Been A Long Time, Tire Wear Questions, Replacement Recommendations?

[Big]

I guess now you've got me concerned. If I'm not mistaken, the stock Scorpion was a 235/65 and the Cross Terrains the shop put on are 235/65 so I don't understand what you mean that the CT are smaller than the stock tires.

Different tire types, even from the same manufacturer, have different dimensions. For example, the Scorpion is 29" diameter and 9.6" width, whereas the CT is 28.9" and 9". That may or may not bother you but it will change the odometer, ride and handling slightly.

And now I've done some looking and see that the CT is T rated, where the Scorpion was H rated. We don't tow with this vehicle and my wife rarely drives over 80MPH but it is a dry/rain/slush/snow driven car. So your statement of "I would be concerned about them at speed or when loaded", what "speed" are talking and what do you mean by "loaded"? The reason I bought this XC90 was for the safety and I don't want to make this car unsafe by the tires I just put on it. My other choices at this shop were Michelin MXV4 (which I had on my Passat 4Motion and I wasn't impressed) or Yokohama Geolander H/T which appear to be at least H rated.

Say, for example, you are driving across the desert in the summer at 80 mph. That puts a lot of stress on the tires and I for one would want high-rated temperature tires.

As for load, it does not take much to reach the XC90's load capacity (6 people or 4 people and some gear) and at that level they recommend 36 psi front, 39 rear. The CT is rated at only 35 max.

I don't feel any of the tires mentioned are adequate on snow but that's just me. I like Michelin tires but the CT is not a match for the XC90 according to the specs.

[Ricky D]

My xc90 went through tires at 18000 miles . I had 2 options Michelin MXV4($951.00 out the door) or Toyo HT($568.00 out the door/includes lifetime rotate and balance) for this beast. I wanted quiet tires and a little better wear for the money. After searching online for 3 hours and 6 tire stores later I went with Toyo's and love them . In San Diego it does not rain much and we really dont drive that fast, so it was the right fit. The ride now is quiet and smooth as glass and handles much better than those Perilli tires. I have Michelin MXV4 on my Mazda and they are great also(52000 miles).

Check out Tirerack.com and Toyo.com for reviews.

Good luck!!!!

[xJO98]

I had a rather long talk with the guy who runs the shop that put them on. I had done some digging prior to talking to him on the Volvo specs of 39 psi, the speed rating, the load etc. I guess the Cross Terrains are standard on the Lincoln Navigator and Acura MDX, I don't know the load you can have with the MDX but I have to believe that the Navi weighs more than the XC90 and would have a higher load with passengers. He also said that Michelin is overly conservative with the 35 psi rating and that they run them at 39 all the time. Should I call BS on this or what?