All,
Thanks to the great advice I have received from you all over the last month or so, I finally made my purchase: an 04 XC70. The car is the sweetest thing I have ever seen, and unfortunately it makes my 99v70XC look like an antique. My question is what kind of tires did most volvo dealers put on the 04 XC70s? The one I just purchased come with mint Nokian snow tires, but I simply don't need them. My close friend has an 05XC70 and his dealer put Pirellis. Any suggestions?
-Todd

 

My 2001 XC 70 came with Pirelli Scorpions. Hated them-made way too much noise. At 25k swapped them for Michelin Hydoedges and have been very satisfied. BJ

 

Mine came with the Pirelli's also, and in addition to the noice everyone complains about, mine seemed to have more puncture issues than any of my previous automobiles/tires. I had to get them repaired about 3-4 times due to various nails/screws in about a 2 year time period. Maybe I just had a streak of bad luck, but I also read a review out on tirerack.com where someone else had similar issues.

Despite the punctures, I have gotten a fair amount of mileage out of these tires, but the dealer now informs me it's time for some new ones. I'm looking at the Hydroedges (based on the recommendation here), and wonder if anyone has any experience with these in snow, or are they primarily for wet conditions. I don't go in snow often - about 5-10 trips to the mountains per year, and the occasional storm in northern VA, but want to make sure that the car performs in all conditions. Oh, and I'd like them to be quiet too! :-)

I'm also considering the Goodyear Assurance Triple thread (same concern about snow vs. just wet conditions), and the Michelin X-Ice (maybe too much of a snow tire?). There doesn't seem to be much available for the factory recommended size - I've seen that some folks will go for a 215/60/16 tire (vs. the 215/65/16 OEM) - does that take away anything from performance?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Continentals are good.

 

We have some mild snow and icing conditions here and the Hydoedges do fine. I do not know how they would do in significant snow however. Thsy are very quiet ,and ride very smoothly. Cant say about the wear factor as I have onnly had them about a year. BJ

 

Thanks for the responses about tires for my 04XC70. Upon further examination I realize that I don't have Nokian snows on my cara but rather Nokian all-weather radials. The reviews on line have been great (they are a bit loud, though) I'll keep these on until they wear down and then go with the new Good Year Triple Tread. I had these tires on my 99v70XC and absolutely loved them. I think I'm going to stay away from the Pirellis!