Volvo UK/Main Dealer do they care

[imac]

Ref tramlining:

The S60/V70 is prone to this. Its down to the wider wheels and Pirelli tyres. The P6000's you have fitted are the worst tyre for tramlining.

If you swap them out for different tyres (Goodyear Eagle come highly reccomended) you should notice FAR less tramlining.

If you really want it to go away nearly all together, drop down to 16" wheels & tyres and it'll dissapear. I have a set of 16" wheels (for the winter) and 17" wheels (for the summer) so I've tried both and know first hand!

If you go 16", the turning circle improves too! (Not by that much, though)

Snowdon thanks for the thank you. Just read the other post and dont see the need for the attitude of the other member and if he is in the position he claims doesnt appear to be making much sense really!

But as mentioned definately give a tyre change a go, the p6000's seem to cause more problems than they are worth.

[imac]

Originally Posted by After_Shock

Snowdon thanks for the thank you. Just read the other post and dont see the need for the attitude of the other member and if he is in the position he claims doesnt appear to be making much sense really!
.

??

Me? Or am I missing something? Lol.

No no not you! I think he means on a different thread someone having a go at me over this ETM issue because they know alot more about it than me!

Or at least that what I think Snowdon was on about!

[Snowdon]

Originally Posted by After_Shock

No no not you! I think he means on a different thread someone having a go at me over this ETM issue because they know alot more about it than me!

Or at least that what I think Snowdon was on about!

Apologies VolvoT5 if post you’re referring to wasn’t clear, definitely directed to After_shock, I was just trying to be delicate as from what I read it’s been quiet a traumatic experience for those involved as a result of the sudden ETM failure.

[Snowdon]

VolvoT5, regarding smaller size wheels I gather the 16”wheels you use during winter, (is it for traction ?) are shod with 205/55-16, seem to be ideal choice after checking with www.mia.net/garage/tirecalc.html I hope I’ve understood correctly as its all new to me, the speedo reads 0.4% fast and the sidewall is thicker.

[imac]

Originally Posted by SNOWDON

VolvoT5, regarding smaller size wheels I gather the 16”wheels you use during winter, (is it for traction ?) are shod with 205/55-16, seem to be ideal choice after checking with www.mia.net/garage/tirecalc.html I hope I’ve understood correctly as its all new to me, the speedo reads 0.4% fast and the sidewall is thicker.

I've got winter tyres on the 16" yes, as I do 2-3 runs to the Alps in the winter months. The size is indeed 205/55-16 (which is what Volvo reccomends). I've put them on 850 T5 wheels as it was the cheapest option - the tyres are thinner and have a thicker sidewall, which makes the ride more comfortable also (and no "wandering" or tramlining whatsoever)!

Here is a pic of the winter & summer for comparison:-

[Rich5ltr]

Originally Posted by SNOWDON

VolvoT5, regarding smaller size wheels I gather the 16”wheels you use during winter, (is it for traction ?) are shod with 205/55-16, seem to be ideal choice after checking with www.mia.net/garage/tirecalc.html I hope I’ve understood correctly as its all new to me, the speedo reads 0.4% fast and the sidewall is thicker.

Useful little web-site that! Yes you are on the right lines but use the expression profile rather than thicker/thinner. The profile is the height of the side-wall of the tyre expressed as a percentage of the width. e.g. a 225 40 x 18 is a tyre that is 18" in diameter (inside) and 225mm wide. The side-wall is 40% of the width of the tyre. Now... when you say thicker/thinner you could be mistaken for talking about the properties of the rubber as some tyre manufacturers make the sidewalls stiffer e.g. a tyre to support the weight of Volvo would be stiffer (thicker) than a tyre designed to support the weight of a Lotus Elise. This is why when people on web sites ask "what's the best tyre" and people say Goodyear Eagle F1 or Toyo Proxies or Bridgestone SO3 etc. etc. you have to ask what they car are basing that experience on. e.g. a Bridgestone SO3 has a very stiff side-wall, the Toyo is slightly softer. Also... stiff side-wall tyres (which low-profile tyres generally are) are less compliant which means they react to changes in the road surface more, which in turn results in tramlining. Finally the use of low profile tyres is linked to the "fashion" for big wheels. This follows the trend in motor sport where big wheels are used for two reasons:- 1) they allow bigger brake discs to fit behind them and 2) designers tune the suspension of the car to suit the track and hence don't want the tyres (and tyre presusres etc.) to add any unknown element to the set-up whilst cornering on the limits. This shouldn't be of interest to road drivers but people want their cars to be sporty and manufacturers have to satisy the demand - can yoiu imagine a C70GT with 16" wheels? Rich...

[clarker]

Vanity is such a curse...

I dare say my C70 would be wearing rather different wheels if it wasn't for "The Saint"

Having said that, my little ol' Ford Ka wore 15"s - which turned it into a 4 seat go-kart...

Many thanks for the info guys - my boots are looking somewhat slicker than they perhaps should so a run to the tyre man looks imminent. Out of interest - what's the average wallet hit I'm looking at on 17"s?

Appreciated

- Russ