SlowLane wrote:Lanval wrote:
We'll see how it goes; I probably should've just stuck with the BF Goodrich tire, at half the price. I've never been thrilled by the 14in wheel though, so maybe I'll like it. If not, I'll just turn around and unload the wheels later. If I'd had my preference, I would've gotten the 15in Mefro, but Van Cafe said not until June or July. Since I can see the white threads on my front driver's-side tire, I figured I couldn't wait, and didn't want to buy another set of 14" tires, especially at 600 for a set of 4. It's ridiculous that the 14" BFGs are more expensive than the 235/65/17 XL Yokohama Geolanders that I just put on our Volvo XC 90. Seriously.
I had Nokian Hakkapillata snow tires on my Volvo 240 back home in Canada. They are the bomb for winter driving. I'm expecting equally good results from the Hakka Cs. Nokian makes really good tires. Equal to Michelins in my estimation. If you do decide they're not for you, shoot me a message.
XC90, eh? Got the T6? Replaced the transmission yet?
No, we got the 2.5 Turbo for
just that reason. I'm an old hand at Volvos (owning a 240 in grad school is what forced me to start wrenching...) and the best Volvo shop in OC is nearby (
http://www.swedishasian.com/); I went and asked them about what to look for, and got the rundown on various issues, what I should pay, etc. Steve is an outstanding resource, and they now work on my vanagon too, when I don't/can't work on it myself.
As for the tires, I'm sure they're fine. In my silliness (you can take the boy out of the country, but... etc.) I would prefer something more "masculine" like the BFG All Terrain, but it's likely that the Nokians are exactly what I need. When I talked to the guys at Van Cafe, they asked me how often I was off-road, because they do offer a more aggressive tread in the Nokian. I owned that it was rare; I live in So-Cal, so off-road here means 30 ft of gravel in the parking space for the campground that has paved roads and hot showers. The Van Cafe rep said, "Buy tires for the 90% of the driving you do, not the 10%." So that's what I did.
As a side note, when I put tires on the Volvo, the older tires were 265/60/17 and the tire shop put on 235/65/17s. I noticed a considerable difference in how the car handled/drove, so I went back and asked them about the change, as I'd expected to get the same size when I asked for replacements. I hadn't specified tire size, though, I had said that I wanted OEM size. Turns out the 235s
are the OEM size, and jeebus does the Volvo handle/drive better. With the AWD those big ass 265s always felt grabby/scrubbing around corners and the like.
That response makes me just a tad worried about the tire shift on the vanagon, but it seems that most people are happier with the change, so I expect I will be too. I've never felt totally safe on the little 14" 185s, though to be fair, that may be as much/more about the suspension than about the tires. My brother has a super-rare 1981 264 GL, which felt sloppy and soft when he got it, and he reports that new shocks makes it feel, literally, like driving a Euro sport sedan (which is mostly what it was; with a dash of lux, 1981 style). This makes me think that new shocks and bushings, coupled with the new tires, should give the van a stable, comfortable ride.
I'll let you know; if the tires aren't my bag, I'll be happy to offer up to you...
Best,
Michael L