Best Tires For Volvo S90

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‍How do people typically drive the Volvo S90?

If Volvo is known for a couple of things, they are certainly safety and comfort. The themes of their seasonal sales are often “Summer Safely” or “Holiday Safely” so you know where their priorities are. In more recent editions of the S90 with the mild hybrid, drivers note that the Volvo is quick, but it is not a race car.

Most consider a Volvo S90 an everyday driver, if not an every season driver. Volvo is also known for their 4 wheel drive systems that help keep the vehicle under control and on the road.

When considering tires for the Volvo, we'll be focusing primarily on a couple of factors, including their comfort level and safety features. This can include a tire's ability to stop on dry, wet, and snowy conditions where that data is available. While in some situations, a Volvo S90 will want to drive fast, the chances of a Volvo S90 ending up at a track trying to pull hairpin turns going as fast as the car will allow are pretty low. We'll go with the reality for most Volvo S90 owners.

We also fully expect the Volvo S90 to be used in nearly every climate imaginable, from snow to rain and the desert – so we also evaluated a broad range of tires including winter and bad weather.

Best Tires for Volvo S90

Grand Touring All Season

Grand Touring All Season tires are designed for a comfortable ride with very good overall traction on wet and dry. While they do tend to last a while, they also support the idea of a comfortable, smooth ride over extreme tread life. These also bear the highest cost of normal, every day tires.

Michelin CrossClimate 2

The CrossClimate2 has one of the more unusual tread pattern designs you'll see on a tire. The treads are v-shaped and go “down” while you might be accustomed to a more common horizontal look. These tread patterns do help make this tire as unique as its look. Michelin uses PIANO Noise Reduction, which comes in part from tire tread depth, distance, and pattern. The treads are also designed with the right depth that helps channel out water and snow while remaining relatively quiet.

The overall result is very high subjective ratings in most categories. The CrossClimate2 receives a 9.4 in dry and wet, which is outstanding for an all-season tire and very well balanced. While this is not a real snow tire, it still does good in that category at 8.9. Comfort being king for a Volvo S90 driver, this CrossClimate fits in with a 9.0 on the comfort scale.

Let's look at some real world tests with the CrossClimate2 to be sure of what we are really getting into. TireRack is one of our favorites because they do actual tests that blend subjective feelings like handling with truly measuring how far your Volvo S90 might go when braking under wet and dry conditions. Feet matter in this case! The CrossClimate 2 was pitted against a Bridgestone Weatherpeak and a Continental PureContact LS, which you'll read about later.

On a dry stop, the CrossClimate2 and the PureContact were close – less than a foot apart at just about 89 feet. Wet stopping distance was also very tight with the CrossClimate stopping a foot and a half further – out of 128 feet. CrossClimate won the day in overall ride quality came in a very close second in overall road rating.

So how do you get your hands – or axels, on a CrossClimate2? Do it through TireRack.. They offer free shipping and are quick about it too! At the moment, you can get the CrossClimate on your Volvo S90 starting at $279 per tire. Note that we use the standard smallest measurement available for the S90 at 245 45/R18 – a bigger tire might be more expensive.

You also get a 6 year or 60,000 mile warranty, which isn't bad – though it is not quite the best tire warranty out there.

Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3

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Pirelli's P7 brings a bit of a different balance to driving dynamics than the CrossClimate2. Also of note, TireRack is still collecting data on this relatively new tire, so they don't have the same subjective ratings across millions of uses as CrossClimate2, but they do have real world tests, which we can also sink our teeth into!

Many times, the way a manufacturer describes a tire like the Pirelli also reflects how well the tire will perform. For example, Pirelli refers more to shoulder blocks that enhance responsive steering and dry cornering. They also have deep sipes meant to get more road grip under wet conditions Pirelli doesn't mention climate in their tire, and says that it resists hydroplaning.

Per real world tests, the Pirelli is sporty. If you find yourself driving a little more aggressively or otherwise frequently around curves on country roads, these can help make your Volvo S90 a little more fun. The overall ride quality and noise reduction are very good. They grip well on dry and wet with tight dry times for the slalom – though their wet grip isn't great – and took a whole half second longer to get through. Wet braking as also a few feet longer than Bridgestone's Guard Plus.

Overall, this is a great performance tire if you aren't going to be driving in the rain too frequently. The Pirelli overall balances taking tighter turns over providing the best stopping distance at high speed while the rain is pouring down – though we'll say the wet stopping is still acceptable.

At $231 per tire at TireRack, these are a good overall value. You also get an improved warranty with unlimited time and up to 70,000 miles in case you don't drive too much.

Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive

The Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive took on the Pirelli head to head in the previous test and did well, so we definitely have to include it in our best tires for the Volvo S90. Goodyear says they use Evolving Traction Grooves and TreadLock technology for consistent grip and good dry handling – all while reducing noise and increasing comfort. Twin steel belts can be found inside the tire to offer the firmness and flexibility needed to handle corners well while providing the comfort needed to travel a distance in a straightline while feeling good about it.

Within subjective testing, the Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive is competitive on the Volvo S90. It pulls an impressive 9.0 on wet and 9.2 on dry, with very high comfort ratings of 8.9. Volvo drivers looking for a long term tire will be happy with the 9.2 treadwear rating.

In real world tests, the Assurance ComfortDrive went above its own comfort referencing name and provided both the most comfortable overall drive – it did well on wet too. Stopping distances were narrowly shorter than Bridgestone's DriveGuard Plus and beat Pirelli handily.

There has to be a downside – after all, you can't have it all with a tire. The Goodyear doesn't feel as responsive as other tires – in other words, it feels more mechanical and less connected to the road – though it maintains grip well. For people who like to feel the road, the steering characteristics are a bit low, and cornering traction didn't beat Pirelli. If you are more of a slower city driver or don't particularly care about how a vehicle feels around a turn while still providing safe performance, this might be the tire for you.

Find these on TireRack for about $250 per tire. The warranty is more similar to Michelin with 6 years or 60,000 miles of help or replacement.

Vredestein HiTrac All Season

Vredestein is a great source for value tires, and you might find this one a little surprising. Rather than finishing with the price, we will talk about it first – at $202 per tire, this is one of the less expensive Grand Touring tires available. The subjective scores are also on par with others in the category though slightly better in dry than on wet with a 9 and a 9.2. It also seems very comfortable at 9.1. Snow and winter handling could be better, but it's still on average with an all season tire at 8.4.

The HiTrac did great on real world tests. The ride quality was above average against a BFGoodrich and a Yokohama. Vredestein readily beat all the above on a wet track too, stopping feet shorter than either tire in a wet test and a couple feet shorter on dry. The slalom times that demonstrate handling while turning were also very good.

Vredestein claims that their tires is meant to deliver a comfortable, smooth ride – and they are right. They also feature a two ply internal casing to offer durable long term performance and a consistent turning ability.

Overall, the HiTraci is very competitive with the CrossClimate2 and others mentioned earlier while putting a lower sticker price on similar performance. We would feel confident putting these on our Volvo S90.

Their warranty also includes 8 years of 70,000 miles, which is great considering the overall price. Get them delivered for free through TireRack.

Continental PureContact LS

At $238 per tire, this isn't the least expensive available – but for all around grip, you can't do much better. Continental's PureContact pulls a category high 9.3 subjective rating on dry surfaces. The PureContact has temperature sensitive polymers that react when the weather changes and are meant to install confidence in wet and dry scenarios. On TireRack, these were put up against the CrossClimate2, and they did pretty well themselves. They aced the subjective handling and balances tests and were quieter than the CrossClimate2. Braking behavior in wet and dry were very close between the two as well. The overall slightly improved grip gave the PureContact very slightly lower lap times.

Overall, these are great tires for wet and dry. CrossClimate2 provides some slightly better ride quality, but the PureContact tends to cost a little less. The PureContact will make your Volvo S90 a bit more athletic and take tight turns more comfortably. These are great overall tires for most weather conditions – so they are a safe bet in almost any climate.

Find them on TireRack with free shipping – you'll get a 6 year or 70,000 mile warranty too.

Kumho Majesty 9 Solus TA91

The Kumho Majesty 9 Solus TA91 has a couple of distinct features: it is fairly inexpensive, and it rides well. At just around $167 per tire, it doesn't ride like one of the cheapest tires in the grand touring category. The subjective numbers are solid and well balanced with an 8.9 in wet and 9.1 in dry, these are just a small amount below some of our top tires.

To be honest, where you probably just won't want to use it – or at least sparingly, is in the snow. Kumho's tires aren't quite up to par in snowy conditions with a 7 – which TireRack still favorably gives a green.

In head to head tests, the Kumho did quite well on overall ride quality and noise reduction, beating out a BFGoodrich and Sumitomo easily. Handling and balance were overall pretty good, with braking behavior a low point though still competitive. The overall dry handling experience was better than acceptable. Even the wet stopping distance is just a couple feet further than average. With that said, the TireRack test didn't try the Kumho out in the snow – and often only does that for snow tires. We tend to believe users if they say that the tire isn't meant for snow driving.

Buy them on TireRack, especially if you live in a place with little snow, or prefer to drive something else in the dead of winter.

One small downside to Kumho is that unlike other tire companies which offer a longer warranty for a lower price – their warranty is limited to 6 years or 45,000 miles. A little bit short.

Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady

The name says, well, most of it. The WeatherReady is designed to handle climates where you'll see rain most often, and has a variety of technologies that push through snow and rain to get you the traction you need. One of their most useful updates is the 3D TredLock Technology which helps stabilize the tire for cornering in the rain.

Even though the name is meant for the rain, the WeatherReady holds up well in wet and dry with a 9.1 in wet and 9.2 in dry – and a pretty good 8.6 on snow. We would like to see a comfort rating a bit higher than 8.6, but we won't complain with its rain handling abilities. The only complaint out of drivers is that these can be a bit loud.

We do have multiple rain engineered tires on this list. We would likely go with the Michelin CrossClimate2 because it does a little better in the rain and provides overall better ride comfort.

Grab a set from TireRack for $260 per tire.

Higher Performance Tires for Volvo S90

While the S90 isn't fast – it's also powered by a reasonably quick 2.0L 4-cylinder either turbocharger or supercharged engine. If you like driving more aggressively or otherwise just like having more fun in your car, it might be worth considered a tire that can keep up.

Firestone Firehawk AS

As one of the only options available in the high performance all-season category, the Firehawk sets the tone. You should read user reviews for those kinds of tires, as there aren't that many miles reported for the purpose – but many consider it a quiet, fast tire. During a head to head test against other sport tires, the Firehawk was noted for being comfortable, but it was about average when cornering on wet conditions. Otherwise, it handled braking tests well on dry and wet – so at least you are certainly under control.

Pick them up at TireRack for about $200 per tire. Pair them with a good all-season tire for the winter – or a different all-season vehicle.

Best Winter Tires for Volvo S90

Some Volvo S90's drivers like all wheel drive – and they happen to be around snow for part of the year. The Volvo S90 is a viable winter vehicle and could use snow tires.

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

Our first snow tire carves the snow well. The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 features some new changes this time around, including stiffer blocks that help the Blizzak remain laterally responsive after some wear. Bridgestone's Multi-Cell technology also helps push away the layer of water and ice that might form between the tire and the road.

As you might expect, the subjective tests glow for a winter tire at 9.3, which is actually higher than it's dry or wet rating. In a head to head comparison against the Continential VikingContact 7 and Michelin X-Ice Snow, we had serious competition. We feel like Bridgestone won out, dominating in two very important areas: stopping distance on wet and dry pavement. Otherwise, Continental was reportedly slightly quieter, but we'll take several extra feet of stopping distance any way of the week.

You can grab these are TireRack for about $200 per tire. Note that like some snow tires, these don't come with a warranty, so we suggest you don't waste their tread in the summer or even fall. Put them on before the snow flies and enjoy the extra traction.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make my Volvo S90 tires last the longest?

There are a couple of ways to make tires last longer for any vehicle.

Tire rotations & alignments

Getting a tire rotation every other oil change (assuming you change your oil a couple of times per year) is very beneficial for your tires. Whether you are all wheel drive or front wheel drive, switching tires around helps them wear evenly. Just getting the tires off also helps you or the technician inspect the tire for any signs of wear. Drivers of the Volvo S90 who don't rotate their tires might start to notice the car sway a bit more while driving in a straight line, or feel a bit of an extra rumble. That's the sound and feeling of tires not quite maintaining a consistent shape.

Drive nicely

We know you are late sometimes or otherwise enjoy feeling the torque of that turbocharged hybrid Volvo S90. Just don't overdo it. Braking hard – and often, wears down both your brakes and your tires more quickly. Speeding up from a stoplight or cornering hard has the same effect. Abusing tires can also make your warranty avoid.

How does the warranty usually work?

Tire manufacturers will often fix or replace a tire that has started to show craftsmanship issues before a certain number of miles. It's also imperative that you don't abuse your tires by doing burnouts (ok, you probably won't with an S90) or driving over curbs by accident. These can often be replaced at tire shops or dealerships – either way, let them know you are having a tire issue and they can help take care of it.

Why Tire Rack?

TireRack.com has a solid reputation for having many reviews and tests available, along with real world and easy to digest ratings. There are literally millions of user sourced reviews on TireRack, sourcing from the millions of tires they have sold over the years. For shoppers who are a little confused about what to get, they also have a complete guide for your vehicle and driving style that will help you choose what to get.

What other options do I have for online tire buying?

There are many other options. We prefer DiscountTire.com too in part because they have tons of locations and options. You also can't go wrong with simpletire.com.

How does tire installation work with vendors like TireRack?

You can choose to have the tires sent to your place, which we honestly wouldn't recommend unless you either have lots of room for tires or plan to install them right away. TireRack also features thousands of shops that will take delivery and installation for your tires – so there are probably more than a few just in your backyard. These places will take your tires and put them on – it will cost you, but it might also save you some time and a headache.

How important are winter tires?

If you live in a snowy climate or are nervous about driving your S90 in the winter, it might be worth getting snow tires. Note that snow tires will not by any means result in you driving around like normal on several inches of snow. The biggest, most important contribution snow tires really make are the ability to accelerate and stop with more control than you have on regular tires. They can also enhance cornering, but that depends on whether conditions and your comfort driving.

Can I put different size tires on my Volvo S90?

TireRack actually offers multiple sizes – and depending on your S90 trim level, you might have a larger size of tire than we have suggested – possibly up to 20 inches. Above 18 to 19 inches, you'll get increased ride height and potentially visibility – though to be honest, most people choose to get larger tires because they like the appearance.

How do I know if my Volvo S90 needs new tires?

The first signal is checking your tire's tread depth. This can be done easily either with a specific gauge that measures in tenths of an inch or with a penny. A penny is commonly used because by some chance, if you put a penny upside down into the tread area you want to measure, you'll know you have enough depth if you can't see his hair. A t ire gauge is still recommended because it is more technically accurate and gives you an actual number reading.

The minimum tread depth, by the way, is 4/32. Most tires come with 10/32 to 11/32 of tread depth. At 2/32, tires start to lack grip.

Another sign is that the tires are either starting to crack, or you are having a harder than normal time accelerating, especially on wet surfaces. When this happens, get your tires replaced soon – because you never know when you'll really need that grip! This writer once let his tread depth get so low he blew a tire pulling into the gas station.

Can I put different size tires on the front and back of my Volvo S90?

We would suggest not, simply because it can cause uneven tire wear. Different size tires are more of a rear wheel sports car phenomenon, though it is possible with the Volvo S90, so long as the tires don't need the vehicle's size limits. Different sized tires are part for show and part an attempt to gain extra grip with a very powerful engine. The Volvo S90 doesn't really qualify for this – though some think it looks cool!

About The Author

Charles Redding

I've spent many years selling cars, working with auto detailers, mechanics, dealership service teams, quoting and researching car insurance, modding my own cars, and much more.