Tyres
 

My tyres need replaced on my xc90 2017 model so looking for some recommendations - what have people put on that giveva good ride and quiet ride?
Anyone actually tried the Michelin CrossClimate tyres as considering these. I’m from Scotland so do get snow and rain and temperature in the summer is high teens to low 20’s

For those conditions, the Crossclimates are good. But their durability is low.

OK, trying to be as brief as possible here, coming particularly from a road noise perspective.

Cutting a long story short, there is a huge thread on here which I started 2 years ago regarding noise on 20" wheels. In summary I and others were very unhappy with the amount of road noise on 2016 and MY2017 XC90's on 20" wheels. I complained to Volvo and my dealer and at 7.5k had the (standard at the time) Conti tyres replaced by Conti Silents, at Volvo and the dealers expense. In addition, Volvo did some B-pillar modifications for later models and those who had earlier models and complained. Essentially admitting there was a road noise issue.

The Conti Silents and mods were an improvement, but refinement still wasn't great. The tyres did about 16k for me at which point all 4 were worn and needed replacements. I replaced with Michelin Latitude Sport 3 Acoustic, which were bloody expensive at the time, but what an improvement. Switching to Michelin made the biggest difference of all, and now I do not have an issue with road noise at all. It's not as quiet as some (namely the Q7), but its not bad, and I certainly don't have an issue with it at all.

Not the huge 20" wheel thread, but this thread is worth a read.

:wq

Interested to know what evidence you have to suggest durability is low?
They are a summer tyre first of all.

Recent reviews of the Contis all season contacts suggest they are second to none.

Reason I ask is I'm looking to move to cross climate tyres next winter for trips to the alps as they'll work out cheaper than a second set of winters on alloys.

Before I got the new XC60 last summer, I had my old MY2010 XC60 on Crossclimates, and was very happy with them.

I almost replaced the brand new tyres on the current car, for them, but Mrs R vetoed that, in favour of something for her instead.

I didn’t run them long enough to speak about longevity, but even if they were less durable, I would still not hesitate to recommend them for someone that wants an all season alternative.

My 3 week old T8 came with Latitude Sport 3 tyres and they are great. The only downside to them is, being an acoustic tyre, they can't be easily repaired if you suffer a puncture. I found out the hard way. One of my tyres went over a screw and has to be replaced as the piercing is on the edge of the acoustic foam layer (thanks Murphy) so it can't be easily repaired.

It does make me question the role of the puncture kit that comes if the car comes with acoustic tyres. It's days like these I wish the car came with run flats :S

If anyone is looking for the Latitude Sport 3 tyres, the cheapest place I could find it was Costco.

Like you, I was also convinced that these tires made sense from all the reviews I read back in 2017. But I had a set fitted on my car that lasted only 30.000km. The heat actually bust them up. But when I mean heat, I mean real heat that you feel in the alps or in southern countries during the summer. So this is why I say that if you use these tires in the UK for most of it's lifespan, you will be ok. The fact of being summer tires does not actually mean that they can stand real heat. The profile of the tire changed completely with the heat and I had a rolling noise that was unbearable.


It makes sense but do so when the tires are relatively new. They loose the grip on the snow after 25k to 30k km. But these are much cheaper than having a second set of winter tires if you do occasional trips to the alps and they work very well with rain and moderate climate.

When you have them newly fitted on your car, you test them and they work. They work on the snow, they work well as summer tires. They work as advertised and as reviewed by all the sites you can find. But then they just stop working a bit sooner than expected. In my case, with the investment of a set of winter/summer tires I would have saved 50% if you look into a 3 year investment lifespan. And that's the real problem.

Great to hear new Volvo's are coming with these tyres. FYI I had a puncture in one of the Continental ContiSilent's which I had on before the Latitude's. My local mobile tyre fitter was able to repair the puncture which was under the foam. He had to cut away a small section of foam to glue the plug in. He did have a bit of a nightmare cleaning off the glue from the foam to make the repair glue stick.

:wq

I have nothing but praise for the Latitude Sport 3 - my XC60 came factory fitted with these- but bear in mind these are summers- and I understood the OP is looking for something for year-round..

Thanks Greg. I might try a different fitter. I asked at Kwikfit (which might be part of the problem) who advised they can't repair it.