[safetyfirst]

My Pirelli Scorpion Verde AS Plus II's are nearly toast after 20k miles. They've been a decent tire and I am thinking of getting a new set. Anyone got experience with both these and Conti DWS 06's, or any other good quality tire ? My driving is mostly on dry and wet pavement, with occasional snow.

As an aside, it might be helpful if there was a stickied poll with tire recommendations.

Thanks.

 

[ChitownV]

I run Continental LX25 with 255/55-18 tires and I think they are one of the best I’ve used in a luxury SUV. Bridgestones are heavier and their side walls “pancake” a little in this size on stock rims. The LX25 has good grip in dry and wet and I push them with my iPd sway bars, Bilstein Touring struts, sport springs, and poly bushings. The ride is good too, better than Bridgestones. You can see the testing and reviews on Tire Rack.

I have the DWS06 plus on my BMW sedan and I wouldn’t run that on an SUV unless you have at least 19in rims and a suspension that is sportier. Shorter vehicles would do well with 17in+ in this tire. Just like how the shocks dampen the spring oscillations (frequency), this tire wouldn’t pair as well with the XC90 since the roll in the tire sidewall wouldn't match.

I would also double check if your control arm bushings and rear trailing arm bushings are contributing to tire wear. I use modified alignment specs, that’s still within the Volvo acceptable range, outlined in the Front End thread. I’ve been getting ~40k +/- miles on my sets of tires with spirited driving.

 

[dmklip]

My Pirelli Scorpion Verde AS Plus II's are nearly toast after 20k miles. They've been a decent tire and I am thinking of getting a new set. Anyone got experience with both these and Conti DWS 06's, or any other good quality tire ? My driving is mostly on dry and wet pavement, with occasional snow.

As an aside, it might be helpful if there was a stickied poll with tire recommendations.

Thanks.

I see you're in Southern Calif. I'm just north of you and replaced my Contis with Michelin Primacy Tour 235/45-R18 XL 98V. At one time, they were what Volvo shipped on the V60R. I've run many sets of Contis and find the Michelins to be quieter, better ride and better sidewall protection. They have never seen snow. $909 plus tax and labor.

 

[Scycotic]

I put on Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 about 20k km ago and have been super happy. Much nicer and more durable than the BF Goodrich Advantage Sport I had before. For winter I'm using Michelin X-ice 2 on 17" that I picked up used. Great tires as usual but not sure about wear yet.

 

[ChitownV]

I see you're in Southern Calif. I'm just north of you and replaced my Contis with Michelin Primacy Tour 235/45-R18 XL 98V. At one time, they were what Volvo shipped on the V60R. I've run many sets of Contis and find the Michelins to be quieter, better ride and better sidewall protection. They have never seen snow. $909 plus tax and labor.

Hmm, the Primacy Touring is a passenger car tire. I had Michelin Premier LTX a number of years ago and it had grip, but wore out quick. The Michelin CrossClimate 2 might be a good option.

The Continental LX25 is an updated LX20. It runs quieter, has better grip, and more comfort.

These are my opinions and conclusions:
- Michelin Premier LTX 235/65-17: great tire as it was sporty. Had a stiffer sidewall that improved handling, but after driving with it and iPd sway bars, I knew I needed to upsize the wheels and go for a wider tire that has more comfort. Going for more grip in a small tire wasn’t balanced. This is Dicontinued.
*Extra width would help balance loss of grip when going for a little more comfort in a tire.

- Bridgestone Dueler H/S Alenza Plus 255/55-18: decent tire. They got louder as it wore down. The sidewall was under supported. Think of it like a suspension spring and it was too soft. It rode fine over expansion joints, then anything larger it would bang. The sidewalls collapsed on hard turns. They haven’t upgraded their sidewall tech. Turn in was delayed.

👍🏼 Continental LX25 255/55-18: Did a big update in this generation of tires, from the DWS06 Plus to the SUV tires to compete better with Michelin. This tire has good grip. The sidewalls work like a progressive spring where it has more comfort for the bumps, but if you load the sidewall in a turn, it keeps its shape. Along with the wider tire, this is the best combo I’ve had. Turn in is more direct.

Forget these,

• Michelin Latitude doesn’t do anything well
• General copies didn’t last and they get noisy

⭐ The XC90 could benefit from wider tires. Along with the weight and MacPherson Strut design limiting the suspension geometry, it benefits greatly going wider than the 235 width. The XC90 weight and top heaviness is asking for too much work in a smaller width. Had a friend who put 245/55-18 on his XC90 and that little bit of extra width helps with grip while still giving a good ride. He has over 70k miles driving on this size.
*235s are supposed to work better in the snow.

 

[ARATA]

Any tire that was worn out in 20k miles, I would not be buying again.

Good luck in your search!!

 

[safetyfirst]

Any tire that was worn out in 20k miles, I would not be buying again.

Good luck in your search!!

Yeah, it will be interesting to see what Allen Tire Co says about honoring the 65k warranty on the Pirelli Scorpion Verde AS plus II's. The tires have been rotated (by me) every 5k or so and they are already all down to the wear bars.

@ChitownV, Thanks for the comments. I swapped the 18" OEM Atlantis rims for 19" Vulcanis several years ago.

 

[ChitownV]

I would still look into your control arm bushings. If you decide to go with sticky Z/Y/W rated DSW06 Plus tires, I would definitely go with polyurethane bushings. If you are on iPd sway bars, then there is no question in going poly control arm bushings.

The rubber bushing variants, including OE Volvo, cannot handle the extra tire grip pulling. There was a 2014 XC90 RD owner with 19in wheels on SwedeSpeed who had tire wear problems from the first day of ownership when he bought it new, such as tire feathering. This would indicate too much bushing flex as he had the alignment done multiple times. He did not have high/ultra performance tires yet still had issues. He too would get about 20k miles on tires.

 

[safetyfirst]

Good to know. Thanks again. Yes, I have IPD sways and end links and have asked my indy when he can swap them out. He replaced the rubber bushings in my LCA's 20k miles ago, so hopefully he will be able to do the same using the poly bushings. I might be able to do the trailing arm bushings myself if I can find / make a tool set to wrench the old bushings out. SoCal car with no rust, so hopefully relatively straightforward to do.

 

[dmklip]

Hmm, the Primacy Touring is a passenger car tire.. The Michelin CrossClimate 2 might be a good option.

And it's listed as an option for the 2005 XC90 with V8 on Michelin's website. It's still an all season tire with M&S tread design. The OP is in coastal Southern California, I've never seen a Cross Climate mounted down there.

 

[ChitownV]

And it's listed as an option for the 2005 XC90 with V8 on Michelin's website. It's still an all season tire with M&S tread design. The OP is in coastal Southern California, I've never seen a Cross Climate mounted down there.

I use my all-season Continentals in the summer, granted it gets hotter & more humid in my area during the summer than in Southern California coasts. I have a brother in San Diego, for the past 30 years, he has been using all-season tires on his SUVs and cars due to the longer life, comfort, and occasional light off-road since parks and mountains aren't too far. Ironically, even if someone is in Vegas, the cold nights can sometimes warrant an all-season tire.

Some history, Michelin had a great tire, their LTX M&S. It worked well on everything, from a van to a mid-size SUV. It would get consistent 50k+ miles of use in various vehicles. People from Texas to Canada loved these all-season M&S tires. They gripped well and rode quiet. You can certainly use an all-season in hot climates.

My driving is mostly on dry and wet pavement, with occasional snow.

IIRC, the OP said driving in occasional snow. Even the Continental DWS06 Plus was great in the snow being a high-performance all-season tire when I drove through blizzards in my BMW Xdrive sedan. It performed better than the XC90 on Bridgestones and using Haldex.

 

[ChicotheCat]

I have Nokian WRG4 Suv tires on mine and have been pleased with them. I'm in the rust belt so I see all 4 seasons without the extreme cold/snow and typically only a few days above 90 a year.

Tread seems to be wearing fine at 15k, Nokian won't honor the warranty unless you have documented 5k rotations from a shop but I always get Discount Tires "certificates" so that's their problem, not mine.

 

[safetyfirst]

I had Nokian WR G2's on the 18" rims and they were a great tire, especially in snow.

 

[AEndy]

I'm also in Southern California. I use BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT

What I like about them is they are quiet and comfortable but still have good traction and long treadlife. They work well in the snow if you are in some (provided you have good tread left and you know how to drive in snow). I've used these on my XC90, XC60, and the non "LT" version on my V70.

Our XC60 had Pirellis on it when we bought it and those wore so quickly in comparison.

They definitely aren't a high performance summer tire, but I've been happy with them for commuting. Plenty of rain this past spring and no issues on wet traction.

 

[AvI6Tor]

Good to know. Thanks again. Yes, I have IPD sways and end links and have asked my indy when he can swap them out. He replaced the rubber bushings in my LCA's 20k miles ago, so hopefully he will be able to do the same using the poly bushings. I might be able to do the trailing arm bushings myself if I can find / make a tool set to wrench the old bushings out. SoCal car with no rust, so hopefully relatively straightforward to do.

Michelin Defender or Cross Climate 2s.

 

[Sirstinky]

How wide can you go on the tires? Worry about scrubbing and chunking with anything wider than 235mm. I've heard great things about the LX25 tires.

 

[maronha]

Bridgestone - ALENZA AS ULTRA is what we just put on our xc90. Now that I can afford more in my life, I try not to overthink buying tires and just go with a good name and mileage warranty. And being a Costco member, I usually just choose between whichever brand is on special. Our car is very lightly driven over the past 8 years so age was the only reason I replaced the last set which were the Duelers. Like ChitownV said they were getting loud.

 

[ggleavitt]

Have AS Ultra on both rides for a couple years. No complaints, they work fine dry, wet, and snow. I use Costco price when it's discounted to match with Firestone and combine it with an alignment (lifetime). I'm sure there are better tires out there, these work for me.

 

[ARATA]

I'm the polar opposite of most of you guys! I shop for the cheapest tire that's not made in China, or from a Chinese company. If it's a brand I've heard of, that's a bonus!!

Note that my area only gets snow once or twice a decade.

 

[RyanR]

I'm the polar opposite of most of you guys! I shop for the cheapest tire that's not made in China, or from a Chinese company. If it's a brand I've heard of, that's a bonus!!

Note that my area only gets snow once or twice a decade.

The cost of a number of Asian-import tires has skyrocketed in the last few years. Generals are like twice the price they were in 2021. Michelins and Conti's haven't increased much, if at all. I think I put a set of Michelin Primacy A/S on the wife's XC60. Good quiet tire that rides like a Volvo should. I believe I put "regular(?)" Primacy's on my 945T. Again, a good mix of comfort and road manners.

-Ryan