Tires for my 2004 Volvo S60R

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i have been waiting to pull the trigger on tires for my Volvo for some time now. This morning i checked and got a little cut on my finger from a tire cord, so i decided it was probably time. the car requires a 95 load rating with a Z speed rating. The factory tires were a Pirelli P-Zero of some type which apparently weren't that great according to other owners i have spoken to. The car currently has Capitol Negotiators, which have amazingly lasted over 20k miles of my abuse, but other than that have left a lot to be desired. I narrowed my choice down to BFGoodrich G-Force KDW NT, or Michelin PS2. they both were a 220 tread ware, and a 95Y load index/speed rating. I ended up getting the PS2's delivered to my work and will have them mounted and balanced tomorrow.

btw i have to do 4 tires at a time due to the Haldex AWD system. I will try to have a tire shop that has the Hunter road force balancer take care of the balancing. i have a box of bolt in steel valve stems at home and will have them use those instead of the el-cheapo chrome ones that are on there now.

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Those look great. My friends father with his '04 V70R had a similar tire installed. Dont know if it was the exact model or not.

There are only a few wagons I really aspire to own, and the V70R 6mt is one of them. Great cars them R's.
 
Should've bought a set of Sumitomo HTR ZIII summer tires. They give you nearly the same performance for 40% of the cost.

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Originally Posted By: The Critic
Should've bought a set of Sumitomo HTR ZIII summer tires. They give you nearly the same performance

Not what I've heard from the people that compared the two.
 
Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 is very good Max Performance Summer tire, it is ranked either 1st or 2nd in Tire Rack test the last 5 years. Your choice is very good, given that you have money to spend on the best tires for your Volvo.

My choice would be the Continental Extreme Contact DW, it is a new Max Performance Summer tire and cost about $100 less than Michelin PS2 but with tread wear rated at 340. According to Tire Rack test, Continental is almost as good as Michelin, 7.46 versus 7.48 in combined road and track rating. Michelin excels in dry performance but Continental is better in wet performance, ride and noise.

Another good Max Performance Summer tire is Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110, cost less than half of Michelin with tread wear rated at 280.
 
I'm very pleased with my PS2s. Beware of those who participate in "magazine racing" who will tell you that something which costs 1/3 as much is "exactly the same" even though have haven't owned both (or neither) - it isn't. There are a lot of things that seem to go into what makes PS2s great.

There is a new Pirelli that tirerack likes better, but you'll probably find more experience with PS2s in your Volvo R forums who can tell you if there are any issues with premature or abnormal tire wear to the PS2's specific tread pattern.

I will say that they are not as good at evacuating water as a directional, arrow-head type of tire (like the Toyo T1R I also like a lot) but their compound-based wet grip is still great.

Mine balanced with 1/2oz or less per tire and have road force numbers in the low single digits IIRC. I run 235/45/17.

If you've got the budget, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
 
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Originally Posted By: The Critic
Should've bought a set of Sumitomo HTR ZIII summer tires. They give you nearly the same performance for 40% of the cost.

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I concur

none the less, great choice of tires! hope they work out good for you, get a nice alignment when you install those things, protect your investment

I run volvo wheels on my car. They came with Pirelli P6 tires, that were actually nice riding tires and very quiet. I miss them so much compared to what I run now, the cheapest China tires I can find LOL.....but I was poor and needed a set of tires, what could I do. Can't beat 57 bucks for a higher speed rated 235-45-17, however I would never advise buying my current tire, it is horrible, wish I spent another 80 bucks on the set and got some cheaper sumitomo's

I install a lot of sumitomo's, and as far as ride quality and balancing, I think they are the only budget minded tire that can be compared to michelins
 
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Got them installed today. Mounted, Balanced on a Hunter road force balancer with stick on weights and filled with nitrogen and tire disposal for US$71.40. no sctratches on the wheels that werent already there, and they were very efficient, under an hour after i had the tires dropped off. its a local shop that gave me a great rate since I buy tons of tires through them with my work.
 
A great choice.. not a budget tire.. and there are some better "Values" available, but you cant go wrong with the tire you got.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Should've bought a set of Sumitomo HTR ZIII summer tires. They give you nearly the same performance for 40% of the cost.

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NO WAY.

People who really know this car, actually own one, track it, and are aware of its particular suspension and driveline dynamics, universally select the PS2 as the top performing summer-only tire for this vehicle. Period. I can't be more emphatic about it.

The OP bought the right tire for THAT vehicle. The Sumitomo is a world inferior to a PS2 on an R.

Great tires. Enjoy every mile on them. Keep the PSIs up.
 
i actually enjoy driving the car more than when i had the other tires. all the road noise on the highway is gone, i had already bought hub bearings. all the vibrations are gone, car drives 10 times better. they are WELL worth every penny i spent.
 
The '04 exhibits more tramlining and side hopping effects, and is more sensitive to tires, than subsequent MYs. So the PS2 is an especially right choice. It's the one tire that seems to satisfy '04 owners most.

With 18s, it is hard to completely isolate all road noise. But the PS2 is a generally quiet tread, at least for the first 10k.

Here in the northeast, I have to have winter rubber, don't do the two wheel set thing anymore, so opt for the PS A/S on my '06 w/18s.

Keep the PSIs high. It's one way to really reduce bubbling and blowouts on the 18s. I'll go as high as 38-39 psi street, even if it means riding around in comfort mode more often.
 
the door sticker says 39PSI, so that is what they are kept at. just drove through a very curvy road in the foothills above Santa Barbara, it was amazing. where the previous tires started howling and giving up grip, the PS2s just took it.
 
After only 2 days, the tread is still scuffing in. You're still getting some new mold slippage.

Give it another few hundred miles, and you'll find the grip, feel, and braking even better.

The sweet spot on these is from 500-10k miles.
 
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