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Volvo V70 Wagon Experience

1905 messages,  Last post on Aug 30, 2012 at 6:10 PM

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What is this discussion about? Volvo V70, Wagon

Messages Page 180 of 191

#1790 of 1905 Re: Tires [jim314] by jim314

Mar 26, 2009 (4:58 pm)

Replying to: jim314 (Mar 26, 2009 9:25 am)
It seems to me that the OE size for the 2000 V70 XC with 16" wheels could also be 205/60-16, for which the OD at the tread would be 25.7 inch.
 
(205/25.4)(0.60)(2) + 16 = 25.7. I wonder what Volvo says is the specified size for 16" wheels on an XC70?
 
IMO there is no point in having low profile tires on an SUV. So SUV should not have tires lower profile than 65 series or at the lowest 60 series. The base tire on the 2007 XC90 is 235/65-17, and replacement tires are a lot cheaper than those on the optional 18" wheels.

#1791 of 1905 Re: Tires [jim314] by xcv70sydney

Mar 27, 2009 (3:00 am)

Replying to: jim314 (Mar 26, 2009 4:58 pm)
Hi, the tyres are 215x65R x 16inche rated 98H Falkens. You wouldn't believe what happened today: Pulled up at a gas station and as I opened the fuel flap it fell off!! DOH and what the? The plastic bit that holds the fuel flap broke simultaneously with the plastic lug that holds the spring and fell right off my hands. Thank God it did not fall off while I was driving as I would not have known. Anyway a quick trip to the local Volvo dealer and A$25 later a new plastic thingy. Then it was wait till I get home tonight and only just finished taking out the old one and replaced with the new. A bit tricky and put some thought into it and it all worked out well. Must say even something like this fuel flap and the way the plastic bit is designed, makes it easy to install. Only thing and only now I'd realised that the plunger that locks the fuel flap does not work when I lock the doors. The plunger is to be released and lock the fuel flap when you lock the doors. Any ideas on how to fix this one?
Cheers Aus EST2158hrs Friday

#1792 of 1905 Re: Tires [xcv70sydney] by jim314

Mar 27, 2009 (4:56 am)

Replying to: xcv70sydney (Mar 27, 2009 3:00 am)
You might get some info at the site described in the link below. It could be that one part of the hinge is installed incorrectly, preventing the door from latching. Or it could be something else entirely. Probably you installed the hinge correctly or the door wouldn't close.
 
http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=41689
 
http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?p=271649#post271649
 
The 215/65-16 tires have an outside diameter of 27.0 inches and may be a little larger than exact spec by about 1.1 %. You'd have to check with Volvo.
 
But this difference may have no problems for you. If it is over spec, the odo and speedo would both read falsely low. A trip where the odo shows 100 mi would actually be 101.1 mi. If your speedo shows 70 mph then you are actual speed would be 70.8 mph.

#1793 of 1905 Re: Tires [xcv70sydney] by jim314

Mar 27, 2009 (1:06 pm)

Replying to: xcv70sydney (Mar 27, 2009 3:00 am)
"Please note that the fuel filler door will remain unlocked until the car begins to move forward. An audible click will be heard when the fuel filler door relocks.
 
"The central locking button does not lock the fuel filler door."
 
Quote from section entitled Fuel filler Door, Owner's Manual of 2004 V70.

#1794 of 1905 Re: Tires [jim314] by jim314

Mar 27, 2009 (7:21 pm)

Replying to: jim314 (Mar 27, 2009 4:56 am)
Oops! I made a mistake in the percent calculation! My excuse is that I have not done these calcs in a while. (The reality is that I am losing my math skills from disuse and advancing age.)
 
I see that the specified base tyre for the 2009 XC70 is 215/65-16, which is what you have on your 2000. Since you are not the original owner you might just check with a Volvo dealer to see if this size was the OE spec in 2000.
 
A tire which is 27.0 inch diameter at the tread is 5.9% larger than one which is 25.5 inch diameter. If they tell you that the specified tyres in Australia are what you have then you can assume that your speedo/odo are reading right. But if the specified size was different from that, then the previous owner could have had the speedo/odo recalibrated to read correctly with the larger tyres. So you should check the odo over one of those calibrated distances. Be sure to use the trip odo since it measures to the nearest 0.1 mile.
 
The speedo counts the turns of the wheels in a given time and converts this to speed by mult by the circumference, and circumference is pi times diameter at tread. Therefore, if the speedo is calibrated to read true speed with 25.5 in OD tires, but you are using 27.0 in OD tires, then the true speed will be 5.9% higher than the indicated speed. For example, if your speedo reads 70 mph, you are really travelling 74 mph. And if your odometer reading is 100.0 mi for a trip, then you actually went 105.9 mi.
 
Here is a popular and widely used tire calculator: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

#1795 of 1905 Re: Tires [jim314] by fedlawman

Mar 27, 2009 (10:34 pm)

Replying to: jim314 (Mar 27, 2009 7:21 pm)
According to Tirerack.com, the OE tire for a 2000 XC70 SE was 205/55-16. That's US spec, of course, but a common tire size for Volvo (that's what came with my 2004 V70).

#1796 of 1905 Re: Tires [fedlawman] by jim314

Mar 28, 2009 (3:59 pm)

Replying to: fedlawman (Mar 27, 2009 10:34 pm)
205/55-16 (24.9 inch dia at tread) makes sense as a wider lower profile option for a V70 to the base 195/65-15 (25.0 inch at tread) I have on my 2004 V70, but I would expect a V70 XC to have larger tires to add more ground clearance to that from the higher suspension.
 
But maybe the 2000 V70 XC wasn't big on ground clearance and they just used the same size tires as the standard V70. We need info on Australian specifications on the 2000 Volvo V70 XC.
 
If the 205/55-16 were the OE tires, then 215/65-16 tires (27.0 ich dia at tread) would be much larger than the OE: 27.0/24.9 = 1.084, so the larger ones would be a whopping 8.4% larger in diameter. So, unless the speedo was recalibrated, if the speedo was reading 70 mph, the actual speed would be 76 mph. And a trip registering 100.0 mi on the odo would actually have been 108.8 mi.
 
It would be surprising that tires this much larger than OE spec wouldn't rub at least when the steering wheel was near lock to one side.

#1797 of 1905 Re: Tires [jim314] by fedlawman

Mar 28, 2009 (7:41 pm)

Replying to: jim314 (Mar 28, 2009 3:59 pm)
Yup, my V70 has the factory 16" wheel upgrade. I do get rubbing at extreme lock in both directions. Always have, but it's never bothered me.
 
215/65 seems awfully tall to me for these wagons. More like an SUV/minivan tire.

#1798 of 1905 Re: Tires [fedlawman] by jim314

Mar 29, 2009 (5:48 am)

Replying to: fedlawman (Mar 28, 2009 7:41 pm)
So your 2004 V70 came with Volvo 16 inch wheels and with 205/55-16 tires. Do you still have that size on it, or did you change to a larger tire? Did it rub near lock with the OE 205/55-16s?
 
I think 215/65-16 would be a great size for an all purpose wagon--one capable of regularly handling rough rural roads--assuming the vehicle was designed for that tire.
 
But 215/65-16 tires would not have the right appearance for those who want the low profile look. The 2009 V70 base tire is 225/55-16 (25.7" dia at tread).
 
The 2009 XC70 base tire is 215/65-16 (27.0" dia).
 
The 2007 XC90 base tire was 235/65-17 (29.0" dia at tread), but evidently for 2009 the base tire for the XC90 is 235/60-18 (29.1" dia at tread), and the 2010 XC60 gets 235/60-18 too. I guess the market demands a lower profile tire for a certain look. I suppose handling in extreme evasive maneuvers (like on a fast and crowed freeway) might be better with 60 or 55 series tires. And probably more Volvo owners face that situation than they do negotiating a rough rural road.

#1799 of 1905 Re: Tires [jim314] by fedlawman

Mar 29, 2009 (7:52 am)

Replying to: jim314 (Mar 29, 2009 5:48 am)
A 65 profile tire is definitely what I would call an SUV/minivan tire. They just don't look right on normal sedans/wagons. You cannot buy a sporty tire (high performance summer compound) in that size. Of course, for the XC series, the extra sidewall helps cushion the blows from off-road driving. The tires also gives these car with higher ride height a more rugged look.
 
Our 2001 had 15's and I don't remember them rubbing. It only had 20,000 miles when my wife totaled it. Our current 2004 is wearing 205/55-16 Goodyear Assurance ComforTred tires (super smooth and quiet!). They could be a smidge wider than the OE Michelin's - I don't know. Maybe the springs have settled over the years/miles and altered the geometry a little.
 
I do remember that Volvo added the turn stop bars to the front hubs to limit steering angles. They are "L" shaped. Maybe they fell off while my wife was rallying?
 
Hey Jim, have you ever heard any power steering moans? It seems after I turn to the stop at parking lot speeds, I hear the pump complain. Then after I return to neutral steering, the moaning occurs whenever I turn the wheel (though a little quieter). Could be my imagination, but it seems louder sometimes and quieter other times.

Messages Page 180 of 191

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