Recommendation for 2000 Volvo S70 non-turbo

[RustyH]

My wife's Volvo needs new "summer" tires. We live in Boise, ID and I have a dedicated set of winter tires. Size is 195-60-15. Her Bridgestone Turanza H tires finally worn out. I like to use a particular tire shop near my work--they sell primarily Bridgestone, but can pretty much order anything. I personally like Bridgestones--I have purchased several between our two vehicles. This shop also has Cooper CS4s on sale. I'm sitting between Bridgestone 960s and Cooper CS4s. Tire shop wants a bit over $500 for either set which I think is a bit high, but I haven't start negotitating yet. So, I'm interested in comments about these two, but whatever else anyone wants to include is fine.
This car's suspension is interesting in that it really is hard--always been that way. You feel and hear the the bumps and road imperfections. So, I'm wondering if a little "softer" tire if there is just a critter might balance out some of the harshness of the suspension.

 

[Rand]

those are very different tires.

the 960s are very nice-sporty

the CS4 is more of a passenger car tire

if they were the same price I'd go for the 960s

 

[daves87rs]

If slightly less sporty is your game, I'd go with the CS4s.


They seems to handle quite well, but offer a smoother ride.


The 960s would be too sporty in my case....

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: RustyH
Tire shop wants a bit over $500 for either set which I think is a bit high,

Yeah, the 960s are $78/each at TR, so even if you factor in shipping and labor, it shouldn't cost $500.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs

The 960s would be too sporty in my case....

Have them on both our cars (235/45/17 and 195/65/15) and don't think they're particularly sporty/stiff, but then again, I am used to driving on much stiffer summer tires, so maybe my point of reference is skewed a bit. I would expect the Coopers to be more comfy between the two, no argument there.

 

[Oregoonian]

I recently purchased (last spring) a set of General Altamax HPs, the same size as the ones your looking for.

I can say that these were the best tires I've ever purchased. They are great in all weather conditions (dry and wet), had great handleing, and they were very reasonably priced.

I purchased them at TireRack, and they arrived 2 days later (great service). I had them mounted at WalMart.

I would suggest you go to the TireRack website and put in the size you want. They have many brands (incl. Bridgestone) and have done many tests on each tire. In addition, there are buyers remarks (hundreds) for each tire, rateing them. This way you can comparem TireRacks price and shipping costs and still try to find a local who will order them for you (hopefully at a price close to TireRack).

Good luck....and look up the General Altamax HPs...........

P.S. I live in Bend, OR...so our weather conditions are about the same. I do use winter tires (although this year we hardly needed them).
____________________________________________________
2003 Ford Focus SE 2.3L / 82K
Valvoline MaxLife Syn 5w30
Purolator PureOne 10241
Redline SL-1 Fuel System Cleaner
Tires: General Altamax HP

 

[Button]

RustyH,

I tried both the CS4 & Altimax HP & both tires would not stay balanced.

Nevertheless, I switched to Kuhmo Ecsta LX Platinum & they are excellent tires. Excellent tread ware, quite & great overall value.

Good luck,
~Button

 

[Audi Junkie]

GET 205/60-15!

 

[Oregoonian]

RustyH,

I tried both the CS4 & Altimax HP & both tires would not stay balanced.


If two different tires don't hold their balance...I think it is not an issue with the tires.

Think it might be an allignment problem OR... something wrong with your rims OR...the person who mounted them didn't mount them correctly.

Hundreds of people on the TireRack reviews, who bought the Altamax HPs, rated them highly...so I think your problem with these tires are not the tire...but something else.

My General Altamax are great...and I'm completely satisfied with them.
_________________________________________________
2003 Ford Focus SE 2.3L / 82K
Valvoline MaxLife Syn 5w30 / OCI 7000 +/-
Purolator PureOne PL10241
Tires: General AltaMax HPs / a great tire!

 

[Button]

Oregoonian,

No Sir they were defective tires. When I replaced the CS4/Altimax w/ Kumho/Bridgestone the Steering Wheel Wobbling went away.

Regards,
~Button

 

[Oregoonian]

Well... I guess the thousands of customers who bought the General AltaMax HPs at TireRack (including myself) didn't think so...

Strange... that you could get TWO sets of tires that were defective.....what are the odds of that?

Still think that there was either an alignment problem or they wern't mounted & balanced properly. Have you had your alignment checked?

Whats a Kumho/Bridgestone? Did you put two different tire brands on the same vehicle? I'm confused.......

 

[Volvohead]

I've been running the Altimax HPs on our '97 855 - in the same size as your V70 - and they've been TERRIFIC.

Even at the present TR price $69 each, you won't find a better V-rated tire at that price point. An H-rated version is about $10 less, but I'd go with the V at that price. MUCH better than the Cooper, IMO.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum is having $50 rebate for 4 tires until April 30. Cost after rebate of 4 195/60-15 is $214 ($66 x 4 - $50) plus shipping from TR. Add about $60-70 installation and balancing makes total about $320-350, include shipping.

 

[Audi Junkie]

On a car that heavy, 195/60-15 is lame, super-lame.


Look at some of the other model years and the turbo model's sizes before you hobble yourself with a tire that is so small.

Too small even for a small car.

I think a Chevy Aveo or tiny KIA or Daewoo is fitted with a bigger set-up.

 

[97tbird]

I agree - for a car like that 195/60/15 is wimpy.

As for brands, Altimax HP - brilliant tire for the price.

 

[Audi Junkie]

There is a new H version of the Yoko TRZ that looks like a hit.

205/60-15

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
On a car that heavy, 195/60-15 is lame, super-lame.


On the base NA models, it's fine. These models don't rocket around and are not tuned for high handling limits.

This size allows the car to approach nearly 30 mpg, and a well-maintained set can go about 30k miles.

Upgrading wheels on Volvos is an expensive PITA, and the performance gains on the base models do not justify the effort or expense.

Save the 50 and 40 series rubber for the T-5s and Rs.