08 Wheels And Tyres; General - Volvo V70 Owner's Manual

08 Wheels and tyres

General

Driving characteristics
Tyres greatly affect the car's driving characte-
ristics. The type of tyre, dimensions, tyre
pressure and speed rating are important for
how the car performs.
Direction of rotation
The arrow shows the tyre's direction of rotation.
Tyres with a tread pattern which are designed
to only turn in one direction have the direction
of rotation marked with an arrow. The tyre
must always rotate in the same direction
throughout its lifespan. Tyres should only be
switched between front and rear positions,
never between left and right-hand sides, or
vice versa. If the tyres are fitted incorrectly,
08
the car's braking characteristics and capacity
to force rain and slush out of the way are
adversely affected.
340
Tyres with the greatest tread depth should
always be fitted to the rear of the car (to
decrease the risk of skidding).
NOTE
Ensure that tyres of the same type and
dimensions, and also the same make, are
fitted to all four wheels.
Follow the recommended tyre pressures
specified in the tyre pressure table, see
page 417.
Tyre care
Tyre age
All tyres older than 6 years old should be
checked by an expert even if they seem
undamaged. Tyres age and decompose, even
if they are hardly ever or never used. The
function can therefore be affected. This
applies to all tyres that are stored for future
use. Examples of external signs which indi-
cate that the tyre is unsuitable for use are
cracks or discoloration.
New tyres
Tyres are perishable. After a few years they
begin to harden at the same time as the fric-
tion capacity/characteristics gradually deteri-
orate. For this reason, aim to get as fresh
tyres as possible when you replace them.
This is especially important with regard to
winter tyres. The last four digits in the
sequence mean the week and year of manu-
facture. This is the tyre's DOT marking
(Department of Transportation), and this is
stated with four digits, for example 1510. The
tyre in the illustration was manufactured in
week 15 of 2010.
Summer and winter tyres
When summer and winter wheels are
changed the wheels should be marked with