Hello-- I have a 2007 V70 wagon with 90K miles. The last set of tires I was sold--Goodyear Assurance TripleTred--were a mistake, The car has been riding like a truck, a very harsh ride, for 30K miles. In addition, while they are the correct 205-55R16s, the front tires scrape on full turns of the steering wheel. The tread has been good enough for winter, but I need a change after just 30K . Any recommendations? Main requirements would obviously be a comfortable ride with at least fairly decent winter performance. Thank for any help.

 

surprised the tires are scraping. Those are not overly wide. do you have the OEM rims or has somebody swapped out something? (the rim's ET value is usually stamped somewhere as well as an interchange part number to confirm its correct) Wondering if the ride quality is related to a suspension issue vs the tires which could account for the rubbing - check to make sure the springs are ok (some models have issues where the ends of the springs break off) and the inner fender liners are in place. With that said, I'd suggest a european tire like Continental/Michelin/Pirelli as generally they have rounded edges to the tread (helps the car track straigher on crowned roads common to Europe) - that should improve the ride and driveability and may reduce the rubbing - but my gut is something else is going on that's causing the rubbing.

 

I bought the car new, has its original rims. Never been in an accident. Both front springs have broken spontaneously (at around 60K miles) and been replaced (nearly got rid of the car then), as have the strutsrecently. Continentals have been recommended by a friend, so I'll look into those. Thanks.

 

One closing word on the Conti's - they make many different products including top shelf and some poorly rated OEM versions. Their top of the line (ie Conti Extreme Contacts) are top rated so given a choice, go for their best brand. I'm due new tires in the spring and I'll be going with the Conti Extreme Contacts (my car uses 235/45-17s) - but not sure if that model is available in your size.