Xc90 awd: A/T tires?

[marmotteNZ]

Dear all,

I am the relatively happy owner of a 2005 xc90 2.5t awd with 190k on the clock,
I just moved to a new home, which is on top of a 200yd very steep gravel/dirt/rocks driveway (itself on top of a 3 miLes not-that-steep gravel road).
The driveway is not well maintained (I am renting) and there are big potholes and rills...the ride is very rough up and down. But I have always managed to climb up easily if not comfortably, there is a bit of spin/slip on the worst sections once in a while, but nothing challenging.


In the month I've lived here, my tires (Firestone destination LE) have been wearing off visibly!
I suspect the potholes have screwed up my alignement which hasn't helped. I know also my control arm bushings on the
Front are done and I will change the control arms next month.

Nevertheless, there are also more specific damages on the tires that come from pointy rocks obviously. They are of course not designed for this kind of ride every day or so. I will finish these tires very soon, and I fear when I will need winter tires ( I am in Colorado) I will destroy them fast

I am considering setting up A/T tires. I can find some used ones locally for a decent price...e.g. HANKOOK Dyna Pro ATM. In the right size (235-65-17). But of course the speed index is not what is recommended/specified.

is it doable to do that? Safe? Legal? Likely to help with my issue? Are they relatively good on the snow?

Or should I just resign, try to find a more "robust" car and sell the Volvo before I destroy it by using it outside of its intended use conditions?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[oragex]

I see not issue with the tires, on the smaller S60/V70 I know a larger size with rub right away, don't know about the XC90. Just make sure to rotate them so as to keep the same wear on all 4 wheels (for the awd system)
Of course, the XC90 is not a Jeep when it comes to rough terrain. The control arms, shocks, spring seats wear at less than 100K on road driving, I would suspect much sooner on rough gravel. Mind you, if you don't buy directly from Volvo, read on forums about replacement parts. On these european cars, most aftermarket choices will be lucky to last past 1 years (on good roads). There are only a few brands that offer adequate quality.

[marmotteNZ]

Thx oragex

[Masscomguru]

i just ordered a set of the ATMs in 245/65/17. When I get them mounted, I will post back. I had them on my Xterra (close to same weight) and they were fine. How often are you going to go past 120mph in the XC90?

[Masscomguru]

As promised. Got them mounted today. I have put 120 miles on them and very impressed. I was not sure what to expect going from V rated street to T rated A/T tires but these are great. They are soft over the bumps and there is very little difference in handling. They are slightly noisier than my Toyo CUVs and I fully expect that noise to grow over time, but they are an A/T tire so it's expected. These are 245/65r17 Hankooks.

[songzunhuang]

Those are some beefy looking tires. I actually run Firestone destinations on my XC90 and they are great on the street. I've never really stressed them offroad so I can't vouch for them in that situation.

[marmotteNZ]

Thnaks for the post!
They look great indeed.
245 was your normal width or did you fit larger than specified?

I have destination LE now. They have been OK while I was doing very little gravel but the two mounths I have beem living in my new place with a gravel road I have ruined them. (Riding maybe 20 to 40 miles of gravel / week)

[Masscomguru]

Factory size is 235/65/17. I opted for the 245's because they have a much higher load rating than the 235's.

I have put 3500 miles on them this month and they are doing really well. No issues with handling. I have noticed that gas mileage is down slightly and my speedo is off by 2 miles at 65mph.

[skippyxc90]

I have 2008 Volvo XC90, 3.2 AWD. The stock tires are 235 65 17.

If I install 245 65 17, do I have to change the rims? Do I need spacers?

For those who installed 245 65 17, what issues did you encounter.

I also plan on Bridgestone Ecopia plus. The tires seem to be 9 lbs lighter than the Bridgestone Alenza plus.

[wanderdüne]

I ended up going with some Cooper GS5 (which I love) on my '03, but I did consider the Nokian Rotiiva AT Radial Tire - 245/65R17 111T, but decided to go with more of a road tire. I did some research on these and was impressed by some features, including the "rock remover" tread feature (good for gravel) and the aramid sidewalls. Can be had at Walmart and other fine retailers. ~$110 USD/ Tire.