snow tires on S40 -- they don't work?

tbass · Post by **tbass** » 25 Dec 2011, 06:47

Has anyone else noticed that the Volvo S 40 is not designed to be driven with snow tires/tyres?

I recently bought a 2011 S 40 T5 with 17" alloy wheels. The car was outfitted with low-profile tires. I consider these among the worst ideas ever adopted by auto manufacturers. Low-profile tires last half as long as regular tires. They jar the teeth out of your head when you hit a pothole or bend your rims or both. What do you gain in return? Sex appeal and tight cornering, but the negatives outweigh the positives.

So, anyway, with winter coming, I invested in Volvo's tire package and dropped down to 16" steel wheels outfitted with Gslaved snow tires. I drove away from the dealer and thought immediately that I was going to roll off the road. The car swayed and waddled. The nose dove on turns like it was headed underwater. The shocks and springs on the S40 are obviously no ttuned for snow tires, and the tires themselves struck me as cheap goods, with zero sidewalls that I could nearly poke my thumb through.

I drove back to the dealer and told them to get rid of the Gslaveds and put on some Nokians. (This is the winter tire I have always used on my Saabs, with excellent results.) The Nokians are slightly better than the Gslaveds, but the car still wallows and waddles, feeling at every minute as if it's on its way to a rollover. Yes, the suspension could be rebuilt and sway bars installed, but who the deuce has ever heard of buying a "Swedish" car that can's be outfitted with snow tires? Help?!

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Post by **IVIUSTANG** » 25 Dec 2011, 16:27

Tire pressure makes a huge difference on my Continental snow tires, if they are low I almost roll them off the rim at high speed cornering. If your looking for a high speed performance snow tire the Continental I have(TS790) is very good. They are rated to 150+ MPH and I am on my 4th season with them.

tbass · Post by **tbass** » 26 Dec 2011, 19:54

Judging from the lack of comments, either snow tires are blinking out of existence or everyone is happy with the performance of their S40s in the snow. Tbass is still perplexed by how badly his Volvo is handling and would appreciate hearing from anyone else who has a thought or comment on the subject. Thanks.

Post by **ajokko** » 19 Mar 2012, 08:55

Although it's been a while since the last reply... What dimensions do you have (On the Volvo vs. the Saabs)? Studless or studded? Either way I can't say I recognize the problem. Not as a problem anyway. Sure, I have 17" 205/50 on mine but ofcourse it's less stable than with 18" 225/40 summer tires, but it doesn't make me nervous. A friend has 16" on his V50 and I can't say I've seen him have any troubles either. We both have Nokian Hakkapeliitta, studded. On snow or ice I know the car will behave like you describe, and on dry surfaces during wintertime the tires are out of their natural habitat, they're not designed to be driven in "summerlike" conditions.

I don't think you can blame the car as it's quite common in Sweden, a place with 6 month long winters and mandatory use of snow tires during december, january, february and march. If there would be a serious problem with the S40/V50 and the use of snow tires, it would have shown in the swedish news papers, believe me.

If it's not that the pressure is too low, then it might be something wrong with your particular car, but not the design itself.

And, Gislaved tires suck since they moved the production from Sweden... Nokian is the way to go if you want good snow tires. Goodyear, Continental and Pirelli are second but still far behind.

dixtrix · Post by **dixtrix** » 06 Mar 2014, 16:08

195/65 R15 Toyo Observe GS2, Studless, on 2001 S40. Absolutely great. Better than studded snows on 2009 Honda Accord.