[burak]

For those who don't know. The size of the front tires is different than the rear tires. Be careful if you rotate them.

 

[SeattleCat]

Or better yet do not rotate them.

My plan is to never rotate these tires just replace as needed. And when replacing them be aware this is a heavy vehicle.

 

[David]

Or better yet do not rotate them.

My plan is to never rotate these tires just replace as needed. And when replacing them be aware this is a heavy vehicle.

So maybe a couple of dumb questions😬, but just to make sure I understand -- I can't rotate tires front to back, rather just swap the left and right tires as a limited form of tire rotation, correct? What's the downside of doing that? Also, how does the heaviness of the vehicle factor in when replacing the tires? Thanks!

 

[SeattleCat]

My reasoning is I believe the tires to be directional. See article below.

What Are Directional Tires & Their Benefits? | Firestone Complete Auto Care

Have you heard of the benefits of directional tires? Learn what makes a tire directional, why it's unique from other tires, and if they are right for you.

www.firestonecompleteautocare.com

Now I could very well be wrong and they are not directional (I thought I read they are …) but to me the benefits from rotating left to right (and paying for this ) seem to not be worth the risk that they are directional.

We can definitely not rotate front to back so I am taking the easy path of not rotating for the little extension this could give vs risk of messing up traction in the rain and will just replace them when they wear.

I also have a feeling that rotating is a historic thing that was 100% the thing to do when you car went in for regular services and tires were a lot simpler.

That’s my 17 cents worth.

 

[He Keith]

So maybe a couple of dumb questions😬, but just to make sure I understand -- I can't rotate tires front to back, rather just swap the left and right tires as a limited form of tire rotation, correct? What's the downside of doing that? Also, how does the heaviness of the vehicle factor in when replacing the tires? Thanks!

Yes, this is a staggered setup. Nto a fan of staggered setups for this reason, typically more costly for tires over the life of the car due to no rotations. It is also mentioedn to to rotate them on axle, not sure why as that might help squeeze a tad more out of these tires.

The fronts are 235/45-20 and rears 255/40-20 for the 20's and the 19's are front 235/50-19 and rears 255/45-19.

And if you like to stay with same brand/model tirechoicess get limited in finding brand/models that offer both sizes in the 20s. Tirerack only has Michelin Pilot Sport Summer tires and then Pirellli P Zero Summer tires. I believe mine came with Pirelli Scorpion, just might need to be special ordered. Discount Tire shows a few other Pirellii options, all run north of $250 a tire.

And becasue of the weight of the car you need to get correct load rated tires.

Or better yet do not rotate them.

My plan is to never rotate these tires just replace as needed. And when replacing them be aware this is a heavy vehicle.

Yeah axle rotation may not buy much and is shunned in the manual,not sure why. Almost thinking I should have leased this thing.

 

[SeattleCat]

I have noticed that replacing tires before they “need” to be results in an increase in traction and decrease in aqua planing.

The minimum tread that is legal is not necessarily the best for optimal functionality.

 

[He Keith]

True, I never got below 4/32 on tread the they get replaced.

 

[DeaneG]

True, I never got below 4/32 on tread the they get replaced.

That's the new recommended minimum tread based on wet testing. 4/32 or 3mm minimum tread depth. 2/32 is unsafe in wet and can at least double stopping distance.

 

[He Keith]

Actually by the time you are down to 6-7/32 the performance of the tire has degraded a bit. Depending on how many miles I have on tires once I hit 5/32 I am shopping for tires.

 

[SeattleCat]

Plus I love the feel of brand new tires gripping the road makes me smile.

 

[SeattleCat]

Talking of tires do these not need to have counter weights on to make them perfect? Or are they hidden. Cannot see any on mine.

 

[DeaneG]

Talking of tires do these not need to have counter weights on to make them perfect? Or are they hidden. Cannot see any on mine.

These days weights are generally adhesive squares stuck on the rim's visible inner circumference.

 

[DeaneG]

Actually by the time you are down to 6-7/32 the performance of the tire has degraded a bit. Depending on how many miles I have on tires once I hit 5/32 I am shopping for tires.

The tires on my most recent car came at 8/32" tread factory new, so I hope more than 1/32 wear is acceptable before replacing . I usually replace mine at 4/32 going into the rainy season, less tread in dry weather.

 

[340driver]

Should be interesting buying winter wheels and tires for this, I have 20" wheels now and plan on getting 18" for winter but a little early to worry about that right now.

 

[DeaneG]

Interestingly the gasoline XC40 has equal-sized tired front and rear, as do most cars. I wonder what caused Volvo's engineers to select a staggered setup - a handling issue?

 

[340driver]

My understanding was there is more weight in the back of the car due battery shape.

 

[ColoradoNative]

I think it's weight distribution as well. If someone has easy access to a vehicle scale (like at truck stops) it would be great to see the values for front axle, the whole car, and rear axle.

 

[340driver]

There is a very big difference in battery size over rear wheels vs front just watch assembly video at 1 min mark, I would say at least double the amount over rear axle vs front axle.

 

[Bushikatagi]

It's not for weight balance purposes. It's most likely for performance reasons.

According to that video @ 11:30, like most EVs, the XC40 P8 is darn close to 50/50 weight ratio at 51/49.

 

[burak]

Front 1310kg rear 1450 kg