'98 V70 AWD tires

Dunlop SP Sport A2 (has a 50,000mi/6 year warranty) That would work at

It might be a tire that only Goodyear carries but it might be the exact same tire as something else; just different name/number. Compare their Dunlop with the one at TireRack. Look at the tread and other numbers. If you like the Sport A2, your Goodyear dealer (or someone else) can get it easily.

Brick_0

and I haven't seen a lot about them on the

On our '98 V70XC, Continentals were the OEM tire supplied. Several other XC's that I saw at that time were similarly equipped. They gave adequate service.

This car is driven hard and we have about 10K miles on the Dunlops your friendly tire store recommended. I'm just surprised that they suggested a "shorter" tire than the OEM. As your manual suggests, the proper size is 205/65 (not 55) x15. Note that the wheel is 15", not 16. Of course, you may have picked up a non-standard wheel size along the way. Tires are "H" rated and most stores will not put anything less than an "H" on a vehicle any more if that was the original spec.

With the heavier springs fitted to the XC, I don't think you'd want anything less than the 65 series - the ride is harsh enough as it is - on our area's lousy roads, anyway.

bob noble Reno, NV, USA

The XC takes a 205/65/15 but the other AWD Volvos, the V70 AWD and the V70R AWD for that year, take a 205/55/16.

Brick_0

Note that the wheel is 15", not 16. Of course,

I am impressed with the tires that came with my '01 V70 XC. They are Pirelli Scorpion S/Ts. They have worn very evenly. I rotated them twice but the wear has been remarkably even. They are going to get 40,000 miles before I replace them. I have 36,000 miles on them and the tread is down to 4/32 and they still have outstanding rain and wet road performance. They have the highest speed rating. Sears wants to replace them with Goodrich Weatherbeaters which look good but don't have as high a speed rating. These are the first Pirelli's I have had that got any kind of decent mileage. They always have fantastic traction, but usually don't wear this well.

I pick my tires by their wet road performance. There is very little difference between the dry road performance of tires. The big difference is on wet roads. I drive on many roads that have hydroplaning problems and appreciate a tire that is secure in those situations. I have never experienced hydroplaning with the Scorpions, even now when they are almost worn out.

One thing nobody has mentioned yet is the importance of changing all the tires at the same time on Volvos with that AWD system. The front and rear axles are "clutched" together based on the difference in their relative speeds. If they're turning the same speed, there's almost no force transmitted to the rear. This engagement gets progressively tighter, the greater the speed difference. This way the rears start to do something when the fronts start to slip. However, if the tire size is different, then some force is always transmitted to the rear, and the front to rear driveshaft is under load. This overheats the oil in the angle gear (the first part in the system that transmits the power to the rear) which can cause failure inside 50 miles.

The recommendation is change all 4 tires at once and rotate them frequently to keep wear even.

I got Michelin Pilot XGT Z4 for my '98 V70 T5, which are high performance (and high $) all season tires. I liked them so much that I persuaded my brother to put a set on his 1990 740 Turbo. I have winter tires as well, but got caught out in the snow with these tires during our late snowstorm this year, and was pleasantly surprised how good they were in the snow. These tires are not available anymore, they're replaced by the Pilot Sport A/S.