My husband is deployed and left me with a car (that I love to pieces but know nothing about). I need tires, desperately. I have a 2005 S60 2.5T FWD and it still has stock tires on it (the Pirelli's). I know the size of the current tires on it are 235/45 R17, but my dealership (I won't buy the tires there, I was just looking for recommendations) told me to get 215/55 R16. My husband is a very aggressive driver and I'm like, a late-20's granny. I'm not sure what to go with and I don't understand all the tire sizing.

I guess I'm just looking for some recommendations...

Thanks in advance...

 

[quote=marchstarz;224159]My husband is deployed and left me with a car (that I love to pieces but know nothing about). I need tires, desperately. I have a 2005 S60 2.5T FWD and it still has stock tires on it (the Pirelli's). I know the size of the current tires on it are 235/45 R17, but my dealership (I won't buy the tires there, I was just looking for recommendations) told me to get 215/55 R16. My husband is a very aggressive driver and I'm like, a late-20's granny. I'm not sure what to go with and I don't understand all the tire sizing.

I guess I'm just looking for some recommendations...

Thanks in advance...

DONT BUY 215/55 R16 IF YOUR CURRENT TIRES SAY 235/45 R17 THEY WONT FIT.THE R16 IS THE RIM SIZE.YOU HAVE R17 thats a 17inch rim.

Does your husband like the stock tires?Take a look at this site www.tirerack.com its a great site just plug in the make,model and year of the car then the tire size(235/45 R17) You can read the reviews and get a price to go buy.If i were you stick with the stock tires Pirellies P6 Four Season Plus is a great all around tire..
Take a look at
Goodyear Eagle GT
Pirelli PZero Nero All Season
Pirelli P6 Four Seasons Plus
Yokohama ADVAN S.4.

 

Tires at some dealers are not bad deals, they will match more than likely. Not sure if they told you that size, as they will not fit as previously stated. The stock size is on the door jam.

 

I have the Pirelli P6 and am quite happy with them. They are a good match for my S60R.

I originally had the P4 Rosso, but replaced with P6 All Season after they wore out.

My two cents.

 

The good news is that tire sizes are not like women's clothing sizes. A 235/45 R17 in one brand is the same size as in another brand. (My wife complains about this lack of standardization in women's clothing. My suggestion that she only buy XL size and tuck in the excess didn't go over too well!).

I think your dealer either: doesn't have the 17" size in stock or is trying to sell you an additional set of wheels as 16" tires will NOT fit on 17" wheels. Having to do so will add literally many hundreds of dollars to your tab.

Don't know where you are so I have no idea whether snow/ice is a consideration or not. For any given size of tire, that is consideration #1. "Summer" tires (usually expensive) are horrible on ice and snow. "All season" tires are what you need if you live where winter is winter unless you are really up a mountain or stationed in North Dakota or Alaska or someplace like that in which case you will probably need "winter" tires for the winter. Winter tires are soft and grippy, but don't wear too well on dry pavement. If you're in Honolulu or San Diego or MacDill in Tampa Bay, summer tires are fine and more performance oriented. If you're in Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kansas, etc., all season tires are the way to go unless you want to spend lots of money.

That being said, go to Discounttire.com and read reviews for your tire size. You plug in the size, tires will appear, and you click on "reviews". And you get their out the door pricing on line. Discount Tire and America's Tire are the same company, apparently.

I'm in Michigan. Due to our winter, I bought Continental ExtremeContact tires in that 17" size. Great traction and good treadwear rating. At 10K miles on them, just fine. But if I were in San Diego, for example, the snow traction factor would have been meaningless.

 

1) God Bless him and his service. I hope he did it right and is a Marine. OORAH!!
2) ONLY PUT THE OEM TIRE SIZE ON YOUR CAR!! DO NOT CHANGE TIRE SIZES!!
3) Hankooks are good tires and not nearly as expensive as Pirrelli. The pirrelli's wear fast because they are softer tires for more "sporty grip" on dry roads.
4) If you have the money, Michelin is by far the best tire made.

 

Beware Michelin. Certainly a good brand, but I had miserable experience with the Primacy line.

On my SAAB 2002 Aero, I must have gone through 5 or more of them in the 4 years I had the car. I wrote to Michelin and they even reimbursed me for one... and they were not cheap.

Persistent problem... sidewall bubbles. Yes, I know that sidewall bubbles are a risk for low profile tires, but Michelin was an exception here compared to all other brands I've had... and I've had them all.

Just one driver's experience.

 

A couple other words of wisdom.

First, the 235 means how wide the tire is as its on the ground ready for action. The 45 means the sidewall is 45% as tall as the tire is wide (I'm not a math student, but 235 x .45 = sidewall height). The lower this number the stiffer handling the tire usually is. The 17 is the wheel (the aluminum part) diameter.

Lots of other numbers and letters exist, too. Traction A, B, or C. You want at least A, and AA is available. Treadwear is numeric, with higher being better than lower for long tread life. With your driving style, stay away from low treadwear number tires -- you're not using it like a sports car/racing tire, so the benefit of a softer tire with less tread life is more or less lost on you.

And, in semi-code, there's the tire's birthweek. 1010 is the tenth week of 2010. Newer is better than older. Ask for the newest tires or they will give you the oldest ones.

I'm guessing tires are not items on your usual shopping list. The websites will really help you before you go and take the plunge.