Hi, I just bought a 2004 XC90 2.5T AWD from a colleague. Everything is in great shape, but I wonder about the tires. He has on the RIMS (I assume it's 17") a matching almost new set of Bridgestone Insignia SE200 (I think). The specs on those are P215/60/R17. I noticed under the gas cap door it says that the car should use P235/65/R17. He said that they should be OK. His mechanic said that it should be OK but my speedometer will be off by a bit (slower). I went to the Volvo dealership yesterday and no one could give me a definitive answer. And searching online there does not seem to be anyone who has the same configuration. I have 3 young children and a wife that I use the XC90 to transport. We don't haul stuff, and go on the occasional camping/fishing trip. So far the vehicle drives great with no functional issues (mileage is high at 225,000KM but I am not worries). Just wondering if anyone has anything definitive to comment regarding the tires, primarily with regards to safety, etc. I live in Ontario in Canada, with moderate amounts of snow in the winter.

Thanks.

 

Using tirerack.com I didn't find that exact model tire, but using another Bridgestone tire I think we can safely assume similar spec differences. The biggest concern to me would the difference in weight capacity between the two. The 215/60/17 tire for the model I looked at had a 1521 lb capacity, while the 235/65/17 tire had 1984 lb cap., or 463 lbs per tire and 1852 lbs for the set. The diameter difference would mean a 5 mph slow reading at 60 mph, so you would really be going 65. I would look into trading those in for the proper size. That is quite a difference from what should be on the car. JMO

 

What would you consider a "definitive answer"? I mean, are you capable of hearing it?

A second question is what are you afraid of? If you can drive a half mile without incident, why not 50,000? Are you afraid of something specific?

 

I would keep those 215 tires on it but just be mindful that it is thinner tires that have less weight capacity so don't tow or overload your car with too much weight and drive slower.

I bet if you got 235 tires tho you would notice how much nicer it drives.

Just my 2 cents, you have a 3 year old kid I don't..

 

Yes, I am capable of hearing it. I have just heard mixed responses from my colleague and his mechanic, none of which are really based on any objective information, more of a "gut feeling".

I have 3 young kids so what I am afraid of is if the wrong tire is being used, that it will impact safety...we have several camping trips coming up and I just don't want to be stranded somewhere because something happened to the tires that are not matched to what Volvo recommends. The fact that Volvo couldn't really tell me made me post in this forum.

I should also add that I am not very well versed on cars, which is part of my dilemma.

Also, another thing that concerns me is...what pressure to I put the tires to...whatever it says on the tire, or whatever the vehicle calls for? Just wanted to cover the bases...thanks.

 

Thanks for this - I appreciate some numbers behind the response and yours went a long way to convince me that I may want to looking to get the tires replaced. It is a shame since the tires are in virtually brand new condition.

 

NP. And quite frankly the "but just be mindful that it is thinner tires that have less weight capacity so don't tow or overload your car with too much weight and drive slower" doesn't really get it for me. Seriously? The safety of your family and others on the road really aren't that important to you? Hope I never encounter this dude on the road.

As for the proper pressure, once you have the correct size (and I'm not saying you can't do a +/- 1 size as long as the load capacity is the same) on the car then you can follow the specific air pressure recommendation for your tires on that car. That info should be in your owners manual and on the label on the gas door. That pressure is based on a combination of objectives determined by the manufacturer. Vehicle weight, handling characteristics, ride quality, etc., so they are trying to kind of hit the middle of the road so to speak. Less pressure = smoother ride while more pressure = better fuel economy and crisper handling for example. One more tidbit of info is that the weight rating on a tire is at its max pressure, which of course most of us never do. The reason this is important is the load capacity drops as the inflation pressure drops, so even though those tires you have on now would appear to be sufficient to cover the vehicles loaded weight, they may not once the adjusted weight capacity is reduced for only being inflated to 35 psi. My Honda Odyssey calls for 35 psi on a tire that has a max pressure of 44 psi, but because I don't mind a little stiffer ride and want to achieve better fuel economy I run them at 38, and I bump them to 40 when I am towing to decrease the amount of sway or push I get from the trailer. Hope all this helps. Scary how little the guy at the Volvo dealer knows.

 

you will also run your odometer up quicker. your car will have less grip at the limit (which you shouldn't be reaching on purpose in an suv anyway) with narrower tires. on the plus side you will accelerate a bit quicker (it is like you lowered the final drive ratio). google tire size calculator and you can see exactly how the dimensions are different.

 

+1. My thoughts exactly!

 

Well, I replaced the P215 60 R17 Bridgestone Insignia SE200 tires today with brand new P235 65 R17 Firestone Destination LE2. What a difference. Steering is much better and the ride is smoother - definitely noticeable. I am glad I did this now rather than to take a chance to haul the family and all of our camping gear up north on the old under-spec tires. Not sure about fuel economy yet but will know in a week. Regardless, for the peace of mind of knowing that I am now using the right tires, it is definitely a relief. Thanks to all who responded to this post. I can only conclude that the P215s not recommended on the XC90.

 

Good to hear of your decision and action. Definitely the right thing to do. You may have run the P215's for 50K with no problem, but then again...just not worth the chance IMO. The fuel economy should actually improve slightly as the larger tire will result in a lower final drive ratio causing the engine to run a few RPM's slower.

 

Agreed, definitely the right decision! No way you should take a chance with questionable tires.

I doubt the fuel economy would improve though. The near 10% wider width will increase rolling resistance.