New tires for the Volvo again

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The Michelin PS2s were getting near replacement within a few months until I walked out Sunday morning and saw one flat. There was a bolt in the middle of the tread but the inside tread was down to 1/32" so no go on a repair. I wanted to buy the PS2s again, but Michelin does not make them in my size and load index anymore, 235/40/18 95Y. I ended up getting the new Michelin Pilot Super Sports which look almost identical to the PS2s but have a 300 AA A rating vs. the 220 AA A of the PS2s. So far so good. I got right around 22,000 miles on the PS2s so I was pleased with how long they lasted. Anyway here are pics of the new ones and the surprising place of manufacture.

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O and the best part was I took advantage of Ford's price match guarantee and found these were selling for $208 each plus labor and fees from Discount which the closest one is about 30 miles away. BTW my manager laughed really hard when I brought him the price match sheet after I had just gone on a tirade about a customer price matching us and wasting a ton of my time because they bought from someone else.

And yes, the mount and balance was sublet to a tire shop here that does a lot of high end stuff. My techs didn't want to damage my wheels. I watched the shop slowly tighten the wheel bolts with an impact on the low setting and use a torque wrench that turned at least 90 degrees before the click on each bolt. They are my go-to tire shop for high end stuff.
 
I think you made the right choice. Tirerack has PS2 in your size but at $10-15 more than Super Sports. In general, newer design is almost always better than older design, Super Sports is very new design and consumer surveys rate it higher than all other in the max performance summer tire category.

Question for you, do you ever thinking about plus zero tire ? instead of OEM 235/40-18 do you want to try 245/40-18 to see if the performance and ride may improve a little ?
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I think you made the right choice. Tirerack has PS2 in your size but at $10-15 more than Super Sports. In general, newer design is almost always better than older design, Super Sports is very new design and consumer surveys rate it higher than all other in the max performance summer tire category.

Question for you, do you ever thinking about plus zero tire ? instead of OEM 235/40-18 do you want to try 245/40-18 to see if the performance and ride may improve a little ?


They are still listed, but according to my supplier they are discontinued, and I wanted to pick something still available in case there is a warranty issue. Funny thing, the Super Sports have a 30k mile warranty and now Ford offers Road Hazard coverage which I am buying as well.

I couldn't do plus zero as the tires rub with stock sizing already. It is a huge joke on the Volvo forums that whenever you picked the 18" option Volvo should have called it the "factory tire rub" option.
 
I'm seriously debating buying these when my summers need replacing, but it seems like the Conti Extreme Contacts are the best bang for the buck, and hundreds less for the set to boot!

Make sure to post up a review to let us know how you like them.
 
The reason I'm thinking about plus zero is the sidewall of 235/40-18 is very thin at 3.7", 245 gives you 0.2" extra thickness.

My S2000 with plus zero is better in both performance/handling and ride, while the plus zero on the E430 makes the ride suffer, performance worse and ABS malfunction.
 
Ya I understand the reasoning behind it, however the stock 235 width tires already rub at full lock. There are shiny spots on the fender well liner from them rubbing. The chassis was never intended to have 18" tires on it when it was designed.
 
Why again are you putting 240-300 treadwear 40 series tires on a volvo. that is not what I would have done. I can see why these tire factories have us buying tires every two years. These "low" profile tires are a joke. The companies puts less rubber on their tire ,charges a fortune , and we buy into it.. There are many tires with 500- 700 treadwear that would have fit. You were satisfies with 22000 miles on a $1000 set of tires?
someting wong.
 
Originally Posted By: chad8
Why again are you putting 240-300 treadwear 40 series tires on a volvo. that is not what I would have done. I can see why these tire factories have us buying tires every two years. These "low" profile tires are a joke. The companies puts less rubber on their tire ,charges a fortune , and we buy into it.. There are many tires with 500- 700 treadwear that would have fit. You were satisfies with 22000 miles on a $1000 set of tires?
someting wong.


They're the OEM size on a very high-performance Volvo that gets driven at 8/10ths regularly. In case you didn't notice the R at the end of S60R. Nothing wrong, just a completely different car than a regular S60.
 
Originally Posted By: chad8
Why again are you putting 240-300 treadwear 40 series tires on a volvo. that is not what I would have done. I can see why these tire factories have us buying tires every two years. These "low" profile tires are a joke. The companies puts less rubber on their tire ,charges a fortune , and we buy into it.. There are many tires with 500- 700 treadwear that would have fit. You were satisfies with 22000 miles on a $1000 set of tires?
someting wong.


Rubber is rubber, right?
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More sidewall = more flex = less performance

I'm not sure what 8/10th means for the OP, but I don't usually drive to the point of exceeding the grip of my tires. Beyond that, I've never exceeded the capabilities of the AWD to keep the ride controlled, even during an auto-cross.

As with anything, however, there is a trade off. The better grip of tires like these usually means more wear, increased tire noise, and a harsher ride, not to mention the increased risk of damaging a wheel on really nasty pot holes. My Dunlop SP60's are so loud now that I'm not sure that I'll even want to buy another tire like it. While I won't be buying 600+ tread wear tires, I will be looking to compromise some. That compromise seems to be the Conti's I mentioned earlier.

I can't wait to hear back about these tires, though, OP. I'm 2/5" wider and you're a lot more isolated in your Volvo than I am in my tin-can Impreza, but relative change from your old tires is definitely helpful.

ENJOY!
 
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Nice choice of tire!

I really looked hard at those when I bought tires recently, but decided to try the Hankook Ventus V12's. They are a terrific alternative at nearly half the price. The BMW forums rave about them. I'm not sure how they'd work on a lighter chassis like the Volvo's, but...whoops! It's only a couple hundred pounds lighter than mine!

And to the poster above, the differences among low profile performance biased rubber are HUGE! I buy 275/40/20's and have had 3 different brands on the car now. Very large differences in road noise, ride, etc. Not to mention adhesion!
 
After a couple days of driving to and from work I can say these are great tires. I generally take the freeway to work, but take backroads home to avoid traffic. I don't drive at breakneck speeds, but I will let the car do its thing through corners.

Very little road noise, the car has some road noise naturally. I noticed a huge reduction when I put the PS2s on getting rid of the junky Capitol Negotiators the previous owner had on there.

Also as someone else said this is an S60R not an S60. The differences are pretty big when it comes to braking and handling and power. The car has electronic suspension with different modes you can select. The highest setting of Advanced stiffens the dampeners to maximum and changes the throttle mapping as well. The car has to have at least 17" wheels to clear the 13" rotors and 4 pot Brembo calipers on all four corners.
 
That's the right summer tire for an R.

Here in the NE, I've got to run A/S rubber, but won't trust anything other than a Pilot Sport in a 40 series on ours. The existing set is probably going to get replaced due to age (6 yrs.) and not mileage.

Very well made tires.
 
The performance/handling will improve after 4-500 miles of normal daily driving. You may want to check tire pressures after few hundreds mile to be sure everything is okay.
 
Ya I need to double check the pressures. They are supposed to be at 39psi. I love the factory tire rub, especially with the Michelin tires seeming to always run a tad wider than other brands.
 
Yes, keep the pressure on the higher side. 38-40 psi is good. Higher still if tracking.

Most R blow outs I'm aware of on 18" pegs involved inflation kept under 36 psi. The R deserved an on-board inflation monitor as standard equipment with the 18s.

You get the rub, and the turning radius of a bus, all on the same vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
The performance/handling will improve after 4-500 miles of normal daily driving. You may want to check tire pressures after few hundreds mile to be sure everything is okay.


It took my Pilot Sport A/S tires about 5,000 miles to stop feeling squirmy, especially on the highway . Now they are fine.

Whimsey
 
Yeah...great car...but no quick U-turns unless you want to curb those sweet 18" wheels! I even replaced the stops on the V70...still rubs with its 235/45R17s...I am sure that the 245/40R18s rub even more...I run the 17s on the T5 at 36-38...are you guys saying I should go higher? Or is that OK on the "-1" on my car?
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
I run the 17s on the T5 at 36-38...are you guys saying I should go higher? Or is that OK on the "-1" on my car?


What's the placard service description and inflation pressure? 235/45R17 94V, 38/38?
 
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