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About 8 years ago I switched to 15" wheels on my '95 855T. Much better tire choices and much smoother ride. The wheels were new pull-offs from a C70.
I've been running Kumho tires on all my cars (Caravan, 740, 940, 850) for at least as long and on the 855T it's been the Ecsta ASX 205/55x15 which wear quickly. 20,000 miles and they're toast. On my wife's 945T I have Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum 195/65x15, an excellent tire that so has managed 40,000+ and is still about 3/16ths from the wear bar.
The 205/55x15 has a diameter of 24", the 195/65x15 is 25". I'm thinking of going to the 19565 on the 855T since moderately priced choices in All-Season 205/55 are few. (Most 55s and lower AR tires are "Ultra High Performance Summer Super Duper Tread Pattern Tires." Or similar.
Isn't this an OEM size for non-turbo 850s? Looking at our two cars side by side, the tires on the 940 look much taller.
Thanks,
Erwin in Memphis
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So long as you don't try racing or full boost in the wet, the 195 tires will work just fine. On my 1995 854T, at full boost with winter tires(195), the tires would break loose at 25mph!!
I have 205s on my 1998 and routinely get 40K+ on a set of tires. Remember, it has everything to do with compound and tread pattern, not which company makes the tire. A set of 'soft' Kumhos will wear faster than a set of hard Kumhos.
Klaus
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Always willing to listen, just not able to take direction.
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Klaus,
What brand and type are using and are they 205/55 15? I don't mind staying with the width but want better life. I don't go racing around much anymore and use sport mode or full throttle only when needed for a fast pass.
Thanks,
Erwin
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I have 205/50/16. I used to have a set of Pirelli that I liked. I wish my current tires would fall apart, noisy and rough.
The Kumho LX Platinum should be good for your car also, quiet and good in the wet. They are supposed to go 60K miles.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS&width=205%2F&ratio=55&diameter=16&tireSearch=true&autoMake=Volvo&autoYear=1998&autoModel=V70+R+AWD&autoModClar=
Klaus
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Always willing to listen, just not able to take direction.
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Thanks but that's what is on it now. I'm on my second set. Good tires, just softer than I need. They last about 20,000 miles under me before they're no good in the wet. Light years better than the Bridgestone RE 730s I used before I swapped out the 16" for 15" though.
Erwin
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Interesting, I've got about 45k on mine now and probably have 40% tread left on them. Hoping they'll be the last set of tires I put on this car.. Then again, I have no turbo.
--
If you're not driving it "like its stolen," are you really driving?
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Well, call me a creature of habit. I just took delivery of another set of four 205/55R15 Kumho Ecsta ASX. So I should be good for almost two more years.
Price was right at TireRack. $78 each. Now to have them mounted, balanced and check alignment.
Erwin in Memphis
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Posting to my own response but the tires are on, alignment done and this time I'm running lower pressure.
For a few years I've run a the higher end of the range, 36psi front, 41 rear, which resulted in better fuel consumption. Typically 18.5mpg during my short commute and weekend errand and 24 hwy cruising at 70-80mph.
I'll run these lower, at the standard 32F, 31R and see how it goes for tire and fuel consumption. 40,000 miles? On the Ecsta ASX? I just checked my maintenance log and the set I just removed were 1mm away from the wear bar at 16,000 miles. We have a long July 4th trip planned so I wanted them replaced before then.
Kumho Ecsta ASX 205/55R15 trivia:
I measured the 205/55x15 width as 205mm across the tread but there are two full-depth grooves running the circumference of the tread. One is 10mm, the other 15mm. So, it's a 205 with the actual footprint of 180mm.
Now to cut the grass.
Erwin
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The wider the tire, the larger the grooves have to be to displace water. If you lived in the snow belt, you would have a better understanding of narrow snow tires.
The pressure you had used is a bit high and should have resulted in more wear in the center of the tread, especially at high speed and high heat. I usually run around 34psi in all four with the AWD.
Klaus
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Always willing to listen, just not able to take direction.
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I was in Roanoke for the last three years where we had plenty of snow but fortunately, I had a company Jeep Grand Cherokee. The 850 stayed parked most of the time but even moving it around the driveway in the snow was a chore with these tires.
The last three sets of these, even at the elevated pressure, have worn very evenly across the tread face. No exaggerated center wear. The greatest wear has been on the outer shoulders on all tires on this car. Even when perfectly aligned. Something I've just accepted as normal since it tracks straight and doesn't exhibit any weird turning manners. Except for the post earlier in the year where it seemed it was turning right more aggressively. Alignment with an engine cradle shift fixed that. Apparently, someone (wife?) had smacked a parking bumper or something else with the right front corner of the cradle and moved it. I saw it while on the rack and the undercoating showed where it shifted. That's why she drives the 940 almost exclusively now.
So, new tires, fresh alignment (see my Alignment post for a caveat) and it's rolling sweetly down the road again. Better ride on the lower pressure too.
Cheers,
Erwin
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can you elaborate on the line that says:
" Alignment with an engine cradle shift fixed that"
did you take your car to one of those frame-straightener places?
How much did that cost?
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1998 V70 AWD->FWD->AWD Turbo 215k+
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