2003 VOLVO XC70 tires

2003 VOLVO XC70
2 0 0 3
VOLVO XC70
Chapter 7 - Wheels and tires


pg.107 Wheels and tires

General information, Wear indicator, Tire economy, Flat
spots 108
Snow chains, Snow tires/studded tires 109
Inflation pressure, Vehicle loading, Spare tire 110
Uniform tire quality grading 111
Changing wheels 112

pg. 108 Wheels and tires
General information
Your vehicle is equipped with tires according to the tire information la\
bel on the inside of the fuel
filler door.
The following is an example of a tire designation code: 225/55 R16
225 = tire width in mm.
55 = tire profile. This is the relationship (in percent) between the sect\
ion height and width of the tire.
R = radial tires.
16 = diameter in inches.
The tires have good road holding characteristics and offer good handling\
on dry and wet surfaces. It
should be noted however that the tires have been developed to give these\
features on snow/ice-free
surfaces. Certain models are equipped with "all-season" tires, which provide a som\
ewhat higher
degree of road holding on slippery surfaces than tires without the "all-\
season" rating. However,
for optimum road holding on icy or snow covered roads - we recommend suitable winter tires on all
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2003 VOLVO XC70
four wheels. When replacing tires, be sure that the new tires are the same dimensio\
ns, type (radial) and
preferably from the same manufacturer, on all four wheels. Do not use bi\
as ply tires. Otherwise there is a
risk of altering the car's roadholding and handling characteristics.
NOTE: When storing wheel/tire assemblies (e.g. snow tires and wheels), eith\
er stand the assemblies
upright, or suspend them off the ground. Laying wheel/tire assemblies on\
their sides for prolonged
periods can cause wheel and/or tire damage.
Wear indicator
The tires have wear indicator strips running across or parallel to the t\
read. When approx. 1/16" (1.6 mm)
is left on the tread, these strips become visible and indicate that the \
tire should be replaced.
Tires with less than 1/16" (1.6 mm) tread have very poor grip in rain \
or snow.
To improve tire economy:
l Maintain correct tire pressure. See the tire pressure label on the insid\
e of the fuel filler door.
l Drive smoothly: avoid fast starts, hard braking and tire screeching.
l Tire wear increases with speed.
l Correct front wheel alignment is very important.
l Unbalanced wheels impair tire economy and driving comfort.
l Volvo does not recommend rotating the tires. However, if tires are rotat\
ed, they must be kept on the
same side of the car so that they revolve in the same direction as befor\
e rotation.
l Hitting curbs or potholes can damage the tires and/or wheels permanently\
.
Flat spots
All tires become warm during use. After cooling, when the vehicle is par\
ked, the tires have a tendency to
distort slightly, forming flat spots. These flat spots can cause vibrati\
ons similar to the vibrations caused
by unbalanced wheels. They do, however, disappear when the tire warms up\
. The degree to which flat
spots form depends on the type of cord used in the tire. Remember that, \
in cold weather, it takes longer
for the tire to warm up and consequently longer for the flat spot to dis\
appear.
CAUTION: The car must not be driven with wheels of different dimensions/specific\
ations or with a
spare tire other than the one that came with the car. The use of differe\
nt size wheels can seriously
damage your car's transmission or driveline.

pg. 109 Wheels and tires
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2003 VOLVO XC70
Snow chains
Snow chains can be used on your Volvo with the following restrictions:
l Snow chains should be installed on front wheels only. Use only Volvo app\
roved snow chains.
l Special snow chains must be mounted on 215/55 R16. Consult your Volvo re\
tailer.
l If accessory, aftermarket or "custom" tires and wheels are installed and\
are of a size different than the
original tires and wheels, chains in some cases CANNOT be used. Sufficie\
nt clearances between chains
and brakes, suspension and body components must be maintained. Snow chai\
ns cannot be used on 17"
wheels.
l Some strap-on type chains will interfere with brake components and there\
fore CANNOT be used.
l All Wheel Drive models:Snow chains should only be installed on the front wheels. Only chains
adapted for AWD models should be used.
Consult your Volvo retailer for additional snow chain information.
CAUTION:
l Check local regulations regarding the use of snow chains before installi\
ng.
l Always follow the chain manufacturer's installation instructions careful\
ly. Install chains as tightly as
possible and retighten periodically.
l Never exceed the chain manufacturer's specified maximum speed limit. In \
no case should you exceed
31 mph (50 km/h).
l Avoid bumps, holes or sharp turns when driving with snow chains.
l Vehicle handling can be adversely affected when driving with chains. Avo\
id fast maneuvering and
hard braking. Never allow the wheels to lock up during braking.
Snow tires, studded tires *
Tires for winter use:
Owners who live in or regularly travel through areas with sustained peri\
ods of snow or icy driving
conditions are strongly advised to fit suitable winter tires to help ret\
ain the highest degree of
traction. It is important to install winter tires on all four wheels to help retain traction during cornering,
braking, and accelerating. Failure to do so could reduce traction to an \
unsafe level or adversely affect
handling. Volvo does not recommend tire rotation. However, as with any o\
ther radial tires, if rotated, the
tires must be kept on the same side of the car so that they revolve in t\
he same direction as before
rotation.
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2003 VOLVO XC70
Volvo recommends 195/65 R15 snow tires on non-turbo models. Turbo models\
should be equipped
with 205/55 R16 snow tires on all four wheels (215/65 R16 tires should \
be used on the XC70).
Winter tires wear more quickly on dry roads in warm weather. They should\
be removed when the winter
driving season has ended.
Studded tires should be run-in 300-600 miles (500-1000 km) during which the car shou\
ld be driven as
smoothly as possible to give the studs the opportunity to seat properly \
in the tires. The tires should have
the same rotational direction throughout their entire lifetime. In other\
words, if you wish to rotate the
wheels, make sure that the same wheels are always on the same side of th\
e car.
NOTE: Please consult state or provincial regulations restricting the use of st\
udded winter tires before
installing such tires.
* Where permitted.

pg. 110 Wheels and tires


Tire pressure label
Checking and correcting tire pressure
l Check the tire pressure regularly.
l The tire pressure should be corrected only when the tires are cold.
l With warm tires, correct only when the pressure is too low. The tire tem\
perature rises after driving
just a few miles.
Vehicle loading
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2003 VOLVO XC70
The tires on your Volvo will perform to specifications at all normal loa\
ds when inflated as
recommended on the tire information label located on the inside of the f\
uel filler door*. This label also
lists vehicle load limits. Do not load your car beyond the indicated lim\
its. WARNING!
Improperly inflated tires will reduce tire life, adversely affect vehicl\
e handling and can possibly lead
to failure resulting in loss of vehicle control without prior warning.
Temporary Spare
The spare tire in your car is called a "Temporary Spare". It has the fol\
lowing designation: T125/80 R17
(T135/90 R17 on the XC70).
At the recommended tire pressure shown on the inside of the fuel filler \
door, the tire may be used as a
temporary replacement for a front or rear tire.
In the event of damage to this tire, a new one can be purchased from you\
r Volvo retailer. WARNING!
Current legislation prohibits the use of the "Temporary Spare" tire othe\
r than as a temporary
replacement for a punctured tire. It must be replaced as soon as possibl\
e by a standard tire. Road
holding and handling may be affected with the "Temporary Spare" in use. \
Do not exceed 50 mph (80
km/h). Do not drive farther than 50 miles (80 km) on a temporary spar\
e tire.
CAUTION:
The car must not be driven with wheels of different dimensions or with a\
spare tire other than the one
that came with the car. The use of different size wheels can seriously d\
amage your car's transmission.
NOTE: Certain models may be equipped with a full-size spare tire. When used, i\
t should be inflated to
the same pressure as the tire it is replacing.
*Please note that the tire information label indicates pressure for both\
comfort and fuel economy.

pg. 111 Wheels and tires
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2003 VOLVO XC70
Uniform tire quality grading
ALL PASSENGER CAR TIRES MUST CONFORM TO FEDERAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
IN ADDITION TO THESE GRADES
Quality grades can be found, where applicable, on the tire sidewall betw\
een the tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
TREADWEAR
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of th\
e tire when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified government test course. For example\
, a tire graded 150 would wear
one and one half (1 1/2) times as well on the government course as a t\
ire graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, ho\
wever, and many depart
significantly from the norm due to variation in driving habits, service \
practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
TRACTION
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B, and C, as mea\
sured under controlled
conditions on specified government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete\
. A tire marked C may have
poor traction performance. WARNING!
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on braking (straight-\
ahead) traction tests and is not a
measure of cornering (turning) traction.
TEMPERATURE
The temperature grades are AA (the highest), A, B, and C, representing\
the tire's resistance to the
generation of heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under c\
ontrolled conditions on a specified
indoor laboratory test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause the m\
aterial of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire \
failure. The grade C corresponds
to a minimum level of performance which all passenger car tires must mee\
t under the Federal Motor
Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of perfo\
rmance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by law.
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2003 VOLVO XC70

Loosen wheel bolts
l Position the jack on the bar in the attachment (A in the illustration i\
n right column) and crank while
simultaneously guiding the base of the jack to the ground. The base of the jack must be flat on a level,
firm, non-slippery surface. Before raising the car, check that the jack \
is still correctly positioned in
the attachment.
l Raise the vehicle until the wheel to be changed is lifted off the ground\
.
l Unscrew the wheel bolts completely and carefully remove the wheel so as \
not to damage the thread
on the studs.
NOTE: See also
page 133 for hoisting the vehicle on a garage lift!
WARNING!
l The jack must correctly engage the bar in the jack attachment (A). The\
car's weight must not rest
on the jack attachment (B). See illustration on
page 113.
l Be sure the jack is on a firm, level, non-slippery surface.
l Never allow any part of your body to be extended under a car supported b\
y a jack.
l Use the jack intended for the car when replacing a wheel. For any other \
job, use stands to support
the side of the car being worked on.
l Apply the parking brake and put the gear selector in the (P)ark positi\
on.
l Block the wheels standing on the ground, use rigid wooden blocks.


pg. 113 Wheels and tires

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2003 VOLVO XC70

Attaching the jack
NOTE: To avoid excessive wear and the necessity of rebalancing, mark and reins\
tall wheels in the same
location and position as before removal. To lessen the chance of imbalan\
ce, each wheel hub is equipped
with a guide stud to ensure that a removed wheel can be reinstalled in i\
ts original position (as when
changing over to winter tires/wheels).
NOTE: Refer to
page 133 for hoisting the vehicle on a garage lift.

Jack for AWD models
CAUTION:
l The car must not be driven with wheels of different dimensions or with a\
spare tire other than the one
that came with the car. The use of different size wheels can seriously d\
amage your car's transmission.
l Correct tightening torque on wheel bolts must be observed. The wheel bol\
ts should never be greased
or lubricated. The extended, chromed wheel bolts must not be used with s\
teel rims, as they make it
impossible to fit the hub caps.
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