Page 1 of 5 12345 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 49
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Central USA
    Posts
    285

    Default What is the best tire for the XC90??

    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/survey...y.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/Surve...ommentStatus=P


    Mr. P




    From France, the Michelin



    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..

    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





    Here's the Yoko GO53, note tread difference




    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.


    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
    Last edited by Mr. P; 05-23-2005 at 08:04 AM.
    Central USA

    2004 Volvo 2.5T AWD XC90, Ash Gold, Taupe, 7-seat

    Too many other cars to list.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Central USA
    Posts
    285

    Cool

    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/Compar...ark=1&x=18&y=9



    Looking at the test data, the Yoko Geolander appears to be one of the best.




    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.
    Last edited by Mr. P; 08-11-2004 at 06:50 PM.
    Central USA

    2004 Volvo 2.5T AWD XC90, Ash Gold, Taupe, 7-seat

    Too many other cars to list.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    986

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 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.
    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?
    '04 XC90 2.5T, ~170K miles, ash gold/graphite, 7-seater, towing, nav
    "Objects in the mirror may be just as they appear." - Steve Forbert

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Central USA
    Posts
    285

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Big
    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
    Last edited by Mr. P; 08-11-2004 at 06:30 PM.
    Central USA

    2004 Volvo 2.5T AWD XC90, Ash Gold, Taupe, 7-seat

    Too many other cars to list.

  5. #5

    Default

    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
    Mine: 2002 Ford Superduty, Crew Cab, Lariat, 4X4
    Hers: 2004 XC90, 2.5T, AWD, Premium pkg, Versatility pkg, Climate pkg, Premium sound, Wood steering, Nautic Blue
    Location: Orlando, Florida USA

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    986

    Default

    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. I did use a Nokian all-season tire on a V70XC we owned and really liked it.
    '04 XC90 2.5T, ~170K miles, ash gold/graphite, 7-seater, towing, nav
    "Objects in the mirror may be just as they appear." - Steve Forbert

  7. #7

    Default

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

    thanks

    Scott
    Mine: 2002 Ford Superduty, Crew Cab, Lariat, 4X4
    Hers: 2004 XC90, 2.5T, AWD, Premium pkg, Versatility pkg, Climate pkg, Premium sound, Wood steering, Nautic Blue
    Location: Orlando, Florida USA

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Central USA
    Posts
    285

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by coachhomer
    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
    Central USA

    2004 Volvo 2.5T AWD XC90, Ash Gold, Taupe, 7-seat

    Too many other cars to list.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Posts
    2

    Default New Wheels and Tires ordered for '04 XC90 T-6

    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
    Last edited by kwxc90nj; 11-25-2004 at 06:49 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Tokyo, Japan
    Posts
    15

    Default

    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.
    tokyoXC90
    - - - - - - - - - - -
    2004 XC90 2.5T AWD
    crystal green pearl
    tokyo, japan

Page 1 of 5 12345 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •