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Is maintaining the same air pressure on all 4 tires critical - to avoid damagingAWD XC90 1999

posted by  someone claiming to be Hugh on  Wed Mar 2 11:48 CST 2005 [RELATED]

Hello,

I have a '99 XC with 60,000 on the odometer. I regularly rotate the tires to insure even wear. However, I follow the air pressure recommendations that Volvo has printed on the inside of the gas tank flap. For economy versus comfort, Volvo recommends 36 lbs in the front tires and 41 lbs in the rear to obtain better gas mileage. I've have done that since obtaining the car 6 years ago (used) when it only had 12,000 miles on it.

I have read posts, where people say you must keep the air pressure the same in all 4 tires, so that the circumference is identical. I do want to obtain the best mileage I can, but don't want to risk damaging the AWD. Yet it appears, based on my experience, I haven't destroyed anything yet. Of course, I may be just lucky, and my luck is now about to run out due to the different tire pressure between the front and rear tires. I would appreciate hearing other people's thoughts on whether I can safely follow Volvo's recommendation regarding economy air pressure settings, or should I just stick with keeping all 4 tires at the same pressure. Thanks in advance to all who reply.

Hugh








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    Is maintaining the same air pressure on all 4 tires critical - to avoid damagingAWD XC90 1999

    posted by  Sim on  Thu Mar 3 14:49 CST 2005
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    last visit: Sun Oct 19 13:58 CST 2008
    [RELATED]

    you are fine using the 36/41 pressure that is listed in your manual. The increased diameter with an extra five psi in the rear is not a measurable difference. You will only notice a difference in the rolling radius of the tire if you are significantly underinflated - (like running 20 psi or lower instead of 36)








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      Is maintaining the same air pressure on all 4 tires critical - to avoid damagingAWD XC90 1999

      posted by  someone claiming to be lewismug on  Thu Apr 14 03:59 CST 2005 [RELATED]

      I know it's not the same system, but my Jeep Grand Cherokee has all time 4-wheel drive (Which is basicly AWD) and I have never had a problem out of the system due to tire pressure. They are designed so that if you have a blow out, it won't tear the drivetrain out before you can get it stopped. They aren't apt to tear up from that minor of a difference in tire pressure. If you do have a flat, make sure not to use a donut at all unless it is the same as your full size tires. I tried driving on the factory supplied donut in my Jeep once and things started sounding nasty. I walked to the tire shop, rolling a flat tire!







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