Snow Tires - 98 S70 T5SE

Well that depends on how much snow you get. My car (98 V70 T5) stays around the city, so I use H rated Dunlops (Porsche approved!) SP winter sport M2 205/55R16. My wife commutes an hour north, so on her car (98 S70 T5) we have 195/65R15 Q rated Gislaved tires (we had 185/65R15 up till this winter, as suggested in the owners manual). The Dunlops are noticeably better in dry (quiet and grip) conditions, the Gislaveds have more snow and ice grip, although both are still good in the "other" condition.

I've been using the 195 15" on both rear wheel (91 940T) and front wheel ('00 S70T5) drives (where 16" 205 is the standard). The higher profile smaller size gives much better performance in snow. Best tire I've used is the Dunlop H-rated Sport Snow (on the S70), and I like the Dunlop Sports all weather for summer use. Pirrelli H-rated Snows have worked well on the 940 for many years. The S70 gets a fair amount of high-speed highway use in the winter, and the Dunlops handle like any high-performance tire. Be sure to put one on each corner of the car --- Volvo's work best with 4 snows, not just 2.

Snow tires work opposite street tires. The narrower the profile, the more weight is concentrated and the ability to push through snow increases. Ever see rally cars in snow? The tires are very skinny, and they are also studded. Since studs are illegal most places, a narrower tire, within reason, will perform better. The height comes with keeping the speedo right and the aspect ratio, so with the smaller rim and taller tire, it basically cancels out.

You may gain a slight ground clearance advantage, but the FWD volvos are pretty low as it is. I would go to tirerack.com and see what they have.

I am not sure about year 98, but in Europe, 2000 T5's came with enlarged disks that cannot hold tyres smaller than R16 for lack of safety distance within. Maybe it would not even fit, but surely unsafe. Your Volvo dealer will know for the North American (just guessing from "tires") 1998.

Puff