Winter tyres
I have the original Pirelli PZERO tyres on my AWD XC40 with 20" wheels but am not impressed with their performance in snow and ice. Snow and ice are quite common in winter here and my main reason for going AWD. Have any members any comments on these tyres and recommendations or experience of tyres which perform better in snow and ice.
Volvo XC40, T4, R-Design Pro, AWD, Automatic, Thunder Cloud Grey
Might be worth a look here:
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre-Tests/
Where are you based?
I'm northern England and find all season tyres ( with three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF)) do the job pretty well and can stay on the car all year round saving the cost of tyre swaps twice per year or the cost of a spare set of wheels.
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre-Tests/
Where are you based?
I'm northern England and find all season tyres ( with three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF)) do the job pretty well and can stay on the car all year round saving the cost of tyre swaps twice per year or the cost of a spare set of wheels.
Last edited by blastpipe on Sun Dec 05, 2021 9:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
T4 Auto AWD R Design March 2019
Pirelli PZero are not intended for ice and snow, so no wonder you’re not impressed. It’s outright dangerous to use summer tires in winter driving conditions because of the huge increase in braking distance. Winter tire performance decreases with larger rim sizes, therefore you won’t find tests performed on SUV tires above 18” and should look to those relevant for XC40 tire sizes.
235/55 R18 from 2021:
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/202 ... e-Test.htm
and
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/202 ... e-Test.htm
235/55 R17 from 2020:
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/202 ... 55-R17.htm
However, as mentioned by Blastpipe, for winter driving conditions in England all-season tires could be a better choice. The new Michelin Cross Climate 2 tested very well in all driving conditions and it’s recommends by Volvo, but it’s not available in 20” size for XC40.
Michelin Cross Climate SUV is available for your 20” size rims (245/45 R20). I’m using these in 18” size as dedicated winter tires from December till February, for the rest of the year I’m using Michelin Primacy 4, these being far superior in temperatures above 5C.
235/55 R18 from 2021:
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/202 ... e-Test.htm
and
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/202 ... e-Test.htm
235/55 R17 from 2020:
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/202 ... 55-R17.htm
However, as mentioned by Blastpipe, for winter driving conditions in England all-season tires could be a better choice. The new Michelin Cross Climate 2 tested very well in all driving conditions and it’s recommends by Volvo, but it’s not available in 20” size for XC40.
Michelin Cross Climate SUV is available for your 20” size rims (245/45 R20). I’m using these in 18” size as dedicated winter tires from December till February, for the rest of the year I’m using Michelin Primacy 4, these being far superior in temperatures above 5C.
I have Continental All Season Contacts on one of our cars. Seem to perform well in all conditions. I have just driven back from Italy with snow in the Alps. They coped fine with it. When ordering our P8 Twin motor I asked if it could be supplied with all season tyres. I was told that they were unsure if the motors would be OK with different tyres! Clearly ludicrous as all season or winter tyre options are on the configurator in other European countries. In Belgium all season are the default option. Why do Volvo UK have to limit options so much?
XC40 P8 Twin Motor Pro in Denim Blue with Tow bar, mudflaps
When did you order your P8? Volvo started only recently to recommend all season tires on their vehicles. Michelin Cross Climate 2 is the first all season tire carrying the VOL seal, approved by Volvo. Some markets like Belgium are offering all season tires as default for pure electric models only, not for mild hybrid and PHEV. I believe it has to do with low rolling resistance criteria for claimed range on electric models.Cevoli21 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 12:12 pm I have Continental All Season Contacts on one of our cars. Seem to perform well in all conditions. I have just driven back from Italy with snow in the Alps. They coped fine with it. When ordering our P8 Twin motor I asked if it could be supplied with all season tyres. I was told that they were unsure if the motors would be OK with different tyres! Clearly ludicrous as all season or winter tyre options are on the configurator in other European countries. In Belgium all season are the default option. Why do Volvo UK have to limit options so much?
A few months ago I asked CbV whether I could get the all-season Recharge tires that are now standard on the P8 in northern/central Europe. They said no.Cevoli21 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 12:12 pm I have Continental All Season Contacts on one of our cars. Seem to perform well in all conditions. I have just driven back from Italy with snow in the Alps. They coped fine with it. When ordering our P8 Twin motor I asked if it could be supplied with all season tyres. I was told that they were unsure if the motors would be OK with different tyres! Clearly ludicrous as all season or winter tyre options are on the configurator in other European countries. In Belgium all season are the default option. Why do Volvo UK have to limit options so much?
I think they beat winter tyres in snow tests? Fitting them to my xc40 as well
Ordered 16 August 2021eugen61 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 12:21 pmWhen did you order your P8? Volvo started only recently to recommend all season tires on their vehicles. Michelin Cross Climate 2 is the first all season tire carrying the VOL seal, approved by Volvo. Some markets like Belgium are offering all season tires as default for pure electric models only, not for mild hybrid and PHEV. I believe it has to do with low rolling resistance criteria for claimed range on electric models.Cevoli21 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 12:12 pm I have Continental All Season Contacts on one of our cars. Seem to perform well in all conditions. I have just driven back from Italy with snow in the Alps. They coped fine with it. When ordering our P8 Twin motor I asked if it could be supplied with all season tyres. I was told that they were unsure if the motors would be OK with different tyres! Clearly ludicrous as all season or winter tyre options are on the configurator in other European countries. In Belgium all season are the default option. Why do Volvo UK have to limit options so much?
XC40 P8 Twin Motor Pro in Denim Blue with Tow bar, mudflaps
There’s one test conducted on SUV tire size 215/65 R17 that can be a reference for CrossClimate 2 performance. It doesn’t beat the winter tire in snow braking and traction, but comes very close: https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/202 ... e-Test.htm
CrossClimate 2 performs admirably in cold dry conditions found in continental Europe, but has some weaknesses in wet. For those living in regions where wet winter months with few dry days are the norm Conti AllSeasonContact might be a better winter tire option.