I know that although this is not a technical question and any tire of the same size will work, my question is more about individual tire choice for this vehicle, brand, type, etc. Although we've owned this vehicle for two years, this is my first go around with a Volvo and tire replacement and just trying to keep everything correct for my wife. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

Is it safe to assume you are planning on replacing all four tires? Otherwise you want to keep the same type so as to not have different tread patterns/handling characteristics front and rear. When selecting brand or type, web sites like tirerack.com are very useful for tire comparisons and surveys. The first question is about tire type: Generally there are categories: summer tires, all season tires and winter tires. summer tires typically have smoother tread blocks for better dry handling, are quieter and smoother riding. All seasons have a chunkier tread block, usually with wider sipes and square corners which offers better wet handling and better light snow performance. They will be slightly noisier. Winter tires have really chunky blocks and are made out of softer rubber to deal with cold temps. They will be noisy but are superior in snow/ice and in cold when regular tires can firm up. Next is some nuances within each category: high performance vs touring are used to describe the design criteria of the tire - maximum dry handling vs quiet/compliant ride/long wear. High performance tires typically have a higher load rating and a higher speed rating. These are indications of how well the tires deal with the heat build up from high speed driving or the forces on the tire from hard cornering. Each tire manufacturer has their own tread/sidewall designs and rubber compounds but there are ratings on the tires which give you some idea of what you are getting: 1) UTQG ratings: the three digit number indicates treadwear (ie the hardness of the rubber/resistance to squirm). Numbers range from below 200 for an extreme high performance tire to 700+ for a tire designed for maximum mileage. Anything over 400 should get you 40K+ miles. Then there is a letter grade for traction and a letter grade for temperature (ability to not overheat ). Most tires are A/A or A/B. Then there is speed rating which is resistance to failure during high speed driving. H, V, W, Y are what you'd typically find (H being rated to 130 MPH, V to 149 and W&Y at ludicrous speeds. - your OEMs are probably V rated. Last spec is load rating. This indicates the weight one tire can handle - most sedans have the spec on the tire panel (inside the gas filler door or in a door frame) - yours are probably 94s or 97s (check the sidewalls) as the value varies by tire size too. So last thing is brand... To me, I tend to shop need first then price then brand. For example, I just replaced four tires on my VW CC - which runs 235/45-17s as does most C70s unless you have the 18 inch wheels. I was replacing Continentals ContiPros which wore out quickly (25K) miles and are $165 to replace installed General G-Max 03s for $105. I live in Connecticut and don't change over to snows so I wanted a better rain/snow all season than the ContiPros. If I lived down south or was buying a summer tire, I'd probably consider other brands based on reviews. So my suggestion is: Determine your needs (summer/all season/ winter), preferences - best handling vs quiet/best ride, long life vs pliable, budget (nothing wrong with spending top dollar on Michelins etc if that's your preference, but there are good brands for less). Use the online research - Car and Driver has published stuff, Consumer Reports and tire web sites like Tire Rack and Discount Tire Direct have good content too. Finally, look at the tires you already have for the ratings and size to get an idea of what the car came with.

 

mt6127, thank you for the detailed reply. That said I guess I should have explained in greater detail myself. I've been a mechanic for almost 50 years, an ASE Master tech for almost as long as the organization has been around. I've worked for both foreign and domestic dealership within those years but never have I worked on or with Volvo's until now. Like everything else, people have favorites or products that work better to them then others. I currently own and operate an independent motorcycle shop here in Maine and know from product to product what and which works better. That was my intent, to find out if Volvo owners had a particular brand of tire that worked better for them then others. My wife travels on an average of 34 miles commute per day on two lane rural Maine roads so we would be looking for an all season tire and yes, it would be all four. Thanks for the help and it was appreciated.

 

I follow both VW and Volvo boards and have not noticed a tire brand trend for Volvos... On my VW CC, there's a general consensus on the boards to avoid the OEM ContiPros (other Conti's were fine - dunno why). In the older days, there was always the bias towards "northern" tire brands (ie Vredersteins/Gislaveds/Nokians) in the Volvo/Saab community but now many of the smaller brands are actually owned by one of the giants (as an example, General Tire is a division of Continental now). BTW, if you want to compare prices, I've shopped tiresavings.com - they are out of Rhode Island so shipping would be reasonable to Maine (also have done Tirerack.com), but this last time around I sent my quote from Tiresavings over to Town Fair Tire (they have shops in Maine) and they matched the price and did the install. Note I have 4 cars (VW CC, Highlander, S40 and an 850T Wagon) so it seems I'm always shopping for some auto part (gotta get the kids out of college etc)!

 

I also have a 2011 C70. Suffered from very uneven tire wear, lots of road noise, vibration, etc. Negative camber in rear (not adjustable) may be a contributing factor. Just went from 235/40/18s to 235/45/18s, had it aligned, and will rotate them more frequently, hoping problem will be solved. The ride is certainly better and a lot quieter, but the tires are brand new. I went with Yokahama Avid Ascend. As always, consult with a professional to ensure that you are using tires that are the right size and safe for your car.

 

I have Michelin Premier A/S on my 2011 c70 i just bought and they work very well.

 

Michelin are the best! Cooper Tires are real good and BF Goodrich. Cooper (Perreli) probably best on my 98 C70, 2.3HPT. quiet good all around traction high wear numbers. Tried some others worked real well but real noisy!

 

Some car models are very sensitive to alignments so if you go top shelf tires, best to rotate every 5K and get alignments done at least once a year at a dealer or reputable alignment shop (particularly if you live in the north with all the potholes and washboards from the winter).