[VolvoUhu]

Volvo does not require tire rotations at any scheduled maintenance. Boggles my mind still. You have to ask to have it done and pay for it. Usually less than $30 in my experience, which is a steal considering any competent tech having it on a lift will do an inspection too.

The T8's are much heavier than the ICE variants, so not sure if that plays into the issue. But 9500 miles is insane! Have you monitored the PSI in the tires? I guess over inflation could be an issue here too? Our 2017 T6's 20 inch factory Pirellis went 45k miles. Our 2021 T6 with 21 inch Pirellis has 28k miles and they look virtually new. Rotated each every 10k miles minimum, but averages to every 7500 or so.

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If I recall correctly, around 2011 or 2012 Volvo started advising customers via service department campaign (I recall the bulletin our dealership at the time had posted from Volvo) to not rotate tires. It was primarily for safety due to wear pattern where upon rotation the tires have to bed into their new position. During that period traction is minimized and I'd like to say they also suggested it accelerates tread wear but I'm not sure about that aspect of it - there was something else but I only recall the safety portion of the notice.

As for wearing out the rears quickly, I too noticed the rears wear more quickly from our big summer trip last year. We towed over 7500 miles mostly highway and the rears wore faster than the fronts which is the opposite of our 2010 which wears faster at the front, even towing. With that trip, the set wore out within 18,000 miles, also fast but not unexpected given the long road trip. Highway at highway speeds will wear tires out faster and especially if the road surface is rough. A few years ago when we did a 7300mi roadtrip over much of the ALCAN and other chip sealed roads/highways, Dempster Highway, and other dirt, gravel highways along the trip we wore more than 3/4 the life of a new set of AT tires I'd gotten for our 2010 just for the trip. It was expected given how aggressive the surfaces we were going to be traveling were and distances.

Still, 9500 miles on those rears, they look like they've got about another 1000 mi to go; it's still fast. What kind of driving has it been and where? If it's mostly around town and local highways that are well maintained with smooth surfaces it seems like pretty excessive wear.

 

[VolvoUhu]

That's very interesting! Prior to current multi ply radial tires, I remember reading that rotates were not a good thing. But I'm unsure how a properly aligned car with modern identical size, non-directional tires needs any time for bedding. I'm still rotating mine [emoji2369].

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The camber on them varies between front and rear positions. On our 2010 XC90 it is enough of a difference to be noticeable. The most noticeable examples are BMWs, their 3 series and X5 are most pronounced. If you take a look they'll have dramatically different camber settings front to rear.

 

[VolvoUhu]

My money is on the (rear) alignment being out. Tires should not be wearing that quickly, no matter the drivetrain.

They seem to have even wear across the tread without feathering which suggests they're at least tracking true without toe in/out. Perhaps dragging from regen?

 

[VolvoUhu]

Update: dealer found the issue, it appears to be very bad wheel alignment from factory
View attachment 156296

🤣 "Bad wheel alignment from the factory" is a good one. It sounds like they're deflecting blame. Part of PDI they're supposed to do is verify alignment. They're assembled sent for RORO across the ocean (strapped to the deck, then trucked - again strapped) and expected to be sold with perfect alignment? Whatever the reason the alignment is out of whack on it for sure. The rears having had that much toe would definitely lead to excess wear. That's so wild to be that far off and evenly between the sides. It should have been caught and at least it's apparent/obvious enough that they should have caught it as part of port inspection or PDI. Then again adjustments like alignment are covered within the first 12k miles if I recall correctly. Volvo considers it as part of the adjustments, rattles, etc. post assembly but not as part of the manufacturing defects new vehicle warranty.

Yep, here you go. The alignments are a freebie within the first year/12k miles. I'd asked for one at 10k service and it was covered. It was also off but by then no telling if it was part of wearing in or mis-alignment. It wasn't as off as OP, that's for sure. The tires will need to be something else if expected to be covered.

 

[VolvoUhu]

I see what you're saying. How does this apply to a tire rotate and "bedding" tires? Each tire sustains separate weight loads depending on which hub it's on. When looking at camber, this seems to be the same concept to me.

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I believe that's exactly their point as to why they stopped recommending tire rotations. Each tire wears differently, carries different load, has different camber and toe settings, etc. Every time they're rotated front to back the wear pattern has to adjust to the new position. It may help smooth out how they wear given the changes but the trade off is the change in wear pattern from their previous positions. It's possible this is just another of those "new information changes the recommended practices" and may change again in the future either dependent on more new information or changes in tire or suspension technology.

 

[VolvoUhu]

^^^, this should definitely be a shared knowledge among all new Volvo XC90 owners.

I did not know this, and had there not been this tire worn out issue, I would either not ask for the alignment, or worse pay out of pocket.

It's in the warranty book that should have come with your XC90. The screenshot is from the page for our 2017, and it should be known by the service department. In my case when I asked it wasn't even questioned, my service advisor volunteered it would be checked free of charge and adjusted it's off. It's like most warranty repairs, you need it if there's an issue. In my case I'd noticed uneven wear in the front and that's what prompted the need for an alignment check within the 1yr/12k mile period.

It's great that Volvo is being considerate/generous with your situation and not only honoring the warranty, but extending it to cover new tires for the premature wear.