Swapping 20s to 19s.

[ThomasC91]

On a Volvo s90… from 255/35/20 to 255/40/19

Found a good deal, but is it worth it for comfort/winter or would the benefit be marginal?

Thanks

[Tony Harrison]

Thomas, I'm looking into this myself (see current Michelin Cross Climate thread). I'm already on 19s and want something smaller as I find the 19s are just a bit harsh on poor roads at 33 psi. Personal preferences vary and lots of folks seem to like really big wheels; I don't. They compromise ride quality and the tyres are hugely expensive.

[bornmiddleaged]

As per the crossclimate thread, I've gone from 20" to 18" (35 to 45 profile) and I was expecting the difference would be night and day but I'm not finding that, TBH. Maybe I just don't have a very sensitive rear end!

The ride is definitely a bit softer and there is not so much crashing over bumps. I definitely prefer it, despite the car being a bit more prone to oversteer, IMHO, but I wouldn't say it was worth it just for that. I did it so I could get the cross climates.

Perhaps a friendly dealer would let you try out an S90 or V90 with smaller wheels?

[Bulldogfour]

My last vehicle was a discovery sport and I did exactly the same; switched from 20's to 18's with cross climates to take the harshness out of the ride on Wiltshire roads. Sadly, as the disco forums members warned me, the difference whilst positive really isn't that great. In fact when I came to sell the disco I switched back to the original 20's and the improvement in roadholding was really noticeable. So what I had was an expensive waste of time. My V90cc has 19's and I will be changing to cross climate 2s before the real winter weather comes along.

[AB-UK]

For my Winter setup, I switch from 19" wheels which are standard on the Exec, to 18" wheels with my winter tyres.
The 18" combination gives a smoother ride over holes bumps and dips.
I find it a little quieter also.
The taller tyre wall does roll a little more when negotiating roundabouts, but only marginally so.

[ThomasC91]

Thanks for the responses.

I'm going to save the money.

I'll just run the 20s all year round and see how I go.

I've not long had four new turanza too5 put on mine.

I'll keep my eye out just in case there's any really good deals about.

[BlueDevil]

Just my 2 cents here....

On my XC60 I usually have 235/65/17. One time when a friend of mine went to swap his summer tires for winter ones (2 full sets with rims and all) I mounted his wheels in 235/55/19 on mine. I drove around town for a week, and didn't say a word to anyone home.

It was my kids (5 and 8) that complained how am I driving and why is everyting so loud and loud and hitting and stiff and.... they explained to me in their own words that something happened to car and it is much less comfortable than before. So I gave up on the swap idea which I had until then.

I think that driver feels this change the least, while passengers feel it the most. Driver will notice higher tires warping in tight fast cornering, but the comfort will be very much noted by passengers.

[destone]

I can't understand why any S90 owner would want to opt for any alloy wheel other than the 255/40 R18 that's standard on the Momentum trim. Even the R19 on Inscription is too much unless you have rear air suspension.

[Chudy85]

Originally Posted by destone

I can't understand why any S90 owner would want to opt for any alloy wheel other than the 255/40 R18 that's standard on the Momentum trim. Even the R19 on Inscription is too much unless you have rear air suspension.

How do I know if on my V90 is rear air suspension??

[ThomasC91]

Originally Posted by BlueDevil

Just my 2 cents here....

On my XC60 I usually have 235/65/17. One time when a friend of mine went to swap his summer tires for winter ones (2 full sets with rims and all) I mounted his wheels in 235/55/19 on mine. I drove around town for a week, and didn't say a word to anyone home.

It was my kids (5 and 8) that complained how am I driving and why is everyting so loud and loud and hitting and stiff and.... they explained to me in their own words that something happened to car and it is much less comfortable than before. So I gave up on the swap idea which I had until then.

I think that driver feels this change the least, while passengers feel it the most. Driver will notice higher tires warping in tight fast cornering, but the comfort will be very much noted by passengers.

Yeah part of reason I want to swap, but like the look of 20s. It’s a hard compromise.

Originally Posted by destone

I can't understand why any S90 owner would want to opt for any alloy wheel other than the 255/40 R18 that's standard on the Momentum trim. Even the R19 on Inscription is too much unless you have rear air suspension.

On the inscription for 18s I think it’s 245/45....mine came with 20s

Originally Posted by Chudy85

How do I know if on my V90 is rear air suspension??

Yeah how would I know this with my S90