Best option for 2006 Volvo XC70 Tire replacement Topic is solved

[fontoledo]

Dear all

During the Chicago winter, I left my 2006 Volvo XC70 at a friend's house, as I left the country for 2 months. When I came back, the front left tire was flat, but we were able to inflate it back again with an air compressor and get it to regular driving condition. Since then, it has been regularly losing air (from 33psi to 22psi after 2~3 hours city drive), together with the car leaning to the right while driving. Before doing anything I wanted to check in with you and see what my options are. A few things I want to avoid:

-Reach out to a Tire Shop that decides to replace the tire and destroy the rim in the process.
-Completely change the tire if I actually don't need to.
-If I need to replace it, go with a suboptimal tire option. I'd rather go with a Volvo proved brand/model.

How have you approached tire-related issues in the past?

Thanks!

[jonesg]

Dear all

During the Chicago winter, I left my 2006 Volvo XC70 at a friend's house, as I left the country for 2 months. When I came back, the front left tire was flat, but we were able to inflate it back again with an air compressor and get it to regular driving condition. Since then, it has been regularly losing air (from 33psi to 22psi after 2~3 hours city drive), together with the car leaning to the right while driving. Before doing anything I wanted to check in with you and see what my options are. A few things I want to avoid:

-Reach out to a Tire Shop that decides to replace the tire and destroy the rim in the process.
-Completely change the tire if I actually don't need to.
-If I need to replace it, go with a suboptimal tire option. I'd rather go with a Volvo proved brand/model.

How have you approached tire-related issues in the past?

Thanks!

spray the rim with soapy water, especially around the valve stem, look for foaming to find the leak.
With a long term deflated tire its very possible you got some corrosion along the bead area of the rim.
Fix by breaking the bead and clean the bead area.

If the stem is leaking just swap it out, stem pullers are less than $12.

[BlackBart]

Since then, it has been regularly losing air (from 33psi to 22psi after 2~3 hours city drive)

Agree on the stem possibility. It could have been damaged or is loose.

Also, often production tires shops pop tires on and off wheels quickly without cleaning the bead area. They should wire brush the bead to clean off crud and old rubber. If not, the tire sometimes will leak slowly where it isn't seated tightly.

A good tire shop can plug a puncture hole from the outside with a rubber plug, or pull the tire off the wheel and plug from inside and clean off the bead area. A nail or a cut too close to the outside edge of the tread usually flexes too much to patch and you need a new tire. Unless they're almost new, replace in pairs or all four. Your axle shafts and differentials don't like different rolling circumferences on the same axle.

I have a very slow leak on my 850 wagon, and could not figure it out. While lying underneath the car on a maintenance thing, I realized there was just the shaft of a nail hidden in the tread. The head had broken or worn off, and the shaft was flush with the rubber. So you never know what you might have driven over.

As far as new tires, I would avoid the discount shops or off brands, or sketchy Chinese brands. Go to a place like tirerack.com and pick the correct size first (it has a car model guide to get you to OEM size), then browse through the search results for that size. You can sort by brand, price, customer ratings, or performance type. The typical generic "touring" tire is going to have softer sidewalls and maybe poor handling, as well as have a harder tread with less stick to the road. That said, an XC (like mine) doesn't need a sticky tread summer performance tire that will only last 10,000 miles. Read reviews of your favorite picks, look at the charts, compare attributes. Compare their price + shipping with the same tire from a local shop - it might be competitive and then you're buying local and have someone to go to if you have trouble.

[oragex]

If the stem is leaking, use a thin long nose pliers and gently try to rotate it a little bit

[BlackBart]

...or tiny tweezers.

[SuperHerman]

Very common for Volvo rims to oxidize and leak from the bead. Repair is to remove the tire, clean the bead well and use an intelligent amount of sealer for the conditions. At the same time you can have the stem replaced for a nominal added charge.

Driving on a low tire will destroy it and possible damage the rim. Keep it fully inflated until you have the repair done.

On an AWD car, tire replacement usually is at least in pairs, sometimes all four.

[Stonedraider88]

Not sure on what type of driving you do. However if its a mix of road and gravel I can vouch for TOYO open country 2. I've been driving them in all seasons and have not had any issues. They are not strictly road tires and do well on gravel. Also in cold condition and snow, providing your AWD is working. They are not loud on the road, handle well in the wet and snow. Also they are not expensive. However definitely not volvo approved.

[fontoledo]

Thanks everyone for the input. I ended up saving the tire: there was a nail that the mechanic was able to patch, as Rim was perfect. I’ll be monitoring it in the next weeks and probably just change tires using one of your options here if it fails again.

Thanks everyone!