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