The Michelin Tires on my 1991 are ten years of age. Sidewalls crackin' 'cause they ain't in no damned garage in the last some odd-years.

Michelin HydroEdge 185 70R 14 bought in May 2006 as I imagined a life in occasionally rainy Portland, OR (or Vancouver, WA). Now I'm in a midwest toilet in need of flushing named St. Louis.


One tire on my 1992 240 has a lope, or bulge. The passenger side front. These are Bridgestone Weatherforce Plus on crappy 14" Corona wheels. 185 or 175 60R 14. 100$ for the set of four off of Spokane Craigslist in 2009 or so. Dated 2010 and 2011.


So, for slightly under 300$ with all tax, balance, and old tire disposal, at a local St. Louis, Misery, tire store, we have:

Kumho 175/70/14 - $270
Lexani 185/65/14 - $260
Doral 185/70/14 - $260
Lexani 195/70/14 - $270

I'm bringing the wheels to the store. Not the car. I'll preserve the lug hardware, thank you.

Which would tire listed you folks buy? Please?

Or name another tire vendor and brand. I'll pay cash. So, no online ordering. Credit cards gotta pay Penske truck rental to CO-state.

Gotta pay off two Giubo Flex Couplers I did not need right now and the 1990 240 DL li' red Wagon rear hatch hinge wires.

Thank you.

Going to move to CO-state near Fort Collins, CO in a month or so.

Very Respectfully,

No Pumpkin Pies in 2016 Boyeeeeeeeeeee. (AKA Poor Nephew).

And now, more Grumpy Cat hyperlinked at your brickboard.com:







(Or Finland)








Rich Uncle says ....





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double wow again kit- that is one stuffed cat. can they get that fat? that critter may burst. my friends and enemies who have had cats tell me all had attitude. my old mutt sparkplug used to chase them . he felt all cats needed thrashing. mutts you can trust not so with cats. hoping no one pulls auto scams on you. oldduke

Happy Friday Uncle Old Duke,

Hope all's aces and eights for you and yours and your 1992 three-pedal Volvo 240 in warmer Florida-state!

Of, the image is of a rather portly kitty with some image editing to fatten that cat up more so.

Welp, some kittys can be very faithful and loving. Some kittys can be total and complete bastards. So, though adopting, you can find kittys that want attention and to be with their human companion. Though not as good as dogs top bark at bad people skulking near your home and Volvo 240. Though I've been told and read of cats that protect their owners and family claw and tooth.

No, no auto scams this year. One last year for a pretty buck or two. Have to go to him as MO-state is a shyster state that favors the new car dealers.

In the 1990 Volvo 240, following the Haynes manual lube spec, I replaced the power steering fluid with Dexron III, just as the Haynes 240 manual specifies. Yep, specifies, utterly unlike the Volvo 240 owner manual in the glove box of that li'l red 19090 240 DL wagon. Stupid, stupid, stupid, me.

One the 1992 240 GL, while driving to work in a white-out snow storm on an early Friday morning in late 2008, to work in Spokane Valley on Sullivan Road, just North of the I-90 (a lovely freeway through Montana, btw), I wanted a salty, greasy breakfast thing with a fistful of BOGO (buy one, get one free) coupons, I turned left into a lane divider island thing and damaged the power steering, yet not the rack and ball joints and works.

So, I disabled the power steering pumps.

So, the shyster that did the inspection failed me, and I could not do all the work, so he shystered me hardcore.

MO-state is a state of corruption and pro-business non-sense where the business like the new car dealership owning families write the laws that comprise the MO-state auto safety inspection BS.

I removed the pumps and joint the hoses together. so no leaks and it is manual steering. One shop fails me where the shyster shop would pass me for the power steering setup, as the definition between power steering is manual steering is vague where conversions to manual are concerned. No oil drips or anything.

Yet he got me on another issue, and he had to do some of the work and I had to do the rest. So, he got me, and got me good.

Yep, shysters are everywhere.

Lemme in, Finland or Switzerland!

Happy Fryday!

Happy Holidays.

No Eggnog, MacDuff.

hi kitty- seems like youve had a helluva broad experience with auto repair and dealer shysters. it is one of the worst corruptions i have seen. the ripoffs of elderly customers is obscene. home state of jersey is one of the worst for this since they have all this inspection stuff which is a bonanza for crooked mechanics.on tires, recaps and retreads are the same. that bulge or lope in one ofyour tires was a broken or shifted belt. the tire cant be repaired and is headed for a blowout probably when youre fleeing revenooers on thunder road. uncle moe had a 50 ford two door with a souped up flathead v8 just like mitchum. which went like hell. he used to regale me with stories where he dodged coppers pursuing him. had a manual 3 speed with a semi automatic overdrive which actually gave him 6 speeds. most of the coppers drove 6 cyl. chevys with powerglide trannies. give em hell. oldduke

I've had a couple of sets of lower end 185/70/14 Kumhos on my '80 245. They have worked reasonably well--for handling, wet behavior, etc. Figure 30-40k before their done. The other brands listed may work but you can find Kumhos all over - even to find used to replace an unforeseen mishap to one. -- Dave

You say not online but:
Price tires here with free shipping. discounttiredirect.com Got 4 vehicles running tires from them.
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Post Back. That's whats makes this forum work.

Discount Tire Direct presidents day sale Feb. 13?- 20?, also see BOB IS THE OIL GUY section on tires, stuff under $300, although you sound like almost nothing will work. Check it out.!!

Hiya Uncle bmwjohn,

Welp, I can't understand such markup on tire and services to do all of it. Even with cheap Kuhmo or Hankook tires.

Thank you, though. I'll check up the Discount Tire sales you mention and the Bob is the oil guy tire section.

Not like I'm buy Michelins and Conti tires! Such markup. Like Uncle Old Duke says about the shysters.

Thank you,

volvo240brucie.

Markup is what every company needs to do. But by how much is dictated by what the market is willing to pay.

Having said that, tyres are a relatively cheap but extremely important part on a car. No need to elaborate on that.

I used to run cheaper tyres like Roadstone, Maxxis or what I could find second hand. A couple of years ago I decided to switch to brand new premium stuff (Continental PremiumContact 5). First on the front, and when I swapped the older Firestones to the front, I really didn't like how that spoiled the steering. I had never expected that on a car like an old Volvo which isn't a razor sharp setup like BMW or so.

Suffice to say I had the not yet fully worn Firestones replaced with the same Contis.
At that time I also found out that the shop that put the first set on charged me € 15 a piece more than the other shop for the exact same tyres, balancing, etc. (€ 90 instead of € 75). Pays to shop around...

Hi Grey,

Yep, I'd rather the Contis or Michelins. Like Onkel Udo II wrote once about not buying such high end tires if you are not plowing on the mile year over year to make it a useful buy for such quality.

At 48 year owld, or auld, one imagines one can easily afford quality like that.

I'd also mixed and matched tires front and rear. Only once across an axle on 240. Though I'd put each through the "replace bushes, ball joints (steering rods), strut mounts, and shocks", it mixing tire brands is a bad thing to do.

Sort of an economic necessity then as now. In spite of three university diplomas and career competence par-none for procedure, technical, requirements, and other forms of business writing and illustration in a nation of mediocrity and corruption and embarrassment for decades we call United States.

I phoned around the toilet city of St. Louis MO state, and prior, nasty old corrupt Spokane and Spokane Valley WA-state, and to invoke Uncle Old Duke's notion of shysterism, there is little difference in price on cheapo tires as new.

Whether I bring the wheels to the shop or drive the Volvo 240, so they can strip nearly all 20 lug nuts in some manner of what appears as sabotage at the Discount Tire Store in Spokane Valley.

The new Hankook tires on the 1992 240 GL do just fine. With all new front tendons and joints (bushes and all all four tie rods, new urethane torque rod bushes in the rear, rest are pretty good), I can feel the suspension and driveline articulate well. The ball joints will need a replace in the next 15k or so. Ball joints passed the freeplay muster test now 4-5 years ago. In sound condition, a 240, 140, 164, 940 feels as precision as a comparable BMW of similar vintage, without low profile tire on big wheels and the more aggressive negative camber front and rear and smaller steering wheel turn ratio versus the 240 tractor steering.

Second hand blows, even from stores.

I did call around for tire service prices here and disposal of the defective Firestone / Bridgestone Weatherforce II on the Coronas wheel. As much as 50$ US to as low as 15$ US. So, I went 15$.

I see that my want to go to the brick and mortar store to buy anything, like Nygard to control the fleas in this ghetto slum in which I reside in St. Louis County, with the typical slum lord, is 70$ a few days for a small bottle or 49$ online.

Many here advocate buying tires online and getting them shipped, so, for the 1991 grey 240 sedan, with them 11 year old Michelin HydroEdge I bought in Vancouver WA when I got there 10 years and 8 months ago, well, I'll try that out.

Tires just seem such a damned scam.

Any chance an ugly U.S. citizen can defect to the EU for a technical writer job? Got passport. Ha. I'll keep applying to jobs in Finland and Switzerland. So long as I can bring the Volvo 240 with me!

Thanks. Sorry to go on so long.

Kittys Grey Volvo 240 with M47 and moon roof, failed clear coat paint.
(Say no to fascism!)

I'd also mixed and matched tires front and rear. Only once across an axle on 240. Though I'd put each through the "replace bushes, ball joints (steering rods), strut mounts, and shocks", it mixing tire brands is a bad thing to do.

I don't really mind using different brands or types front/rear, obviously not on the same axle. That heavy rear live axle really isn't too fussed about what you put on the wheels, however I found the front is rather picky.

On my 245 there's always some slight vibration in the steering wheel at specific speeds that even different wheels and a rebuild of the front suspension didn't fully cure. To get it to an acceptable level, balancing the wheels on the car used to be required.
When the new Contis were fitted to the front, they were balanced the usual way at first. Apparently, balancing on the car is not recommended to be done the first 500 km (~300 miles) or so. New tyres need to wear a little and settle on the rims first. But I was surprised to find that the Contis do not need balancing on the car, they're fine "as is". So, there's more to good quality tyres than wear and roadholding.

Any chance an ugly U.S. citizen can defect to the EU for a technical writer job? Got passport. Ha.

Sure there might be chances. You wouldn't be the first US citizen working and living here. And I understand what you're saying... but I can also hardly believe that a guy like that is going to sit there for the full four years.

I'll keep applying to jobs in Finland and Switzerland. So long as I can bring the Volvo 240 with me!

Then you may want to reconsider going to Switzerland. Not only are they not part of the EU, they are also extremely strict when it comes to cars. It's unlikely you could ever import your 240.
Mine might stand a very slim chance if I were to revert to the original steel rims and tyre size (yes, they don't even allow wheels that the car wasn't type approved with).

hi polar- figured continentals were the best to buy for a 240 but havent seen them sold anywhere. which vendor sells them without going to the cleaners. thanks tons oldduke

Well, as I'm in Europe and Continental is a German brand, everyone will sell them to you, although I found most fitters will only stock the most common types and sizes. The more expensive store did stock the ones I use, the cheaper one had to order them and have me come back a couple of days later.

Here's Conti's own dealer locator. I was surprised to find they're mostly limited to the eastern half of the USA.

Tyre design and quality has improved steadily over the years. I regularly check tests performed by the so called automobile associations (e.g. AA in the UK), and the German ADAC often publishes the results. In recent years it's been noted that some aftermarket brands have designed some tyres that rival those of the big boys (Michelin, Conti, Pirelli etc.) but at lower cost.

My 245 originally used the (now hard to come by) 185R14 (i.e. 82% width/height ratio), but more likely the very close 185/80R14 would have been fitted.
Years ago I went for the 700-series 15" Draco wheels with the very common 195/65R15 size. It's only slightly smaller in diameter (~2.6%) and hence has an acceptably low increase of engine revs at the same speeds. So my choice of tyre broadened from a few obscure asian brands to every manufacturer out there.

If you're interested, here's a link to an overview of the results of the summer tyres they tested in this size in 2014.
It's in German (obviously) so some translations:
Hersteller/Modell: Manufacturer/model
Preis Euro: Price Euros
ADAC Urteil: ADAC verdict
Trocken: dry
Nass: wet
Geräush/Komfort: Noise/comfort
Kraftstoffverbrauch: fuel consumption
Verschliess: wear
Gewichtung: weighting
(sehr) gut: (very) good
befriedigend: satisfactory
ausreichend: adequate
mangelhaft: inadequate

When you look at this, you'll find a couple of aftermarket brands right up there with the best. Also, why is the Conti PremiumContact 5 rated only "satisfactory"? Well, it's got good grip dry and wet, but it also wears more quickly, and that leads to a derating. Instead of going for the Contis, next time I might go for the Hankook Kinergy Eco K425. If they still make it by then.

Please note that these results are only valid for the size they were tested in. More than once it was noted that different sizes of the exact same brand and type actually perform differently.

So, if you can't find the Contis at a reasonable price, you may be able to get a better tyre at a lower price...

Greetings Kitty,

I love Michelin's (which I have on my 850 and 2002 Passat) but when I had a tighter budget I put Kumho Solus on both my 90 240 and my first 850. They are a quality cheap tire. Never had a problem with those 8 tires. They won't last as long as a Michelin, nor handle as well but they ride well and are pretty quiet. They are also pretty good in rain and somewhat usable in light snow.

J

Hi jwalker,

Thank you.

The Kuhmo Solus (what model I ask? The tire store with their craigslist advert says "I dunno") and the Doral Tires seem to have variable reviews.

Yet the Cooper Starfire RS-C 2.0 All-Season Radial Tires 185 70R 14 seem of interest.

Thank you.

MacDuffed.
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It was awhile ago so I don't think Kumho makes the specific model tires I used anymore. Both cars were sold sometime ago. I think they were Kumho Solus KR21??

Maybe try using tirerack.com to research tire brands and reviews if you are not doing that already... Here is a direct link to the Kumho Solus TA11 which are made in 185/70-14's. At $52 apiece that is a pretty good deal!!

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?message=singleSize&tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Solus+TA11&width=185%2F&ratio=70&diameter=14&partnum=87TR4TA11

BTW - My cousin and family have lived in Fort Collins for many years. They like it there AFAIK. What made you decide to move there?

Let us know what you decide.

Good luck,
Jim

hi kitty g- that one stuffed cat of yours looks like a real tanker. i hope all of your cats arent bad boys. tires are always a complicated matter having bought 100s of them since the war. they are also one of the most overcharged items at retailers. i have found a good used tire store or pep boys basic cornell radials are reliable if the car is used mostly around town . if the car is used over the road at 70 regularly or on cross country treks the michelin radial is best and from sams club(part of wal mart). i have been unable to beat their deal and treadwear warranty. i am always a comp shopper, counteroffer maker and a charter member of cheap bastids of america. keep a record of all tire purchasers, check the manufacturer date stamp on any tire(in the oval) and rotate tires as called for. also have heard that michelin, goodrich and uniroyal have merged. regards oldduke

Hiya Uncle Old Duke!

Thank you kindly.

Oh, I have no pets. Merely images on the i-net hyperlinked there.

It was hard cider yesterday and yester-eve. 12 Craps-Givings. Well, today is Sh!ts-Givings where AmeriKa's sanitation sewer systems get a good feed and the sewage plants get a good work out. Just don't go into the Meramec, Missouri, or Mississippi Rivers anywhere downstream of the tremendous region of Sh!t Louie and the Arches and the baseball Cardinals and the stupid Hockey Blues.

As for tires, yep, what a bunch of BS.

I'd rather pay cash, bring the wheels (the car is in the car park with the snow wheel/tiers on it), have them mount, balance, and dispose of the old tires. I mean, since the lug hardware on these stupid cars I have always get screwed up by a tire store.

So, we (Volvo 240s and me) may settle on Cooper Starfire RS-C 2.0 All-Season Radial Tires 185 70R 14. Some research indicates these are made in USA. (Sort of doubt it.) A little over 300$.

Yep, well, Michelin. I'd rather have Michelin, yet I don't drive 15k on the 1991 kittys grey Volvo 240 sedan. It has Michelin HydroEdge 185 70R 14 bought in May 2006 as aforementioned.

So, I guess I gotta keep searching to get the better deal online and begrudgingly use a credit card or go to the store with the wheels and pay cash.

I'd rather pay cash. I do not belong to the Costcos (love their eggnog in the big square gallon jugs to quaff before they intervene for another trip to the Betty Ford Center over my dairy issues Ha-HA!) and Sam's Club or Price Club or any of that.

Michelin, Goodrich, and Uniroyal are one company? If that helps.

I've checked WAL*MART and may Sears. No Pep Boys here. I've read occasions where some private label tires at retailers like (I don't like) WAL*MART are made by Michelin or Conti.

Just want to keep it below 300$ for each car for a total of 600$ or so. I little more is okay.

The guidance with anecdotal information in reviews is variable. Much confusion.

Thank you.

Happy Sh!ts Givings Day.

Buttermilk "The Dairy Bombastic" MacDuff.
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kitty - youre funny as hell.still crackin up.you remind me of me. keep up the good work. actually prefer jam jar red wine. cider gives me a belly ache. oldduke

Hiya Uncle Old Duke and Folks,

Jam Jar wine? That's a sweet wine, yes? I'll have to look it up and check it out.

Though the immediate neighbor to the due east, whom denies doing so, has been spliffin' some of Bob Marley's finest for the last few weeks.

From Walmart, a set of 4 Hankook Optimo P185 65 R 14 H724 Tires. They charged me the in-store, and not the internets, price. And Walmart now charged for each step from new shrader valve, mount, and balance. I went for the road hazard. So over 300$ a bit.


Be GONE, crappy Corona Wheels. (Now for sale or giveaway!)

New old 1993 Volvo 240 steelies pulled this past Sat-Your-Day 26 June 2016 from the St Loogey pick and pull. The poor thing. ODO displays 148k or so. Black with tan cloth interior. Auto.

Damn shame. I always feel bad taking such from a junkyard Volvo that looks like you could give it a 20-minutes once around and go.


You wants four Volvo 240 14" Corona wheels? Heavier than the steelies.

It makes no difference in tire service mounting price whether the Walmart technicians secure the tire / wheel assemblies to the 1992 Volvo 240 GL or not.

Yet prior tire store lug hardware experience suggests that I do it myself. I had three good lug nuts to spare.


Use Genuine Volvo Tools. Lift both wheels from the rear jack point.


Hankook Optimo P185 65 R 14 H724 Tires


Corona Wheel Lug Hardware. I have 8 of the large Corona wheel center caps. And they all suck. Did not use one.

Of eight Corona wheels I had, the four remain. They have the hub alignment pin hole.

I had some Virgo wheels. They also had the hub alignment pin hole. They were dog-awful heavy.

The lacquer or enamel coat had failed. To bead blast, check for true, bake the wheels to straighten, weld or polish out curb rash, and seal with clear or color urethane was up to nearly 200$ each wheel. Forget it. Allow wheels suck.

So, after I jammed the laundry into the giant drum dryer and set for 90 minutes, I jammed this nearly well-healed 1992 Volvo 240 GL and broached speed at up to 100 MPH on highway farty-far. (I-44 West of I-270.)

Not a shimmy shimmy cocoa puff.

I can feel the entire suspension clearly. The trailing arm bushing are just staring to fail. The front ball joints are fine yet show they'll need replacement in 15k+ miles. No play or wandering. Just the new 2013-installed no lomger made strut mounts, with GT plates and reinforcing GT tower to fire wall strut braces, reveals the ever so slight deficits.

The entire drive line from M7 II & mount, giubo, carrier, and rear U-joints are about perfect. No noise.

The Bilstein Touring - these true kick ass over the wholly utterly and over rated Bilstein HDs.

I guess some can appreciate the iPd 240 Turbo cat-back exhaust. Just noisy yet solid and consistent note.

The damn thing just wants to beat the concrete to pieces. It wants to go. And in ownership since August 2007, for the first time, all the work I did finally shows.

Going to get the big stainless Volvo 240 14" steelie wheel center caps tomorrow, maybe. I have like 12 of them. So, the best for to the 1992. The other two 240s steelie wheels are dressed the same way.

Still need a garage, though.

And now for new tires on the 1991 Kittys Grey Volvo 240 next week. General brand tires, perhaps, some one suggested.

Thank you,

Poor Nephew.















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