Tire choices for the C30?

[anacortesian]

The 2009 C30 T5 with the factory wheels (205-50-R17) came from Volvo with Michelin HX MX M4 Piolots. I never saw them on the car as I bought the car with Toyo Extensa HP 205-50-17's on it. I don't care for the "low profile" type tires... and there's no winter here, but Southern Calif. may be the pot-hole capital of the US. Discount Tire (who get's very good reviews on this site) tells me if I want a bit higher sidewall (giving more height & ground clearance) and a bit wider tread width (giving better traction and stability) then go with a 215-50-17 (which will fit my stock rims and avoid any clearance issues). Fine. Now the choices and costs. Michelin's seem out of my price range. Falken Pro 65 All Season...a better price, but I know nothing about them. And what I'm considering in between these is Continental Control Contact Tour all season. Anyone have these...or know of a brand that they would recommend for this car?

[sebrenite]

Hey there, I do not own a C30, but have replaced tires on our 2008 C70 and 2004 V70R. After an unhealthy amount of research I put Pirelli A/S Cinturato p7 plus 2 on the V70R 14 months ago, and Nitto Motivo on the C70 3 weeks ago.

We don't drive much, 5-7k/yr V70R and <1k/yr C70.

My priorities (always considering these critical 4 contact points to the ground) were ride quality, low noise, longevity, rolling resistance and price. Since we live in Wisconsin, snow performance for V70R was important, but for the C70 it was "just in case".

We had a temporary Sentry UHP put on the FR in February while Discount Tire ordered a replacement for the V70R (puncture in sidewall). I enjoyed doing comparative "tests"- acceleration, braking, turn and road noise for nearly a month. Only striking differences were a little road noise (low hum) and a little less snow grip, but not bad! Very good grip in the wet. I considered them for the C70 (still shopping) and found out they are summer tires, though some places claimed A/S. Reviews were a mixed bag, of course.

Anyhow, I decided for the C70, that a decent A/S silicon blend tire would do, as long as it's quiet. Discount Tire had many instant savings and rebates, so I started there. Now, the top tires for this size cost $180-$280. After a quick background search on Nitto and the model Motivo along with archived Tire Rack comparison/test videos, I was able to get the Nitto Motivo for $108, per tire alone. The Pirelli's were $137/tire alone, from a price match.

I've had Pirelli's on various cars over the years, they've lasted very long, as Michelin do. I hit a pothole that felt like a curb and expected to find a huge sidewall hemorrhage, but nothing on the Pirelli's, these tires are truly tough, with softer sidewalls, road noise, compliancy, wet grip and very good heavy snow.

Sooooo, if you have preferences like I did, check out Tire Rack comparisons, especially the road noise/comfort groups.

Some tires may become noisy after wearing down, loose wet grip, dry rot after several years or bulge from pothole impacts, so things you might not consider now may be important in the tire's half life.

Find a good deal, research the tire and reviews (professional and any websites that sell them, with a grain of salt, ofc).

[anacortesian]

Thanks for your detailed response sebrenite! So I ended up deciding on Continental Control Contact Tour. German design. Made in Romania (that's okay, just no China). They look great on the car, good reviews (basically) and good price point. 70K tires. I know handling will be different. We'll see. Pirelli are of course Itallian, so there's the name recognition. Excellent warranty. Price point higher of course. But In 2005, Pirelli opened its first tire production plant in Shandong province, China. This was the beginning of the group's production complex in the country. But interestingly...In 2006, Pirelli chose Slatina for its first tire production plant in Romania, expanding the facility in 2011.

[Krons]

Last two sets of tires I’ve bought off tire rack.com on closeout in last several weeks, all were $130 each. They ship to my local Discount Tire for free and both had free road hazard coverage.

(sorry for the all caps)
225/55R-19 PIRELLI CINTURATO P7 ALL SEASON PLUS II SL (made in Brazil)
on my wife’s Nissan Rogue and
235/40ZR-18 CONTINENTAL SURECONTACT RX XL (made in Romania) on my 08 C70

Worth a look. The Continentals had 2020 date codes but I’m fine with that. Tire Rack said they’ll disclose dates on anything over three years, mine were just short of that.