New tires?

[ajf10]

Gotta get some new ones for my car, looks like the scorpion STRs are pretty good. Any other recs before I spring for them?

[philosophicaldreamer]

You could look at Michelin Hydro Edge tires, provided that you are looking for all-weather tires. Michelins seem to be much quieter and better at managing water.

Ta-ta, j.

[ajf10]

I saw that they were recommended but tirerack doesnt list them as available for the 2001XC.

[ajf10]

But now looking at it on tirerack they do have them available in 215/65/16, so is there any reason they don't list them as possible for my car?

[Raynald]

But now looking at it on tirerack they do have them available in 215/65/16, so is there any reason they don't list them as possible for my car?
I have HydroEdges' on my XC since last March. If it's not listed in TireRack's selection, it's because it's "T" rated contrary to the Pirelli STR "H" rated Scorpion. Very satisfied nonetheless. Much much quieter and smoother than the STs. I can't compare with the STRs however. Wear is even and minimal.

As it's name imply, the HydroEdge is unbeatable in the rain. Good grip and cornering. But I wouldn't bet on it's performance on ice and snow. IMHO the rubber compound is to hard for winter cold (at least over here...) and the tread not very snow oriented.

[kbdixon]

Think about upgrading to a larger size there are a few of us running 235/60-16 mine are BFG traction T/A also tire rack viewable. No fit or finish problems for me if cost not an object check out Nokian WR same size nice all weather sneaker for these cars also. There are many other choices in the original equipment size besides scorpion if you use them I suggest STR more $ though Good luck. Do a search on this forum by tire or size for a lot more info.
Keith

[gibbons]

OK, since Keith brought up Nokian WRs, I will just say do a search on WR. I started with the 235/60 size, and there have been quite a few people here who have switched to this tire. There are lots of very positive comments from those folks, and I don't recall a negative yet.

As far as cost, yeah, they are a bit pricey. But if you look at the incremental cost over the other options, what are you paying, $25x4 maybe? I think that $100 to make a dramatic difference on a $40K car is background noise.

[ChuckK]

I guess I'll use this thread to report on my experience with my Kumho HP4 tires. Besides the Pirelli STR and ST, it is the only tire listed by Tire Rack that comes in the 215/65-R16 size listed by my manual and is available in an H speed rating or higher. (The Pirelli STR has a V rating in that particular size only; it's H rated in other sizes.) In replacing my Pirelli STRs, which only gave me 20,000 miles, I considered another pair of STRs, the Kumhos, and the Nokian WRs recommended by Gibbons (they come in a larger size, but as Gibbons points out, that size is so close, substituting should not be a problem). I decided to give the Kumhos a try due to: low cost, rave reviews by customers on Tire Rack and epinions, excellent mileage warranty, and my personal preference for non-winter performance over winter performance. Here's what I've found in the last three weeks (comparing only to the STRs, as I have not experienced the Nokians). Obviously, this is all very subjective and unscientific.

Ride and noise: I'd say the Kumhos have a somewhat smoother ride than the STRs, although the STRs aren't bad. I would also say the Kumhos are quieter. This may not be surprising as Tire Rack lists the STRs as "highway all-season" under their light truck category and the Kumho as "grand touring all-season" under their passengar car category.

Traction: The Kumho and Pirelli both have "A" ratings for traction and temperature. I couldn't tell a difference here on dry and wet roads.

Tramlining: This is the tendency for tires to wander on grooved pavement. See Tire Rack article on this at http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/tramlining.jsp The STRs are notorious for this, and you will find many customer complaints about this on the tirerack forum. As their article points out, high performance tires with stiff sidewalls are more likely to tramline. My experience is that the Kumhos do tramline also. However, I think they are somewhat better than the STRs. When driving on grooved pavement with the STRs, I often felt like I was on ice. The Kumhos will move around somewhat, but they don't give that ice feeling.

Rolling resistance: I get the same highway gas mileage from the Kumhos that I got from the Pirellis--both very good.

Snow traction: I drove the XC70 on the Kumhos in a raging blizzard last Sunday afternoon and evening from Santa Fe to Denver. (Did you watch the Broncos-Raiders blizzard game? We listened to the whole game on the radio while driving through that blizzard.) Wrecks were everywhere. The Kumhos are M&S rated and did very well. I did experience some sliding in the snow on turns in small towns when I got off the highway, but this was easily controlled. I would say that for all-season tires, they are very good in snow, but of course they can't compare with winter tires. The STRs may be a little better in the snow than the Kumhos, but I never drove them in a blizzard as bad as this one, so I'm not sure.

Handling: Can't really tell a difference between the STR and Kumho. Both seem excellent in normal and emergency handling. However, I haven't tried a fast lane-change manuever on dry pavement with the Kumhos yet.

In summary, the Kumhos are probably quite comparable in performance to the STRs and cost only $55 each, or $81 per tire including shipping, mounting, and balancing. AND they come with a 50,000 mile warranty. They are very good all-season tires. They have excellent performance on normal dry and wet roads, and they provide good all-season performance in the snow. If you have lots of winter snow, you can switch them off with winter tires or you can instead try the Nokian WRs year-round. However, the Nokians will cost a lot more. The biggest hurdle in buying the Kumhos and saving money is probably the psychological barrier of buying inexpensive Korean-made tires for an expensive European car! But occasionally there are true bargains out there.

Chuck

[Albertine]

For all seasons I have the Scorpion tires and find them very noisy. They need replacement. I understand the STR is less noisy and I will be checking this out in the spring. I used Toyo tires with an upgraded size on my 740 and they had great handling and wear.
For winter tires, I have used Gislaved Nordfrost tires for 14 seasons on a rear drive 740 (at least 70%wear left) and am on to the third generation Nordfrost 3 on my recently acquired 2001 XCV70. These tires have performed flawlessly and never had a bit of trouble with them. Our winters here tend to be very dry with snow not melting until March. Most of the time the roads are icey. Gislaved is sold through Volvo and although not cheap are worth it. Here is the web site

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/com/en/gislaved/automobile/general/home/index_en.html

[Art]

Welcome to the site Albertine! :)

With a track record like that, I’m not surprised that you’re sticking with the NF 3's.
How are things up in our fair capital? We’ve had a good 6" of powder fall here in the past 24 hrs with more expected on the way. Quite a drastic change from the previous week when we were basking at + 12 C. Hmmm...-28C by this evening.

Is it safe to presume that you’re having your vehicle serviced by the folks at Anglo?

[Albertine]

Thanks for the welcome. Winter has hit us. The weather here is like yours 6-8 inches of new snow and -15. I took the XC out today and it was just great. Totally different handling characteristics than my rear drive 740. I actually look for excuses to take it out, which brings me to another subject, winter driving courses. I don't know how to start a thread but sure would be interested if anyone in Alberta knows about a Volvo winter driving course. I know of the one given by BMW each year just south of your place but it would be preferable to have one given by Vovlo professional drivers as the characteristcs between a Volvo and BMW are quite different.
Servicing? I purchased a 3 year extended warranty through Anglo before the regular warranty was up, so I will be taking it there for warranty work. For oil changes etc., I take it to Weber Motors who I have been dealing with for 14 years. Knowing the manager and service people make a big difference and they are certainly very competitive and the nicest people to deal with.

[Art]

I agree with your suggestion about having winter driving courses specific to Volvo, in particular, the XC. I’m not aware that such a course even exists, however, I think that it would make good sense if both Volvo dealers were to put it under consideration. :)

I almost forgot that Weber had the Volvo Franchise before it was acquired by Anglo. I’ve heard good comments about Weber’s service as my sister had previously purchased/leased both her 850 and CLK 430 from them.

This season marks the 4th winter that we’ve partnered with the XC and I have to admit that it was quite a change from the 4wd Forerunner that we had previously driven. Simply put, the XC makes treacherous winter driving amazingly easy. Even though our ‘01 lacks DSTC capability, I’m truly impressed by its sure footed capability when the TRACS does kick in on icy roads... today was no exception. That said, the XC is not invincible. As with any vehicle, it reaches a point when the law of physics takes over and all four wheels meet or exceed maximum traction. In that event, no form of technology will help.

What I find surprising is the number of people who still think that conventional all-season tires are adequate enough to face the severe winter driving conditions here. Earlier today, I watched the driver of a Mustang GT spin his wheels as he struggled to creep up a hill that was iced over from previous the days traffic. All that hp and nowhere to go. ;)

As for the NF 3's. Any idea what the dealer is currently charging for a set of these?

[Albertine]

A set of four NF3 installed, balanced, taxes incl was $836, tires only $700. Prices vary dealer to dealer.

[jmilling]

I bought the new Goodyear Assurence Tripple treds - Wow what a difference. The ride is so much better and the noise reduction from the Scorpians was amazing. I always thought the noise was driveline whine! I was not concerned about the T rating. Rain and cornering grip is WAY better. No snow yet but I live in Ohio and feel pretty confident about these tires. I never was a Goodyear person until these came along.

[Johnhapple]

Just found a great source for my new set of Nokian WRs 235x60x16 for my 01. Paid just under $600 for a set from STS Tire Center Malvern Pa. Just west of Philadelphia. Ask for Andrew at (610) 651-0790 www.ststire.com.

Love the tires, no noise, smooth, and stop in wet like its dry.

[edwa]

Is anyone running Continental's on their XC? I've had good experiences in the past with them and General's on other cars. Would like to know how they are on the XC.

[Coffeeman]

Gotta get some new ones for my car, looks like the scorpion STRs are pretty good. Any other recs before I spring for them?

You should call The Tire Rack and speak to one of the sales reps. regarding upgrading to 235/60-16. I also have the BFG traction T/A's, and am totally happy with them.

[gibbons]

I put Continental Contact CH95's (summer/all season) on our Infiniti and they are pretty nice. When I was going to get dedicated winter tires, I was going to put the CH95's on the XC for summer. They are quiet and smooth and relatively inexpensive. They were like $70 each to replace some $135 each MXV4 Michelins that I didn't like at all (had manufacturing defect that caused car to pull which ever side the bad one was on. I discovered that after about $200 worth of alignments and thoroughly burning my bridges at the Infiniti dealership). Anyway, the CH95's are OEM on the C class MBs, and other nice cars.

But as the story goes, I am more than satisfied with summer/winter performance of the Nokian WRs.

[Johnhapple]

Highly recommend Nokian WR as replacement for Pirelli. I sized up to 235x60x16 with no problem. Fantastic grip on wet roads, don't know about snow yet, but these tires rate the snowflake symbol for snow performance. Smooth and quiet, they even have a built in tread wear indicator scale. Best price was from STS Tire with stores throughout NJ and Eastern PA. I was out the door for under $600 for my set - see my other thread about STS.


John