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans. They feature a wide, continuous center rib and a three-ply casing construction to help handle heavy loads at highway speeds. They feature raised black letter styling on both sidewalls and will be available in selected Q-speed rated, 85- and 75-series Load Range E, LT-metric sizes for 16-inch rim diameters.

[Big]

Okay, here's a search at Tire Rack doing a look at everything they have in the standard stock 235/65-17 size. There are 29 alternatives. The Michelin Synchrone is the most expensive of the entire lot, but it's not the best handling. Strange, perhaps they got a deal on volume buying or something. In any case, that tire will not be my replacement, under any circumstances.
I find it pretty good all-around tire and it gets a solid excellent score by users. For those of us in the snow zone, an all-season tire is important. In the south you can get away with a more summer-oriented performance tire I'd guess, although the XC90 is a far cry from a performance vehicle so I wonder if that would be something of a mismatch. Do all of the 29 tires meet the XC90's load and pressure requirements?

[Mr. P]

I find it pretty good all-around tire and it gets a solid excellent score by users. For those of us in the snow zone, an all-season tire is important. In the south you can get away with a more summer-oriented performance tire I'd guess, although the XC90 is a far cry from a performance vehicle so I wonder if that would be something of a mismatch. Do all of the 29 tires meet the XC90's load and pressure requirements?

Hi Big,

I find the Michelins to be pretty darn good too, and you're right, in the South we can get away with a lot. Some of the most dangerous conditions are in the rain, after a hot week of no rain when there is oil on the road surface. Fishtail time, been there, done that, immediately junked the tires (Bridgestone EAGER, at the time, on my 944).

I did a size search for the 29 alternatives. I would think any tire that size would probably meet the load and pressure requirements, but I'm also interested in the speed ratings, as higher speed ratings are better for safety, probably lower in milage, and more fuel inefficient due to stiffer sidewalls. Just looking at a couple tires, comparing them to the Michelin's spec, it looks like the pressure and weight capability is right on the mark, but anyone buying tires needs to verify this carefully to verify, etc.

I've posted this info in order to get the discussion going, to put the info out there for comments like yours, and to see what (other) good comments come out of it, in an interest of working toward a better informed decision.

Cheers,

Mr. P

[coachhomer]

Great post Mr. P. Only a side note: The Michelin Cross Terrain has almost 8 times the reported miles that the Yokohama does.

I'm not saying the Yokohama is not a great tire, and maybe it is a better performing tire, but as I see this data... we must remember that this is a poll. Yokohama tires aren't as popular a tire (by the numbers) as Michelin. So a couple of things must be taken into account.

1. Yokohama probably has more of a "following" than Michelin in this market. Example: We are loyal to Volvo because we own one and we know the good and the bad of Volvo and in most cases are biased in one way or another to our vehicle over another brand. Ford however, sells more vehicles but by a majority has more people dissatisfied with Ford by percentage than Volvo does. By nature we pull for the little guy if you know what I mean.

I am basically saying that loyalists to Yokohama would be less likely to complain than a loyalist to Michelin because those who own Yokohamas feel as if they have more "ownership" (for lack of a better word) in Yokohama because of the scarcity of Yokohama tires on the road. Everywhere you look there is a set of Michelins.

2. That being said, choosing the tire that rates the highest with the highest number of rated miles, would to me be the best choice. The Michelin LTX M/S would fall into this catergory seeing that it has been polled for 3 times as many miles as any other tire in the top 10.

I personally have the Michelin Cross Terrains and am very happy with them. As I said earlier, the Yokohamas may in fact perform the best, I just didn't want this poll to directly mislead people.

Thanks for the link!

Scott

[Big]

Speaking of the "little guys" of tires, I should throw Nokian into the discussion. TireRack doesn't carry them because, "Nokian can't supply the quantity of tires we sell." There have been some very favorable posts in the past on Volvo forums about Nokian. This past year was their first for a tire to fit the XC90. I can't comment on how good they might be but they are worth looking at. The trick is to find them. They have 3 tires in the 235-65-17 size: Hakkapeliitta SUV (winter), NRVi (V-rated summer) and WR SUV (all-season). See this link (http://www.nokiantyres.com/ts_size_en). I did use a Nokian all-season tire on a V70XC we owned and really liked it.

[coachhomer]

are the swedespeed xc90 forums down? cant get in since yesterday. anyone else having this problem?

thanks

Scott

[Mr. P]

are the swedespeed xc90 forums down? cant get in since yesterday. anyone else having this problem?

thanks

Scott


Yes, the Swedespeed forum is down again today, and that's one reason my initial post was put here on this forum, in addition to the nice people who post here !

By the way, your comments about the manner in which the tests are done and reviewed are right on target. That's why I said the top three tires listed were probably all in a "dead heat" and essentially equal. What scares me though, is the fact that without a chart like that, we just might pick the tire listed on the bottom of the chart.

How do we know the Nokian isn't going to show up on the bottom of the chart when compared to the others?? While it appears this wouldn't happen, every chart does have a bottom, and sometimes it's surprizing to see who's there.

The Tire Rack format does give us "information". It's a heck of a lot more info than we'll get anywhere else, and of course, we all have to make the decision for our geographic area and driving style. Personally, I'm not wild about having Yoko's on my car, just because of the name. I do hear a lot of people in Porsche circles talking favorably about them, so they probably do build a good tire.

I like my Michelins, but I'm boycotting France. These came on the car, I thought about pulling them off, but decided to keep them as they were already "sold". Fortunately, there are many good choices, and a few really really bad ones too. Some of those tires should be pulled off the production lines.

Regarding the Tire Rack charts, I've traditionally purchased the first or second place finisher in the Ultra High Performance category for my high speed road cars. I don't go to the Max Performance category as the rubber is so soft it just vanishes off the carcass way too fast. Stepping down to a somewhat lower performance category would undoubtedly put us in a higher-milage tire bracket, regarding longevity.

Also, I don't think the ratings are valid to compare from one chart to another, as I think the data on one chart is only relevant in relationship to the other tires in THAT particular chart, and not able to be compared to other charts in a numerical manner.

regards,

Mr. P

[kwxc90nj]

Due to the comments in this thread and my additional research I decided to order a set of new wheels and snow tires for the '04 XC90 T-6. The standard 18" wheels didn't provide much grip last winter.

I ended up going with the following set-up purchased directly from RONAL.

1) RONAL R41 Rims 17" x 8" 5x108 bolt pattern and ET45
(These rims take advantage of the factory lug nuts)

2) Yokohama Geolander H/T-S G052 tires 235/65/17

I'll post pics of the car once I get the wheels and tires in and mounted.

Kevin

[tokyoXC90]

Very good topic.

Here on my XC90 2.5T that I purchased last month here in Japan, believe it or not (I've ran down and checked 3 times now.), I'm riding Continental ContiPremiumContact 4x4s. I've found the tire at the Continental UK site, but it doesn't list our size (235-65-17). Even the Japan Continental site doesn't show our size. From what I can gather it's really a street-geared tire.

Check out the photo. Puzzled. Not by the tread, but the mystery of selection/availability. Really look forward to the everyone's views and opinions.

[JoVolvo]

Caution on Geolander. Can be really, really noisy. Had 2 sets on Explorer. 1st set awesome! Great grip, handling, noise on par with Michelins that hydroplaned at first and any rain. 2nd set so noisy after 10K that my wife refused to drive it. Evidently a problem with that tire that we were lucky not to experience the first go-round.

[kwxc90nj]

I received the new rims and tires and installed them today.

Wheels: RONAL R41 Rims 17" x 8" 5x108 bolt pattern and ET45

Tires: Yokohama Geolander H/T-S G052 tires 235/65/17.

http://www.xc70.com/pics/displayimage.php?pos=-4386

Kevin

[blowpipe]

Talk over this side of the pond is that Continental are the only tyre brand that will cater for the XC90 wheel size.
I've only just got the car, so hopefully there'l be more choice come replacement time.

[stuarta]

I recently fitted a set of Bridgestone Blizzak LM-18 snowtyres and am so far very impressed. I took it up about 600ft into the alps last week to find some snow and even on an iced up road with 2 inches of fresh on top, had no problem finding grip. I even tried a number of violent changes of direction but was unable to unsettle it. Very happy. Please note that these are the new ones designed specifically for the XC90 and similar vehicles, not the older blizzaks that I read awful things about on these forums.

[Mr. P]

Great looking wheels! How do you like the Geolanders? We can read specs and reports all day long but they're no substitute for a real world test drive.

Mr. P

[Sasquatch]

You could get the Green Diamond tires, which have various patterns depending on which one you choose. They ALL have built in silica "studs" which put them near the top of the heap for ice traction.

The link to the full review from the 2004 snow tire FAQ:

http://www.snowtire.info/TireReviews/2004-Html/2004%20Review.html#5.2.2.Green%20Diamond%20Inari%2 0(185/65%20R%2015)|outline

[fifi]

Hi
I by from my xc90 pirelli snowsport 235/60 R18.Everythink is ok

[Sasquatch]

For $556, you get 4 wheels and 4 Blizzak snow tires at the tire rack. No need to mount or dismount tires, just swap them at home yourself.

http://www.tirerack.com/snow/preferredpackages.jsp

[Mr. P]

We need a Geolander update, you guys out there with em, how are they doing?

Mr. P

[compost]

Talk over this side of the pond is that Continental are the only tyre brand that will cater for the XC90 wheel size.
I've only just got the car, so hopefully there'l be more choice come replacement time.

I bought Pirelli Scorpion Xero 235/60 R18V tyres for the 18" Atlantis wheels when the original Continentals were due for replacement (at 28,000 miles). The Pirellis were cheaper and available. The Continentals as fitted as OEM equipment were more difficult to get hold of.

The Pirellis have been fine so far with good grip and they are quiet. Time will tell if they wear as well.

[blowpipe]

How much were they if you don't mind me asking? The local Kwik Fit quoted me a shade over £200 per tyre for the Contis! :eek:

[dmd]

I will have to see if Costco has any of these... If not I will get a all season that looks good and fits the tall station-wagon when the time comes.

[compost]

How much were they if you don't mind me asking? The local Kwik Fit quoted me a shade over £200 per tyre for the Contis! :eek:

I managed to get a quote of around £150 each for Continentals (if they were available) and the Pirellis came in at around £130. :)

[ndavies4]

I bought Pirelli Scorpion Xero 235/60 R18V tyres for the 18" Atlantis wheels when the original Continentals were due for replacement (at 28,000 miles). The Pirellis were cheaper and available. The Continentals as fitted as OEM equipment were more difficult to get hold of.

The Pirellis have been fine so far with good grip and they are quiet. Time will tell if they wear as well.

compost,
How are your Pirelli's doing? Have only done 19,000 miles and the dealer just told me I should be looking to change the tyres soon'ish, then quoted £210+ for the UK standard Contis!

Just Googled for cheap tyres in UK and found the following for 235/60 R18s:
> "www.mytyres.co.uk" list the Pirelli 'Scorpion Zero' @ £117 (incl VAT and del) or a Nokian 'NRVi sport utility' @ £112
> "www.tyresonline.net" list the Contis @ £153

I'm certainly tempted to go with the Pirelli's as you did.

Have a month or so to go before I need to do the change, so any feedback in the mean time would be appreciated.

Regards,
Neil

[compost]

I have done about 13,000 miles on the Pirellis and they are generally wearing well. I have doubts whether they will do 28,000 as I managed to get out of the Contis. The main problem is uneven wear on the rears. I noticed this on the Contis too and had the wheels checked for alignment when they were due for changing and they were all spot on. It would appear that the camber is fixed on the XC90 and that results in some faster wearing on the outside of the rear tyres. The Contis could have just reached 30,000 if the wear had been even. I changed all 4 as they were all getting close to the min tread markers.

The Pirellis should cover over 20,000 without any problem. I just feel that they will not last quite as long.

I notice that you mentioned the Nokian tyres and had a look at these on 2 XC90s when on holiday. They appear to be a popular choice with those who require an all weather tyre and are meant to be very durable and hard wearing. I am not aware of anyone who has tried them in the UK

[ndavies4]

Did a bit more reading up about the Nokian's. Found the following:

www.tyres-online.co.uk/archives/prodjun03.asp#1

Will be going for these I think.

[compost]

I'd be interested to hear of your opinions on the Nokians, if you go for them. Please post details of your experience in terms of handling, noise and wear.

[blowpipe]

Just found a nail on the left rear tyre and a small screw in the right rear (leading edge) :mad:

Given that the front tyres are looking tired after about 18k, it looks like all four are due for replacement. Any fresh UK updates on the best tyre, both longevity and price?

[ojock]

Just found a nail on the left rear tyre and a small screw in the right rear (leading edge) :mad:

Given that the front tyres are looking tired after about 18k, it looks like all four are due for replacement. Any fresh UK updates on the best tyre, both longevity and price?

If you have a Costco nearby, they've got some Michelins, which I think are quite well rated, for under £135 each.

[blowpipe]

If you have a Costco nearby, they've got some Michelins, which I think are quite well rated, for under £135 each.

After a lot of phoning around, I reckon that Michedever Tyres (not too far from you) do the best deal. Pirelli Scorpions, fully fitted, at £118 per unit. The cheapest Contis I could find were internet delivery at about £130 each; Hi Q wanted £12.50 to fit each tyre, so no contest really.....

[blowpipe]

Having sent my wife off down to Micheldever Tyres with a bit of paper specifying Pirelli Scorpions (which Micheldever told me they had in stock yesterday), I find that they've stuck Continental PremiumContact tyres on the car, not what I asked for but a couple of pounds cheaper.

Not going to kick up too much fuss unless someone tells me these tyres are poor......

[Sasquatch]

For $556, you get 4 wheels and 4 Blizzak snow tires at the tire rack. No need to mount or dismount tires, just swap them at home yourself.

http://www.tirerack.com/snow/preferredpackages.jsp

Into it for $612 this year.

Those Winterforce seem nice.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Winterforce&tireModel=M%2BS&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=165SR6WFORCE&fromCompare1=yes&place=4


Now, I need to see if the Green Diamonds tires are available in 215/65R16 or similar size.

Tires are wearing down, and it is soon time to replace. I am trying to decide between summer/winter tires (studded?), or just some all seasons. I prefer the summer/winter for quieter ride in summer and better traction (for going to ski areas during a blizzard) in the winter.

[Mike F]

I'm running Goodyear Fortera. 17". After 15 K mikes I see I will need a new set for this winter. They are quiet and have excellent traction in all weather. My factory Michellons had good traction too but very noisy. It was a process to get to the Fortera decision. I will consider remarks made on this forum before I purchase another set. Except for the tread life they have been perfect.

[Castle]

I replaced the OEM Michelin tires on my XC90 AWD with Nokian WRs. I had used the WRs on the Cross Country and was very pleased with the performance in inclement weather.

Other than having to replace an out-of-spec tire (easily done under warranty), I've been very pleased with the performance of the WRs. They are quieter and handle rain, snow and ice better than the Michelin Synchos. Turn-in is sharper as the tires feel to have a stiffer sidewall. Ride is slightly harder but not all that noticeable. Fuel economy has stayed the same.

Based upon my experience with this tire on the Cross Country and now on the XC90, I'd say they're a great choice.

Tod.

[1 swt wrl]

I have been running Nokian WR's on my XC90 AWD for 3800mi now and love them. Was able to test them out during some winter weather and was impressed with the handling and traction. I would recommend them.

[Harold 348]

Having sent my wife off down to Micheldever Tyres with a bit of paper specifying Pirelli Scorpions (which Micheldever told me they had in stock yesterday), I find that they've stuck Continental PremiumContact tyres on the car, not what I asked for but a couple of pounds cheaper.

Not going to kick up too much fuss unless someone tells me these tyres are poor......

The Conti's are rather disappointing tires. Had them as my first set of tires. Very compromised as far as pure road tires go. Sorry to say.

[patayres]

My OEM Pirelli Scorpion Zeros are going to need replaced before the snow starts (approx. 22K miles), and after talking with several 'tire guys' I've decided to go with the Goodyear Fortera Tripletred. Interested if anyone else has any experience w/ these. I'll be sure to post my impressions once they're mounted...

[soerries]

I too am shopping tires. I've read so many reviews (often conflicting) that I'm not sold on any of them. I have the OEM Michelin HVMVM4 Pilots and they have lasted to 37,000 and produce only a little highway noise.

The Fortera has some pretty good reviews, but some thought they were a little noisy. Since I am in southern California I am not looking at all weather, mainly highway and quiet. Based on my good experience with Michelin, I am going to go with Michelin Latitude HP.

I am running 235 60 R 18's now. I am considering going to a 255 or 265, but wonder if extending the profile beyond the body would increase the wind noise. Anyone know?

[Cargusjoh]

Nokian WRs Rock! In last blizzards did very well, both wife (XC90) and I (V70R) pushed a pretty big wave of snow (2+feet) with no trouble. I take the R up in the mountains in any weather almost every weekend. The road are plowed, did very well. These are not as good as studded, for certain at that level, but pretty darn good. We also use for drives to Texas and other non-locals, handle very well in summer also.

We installed these at 11,000 miles and now at 48,000 put a second set on. There was still a bit of wear left before the wear bar, but with winters here tread depth helps with snow so swapped to be on safer side.

Highly recommended, worth the effort to locate.
Carl

[soerries]

I went with Michelin Latitude Tour HP tires and they are great. Very quiet and soft. I was even doing 75 m.p.h. in rain the other day and they never quivered. I did go larger than spec. by getting 245 (not 225) 60R-18 with no spacing issues.

$750 installed at Discount Tire ($158 each plus misc. & taxes)

[No(r)way]

There is only one wintertire for me and its Nokian hakka, but as a summertire i have now tried Semperit, nokian, conti and now i use the Toyo Proxes S/T and i have to say that Toyo have given me the best performance, and it has a nice look too:) (i use 255/55/18)

[Scottie]

Hey,

Adding my experiance FWIW --

I'm normally a Michelin guy, and we put the Cross Terrains on our XC90 based on good winter reviews on Tirerack. However, in the winter, at least on the XC90, these seemed like some of the worst winter tires we've ever used. Go figure.

My wife wanted to try the Nokian WRs based on this forum and others, and we've been pleased so far with every thing but the price. They are WAY better in winter driving than the Cross Terrains.

As they say, YMMV...

Scottie

[stonepa]

My XC90 T6 has been running on Toyo Open Country (summer) and Continental Extreme Winter Contact (winter) tires for the last 4 years(60k total miles). Love them both and plan to replace with same when they finally wear out.

[Josh775]

My Nokian WR's are getting worn, and looking to replace before snow flies. The new tire is the WR G2..
http://www.tiresbyweb.com/images/PRODUCT/large/WR-G2-SUV.jpg


http://www.tiresbyweb.com/p-8945-nokian-wr-g2-suv-tires.aspx

Anybody have experience with the new one? The WR was great in snow, and I assume the new one is just as good(??)

[Dubhead]

Folks,
Been reading this post a bit. I have the Nokian WRs on my XC70 but for my '09 XC90 R-Design 3.2 AWD I will need to get something a bit longer lasting than the Nokians and am looking more for an All-Season, that is quiet and does well in rain, snow, ice. The Discount Tire dealership here in Bellevue, WA pointed me towards these:
Yokohama YK520 - 255/50R-19 107V XL B
http://www.discounttire.com/product/tires/yokrha.ang.jpg

These would be siped of course and I could get these out the door with the AWD pro-rated warranty (defrays some cost of replacing other three tires if one needs replacing) for $1116. That is all the standard lifetime rotation, balancing, road hazard warranty, etc. They do Nitrogen here as well which I have noticed a huge difference in the lack of pressure fluctuation from temp to temp during season changes.

Anyways, anything seems better than the Pirelli Scorpion Zeros it has on it currently. Only 33K on the vehicle and these are done, but I guess that is how they are designed. ;)

[Francisd]

It took me a long time to decide on a tyre for my 90 (2006 V8), but I finally decided on the Nokian WRG2 (18" version) in standard size (235/60)

I just did a 4500km trip on them through the high desert of Oregon on dry old highways, higher speed interstate driving, and along the windy 101 back up north to Vancouver.

My personal opinion is that these are a great tyre for my needs, and an improvement over the Michelin's (stock) that were on it previously. I'm almost looking forward to rain to see how they are in the wet.

One of the things that tipped me in favour of this tyre is that they offer (Via Kal Tire) an 80000km treadwear warranty. Since the 90's are notorious for tyre wear, it seemed like a win/win with the guarantee.

So far, very happy.

[B6294TXC90]

i want an all terrian tire any suggestions?

[soerries]

I went with General Altimax HP (?) which rates well in rain and dry weather. I had to go with 225 R18, which was below the stated 235 minimum. Since I don't do any towing I didn't see a problem, and after 15,000 miles it hasn't been. They've been great. Maybe $600 for all four.

[G8 fan]

My new 05 T6 XC90 came with 235/60/R18 Michelins which were totally shot at 20K. People can justify it however they want, but this is totally unsatisfactory to me. I do not think Michelins are at all worth the difference in price. I then tried Kumho Road Ventures from Tire Rack, which wore out just about as fast and did not impress me. They were $100 each from Tire Rack, and I feel I got what I paid for. Now I have Yokohama Parada Spec-X tires from Tire Rack ($616.16 for 4 after shipping). I had my Chevy Dealer mount them since I know they balance 200 mph Corvette tires and use a a roller that puts a load on the tire to simulate road conditions whlle they balance it. I have 15K on them and love them. I desparately need to rotate them, but they are still not showing significant wear. My wife and I think they ride like a dream. BTW I try to avoid Goodyear tires because I have had a lot of bead leaks and the sidewalls seem to crack and dry rot sooner than other tires.

Here is the qualifier for the poor mileage statement about the Michelins and Kumhos. Just after I had the Yokohamas put on, I had to have the fifth tie rod end and the third hub bearing replaced. The hub was probably damaged by the Chevy dealer because the wheels seem to fuse themselves to the hubs on this vehicle, and they probably had to beat on them to get the wheels to release from the hub. For the tie rod and hub bearing replacements, I finally took it to Merrill Axle in Des Moines instead of Willis Volvo. I asked them to ignore Volvo's pigeon toed alignment spec, and align it with all 4 wheels pointing the same direction. Willis Volvo kept aligning my front wheels very pigeon toed which I now know was clearly contributing to this vehicle chewing through tires, tie rod ends, hub bearings, rotors and brakes, etc., etc., etc. Our XC90 is finally squared away and NEVER drove this good even brand new. I love these Yokohamas in this size on this vehicle. I take every tire purchase on a case by case basis, and start by putting my vehicle in Tire Rack's website and reading whatever articles and customer reviews are available. I have not found a cheaper way to buy tires, and I have usually been very satisfied with my choices, but I do a lot of research first. Sorry the post is so long, but if I can save somebody from the very expensive learning experience I went through with this very lemony vehicle, I think it is worth it. If everything on the front of your Volvo is wearing out prematurely, I highly recommend having a non-Volvo shop align your wheels straight regardless of what the Volvo spec is.