Owner`s manual
122
Wheels and tyres
General
General information about
wheels and tyres
A size designation is available for all tyres.
Example designation: 5+.
These tyre size designations, which are used by
all tyre manufacturers, can be interpreted as
follows:
Your car is fully approved, which means that
you may not deviate from those dimensions and
performance ratings indicated in the vehicle
registration. The only exception from these
regulations concerns winter tyres and studded
tyres, which may have different dimensions and
a different speed rating than indicated in the
registration. If you select tyres with different
dimensions, do not drive at speeds faster than
those permitted. The most common speed
ratings are indicated in the following table:
Note: maximum permissible speeds indicated.
127(Follow these rules carefully in order to
replace tyres with tyres of the same type; radial
tyres, tyre dimension and designations should
be the same. Ideally, the tyres should be of the
same brand or there is a risk that the car’s
driving characteristics may be altered. Check
with your dealer regarding which sizes are
available for your car.
Keep in mind that the road surface conditions
determine how fast you may drive, not the tyre
speed rating.
127(This is extremely important for all-
wheel drive models (AWD) since even small
size differences can cause transmission
damage.
New tyres
Keep in mind that tyres are
perishable goods – they
will begin to harden after a
few years and their friction
properties will be reduced.
Try to use fresh tyres when changing, which is
especially important for winter tyres. The week
and year of manufacture is indicated with 4
digits, for example 1502. The tyres shown in the
illustration were manufactured week 15, 2002.
225 section width (mm)
70 relationship between section
height and width (%)
R means radial tyre
16 wheel rim diameter in inches (")
102 code digits for maximum permis-
sible tyre load, in this case 850 kg
H specifies that the tyre is manufac-
tured forspeeds up to 210 km/h
Q 160 km/h, used most
often with studded tyres
T 190 km/h
H 210 km/h
V 240 km/h
W 270 km/h
WARNING!
The only Volvo approved "special wheel
rims" are those that are tested by Volvo and
are 9ROYR*HQXLQHDFFHVVRULHV.