2001 v70 wagon 117 miles
Mechanic checked out front struts no leaks or bangs.Will put on lift this week and will check out rear struts
He does not like the tires that still have ample tread .recommends new tires
Any suggestions
Thanks pete

I am going to do the rear shocks.Any suggestions or favorite brand
Thanks pete

Struts -
I suggest OEM (probably Boge or Sachs) unless you're are looking for something sporty/stiffer. The cheap brands don't last.

Tires -
Don't buy new tires unless you truly need them. It sounds to me like your mechanic is trying to sell you parts. IMO - if you decide to new buy all-season tires, Michelins, although expensive are still the highest quality tire. I've driven many other brands but I've come back to Michelin. I'm on my third set of Primacy MXV4's. They are the best all-around tires out there. Last a long time, never puncture or go out of round and handle well in most any conditions: dry, wet and reasonably well in ice and snow too.

there are some generalities you can consider (they're not my recommendations, but only some points that you can think about):

All other things equal, taller sidewalls or higher aspect ratios (e.g., 70 vs 65) absorb and transmit less pothole impact to the suspension and passenger compartment. The tradeoff is reduced steering feedback, less precise steering, and lowered cornering forces -- possibly also less dry braking traction, although (again, all other things equal) wet braking and hydroplaning resistance is improved because the tire is narrower. Likewise, such a narrower tire is better in snow, especially in a snow tread.

Tires with more supple belts (aramid or Kevlar vs steel), and also those with a more diagonal alignment of accessory sidewall layers (although radials will have at least one sidewall layer that is truly radial) likewise transmit less impact -- however, because the walls and tread flex more (absorbing impact forces), the tire may be more vulnerable to impact damage of larger, or more sharp-edged, pothole rims because the fibers of the tread and sidewall bend more, and the sidewall layers may even separate (e.g., analogous to an arterial aneurysm, aortic dissection, etc.).

Finally, going to an H tire instead of a V, or W (or higher) may also soften your ride and you'll feel the impacts less, but again (as above) can reduce your car's handling and pothole damage resistance.

But the reason I wrote that these thoughts were not my personal recommendations is that your car is designed for a tire size of a certain configuration, and altering your tire size to accommodate pothole impacts may significantly reduce your car's handling, which I don't like. It's IMHO better to stick with Volvo's recommended size and bear the brunt of pothole impacts, and their costs. But it's a free country ...

No longer a race car driver want to be, I enjoy the 195/65 tires. These are the base tires for Volvo, usually 15 inch wheels. Great for wet and snow, and gets reasonable mpg.

Volvo also has the 205/55/16 and a 17 inch wheel on some go fast models. These wheels usually don't do well in deep pot holes, as the wheels can get damaged along with the tire sidewall.

You are correct about the H rating. It is plenty fast for me and the tread usually lasts longer and is cheaper to purchase. Canada has a 100Km speed limit on most roads (62 mph), whereas the USA can be up to 85 in West Texas. Still well within the bounds of the H rating.

The V,W,Z ratings are for the Autobahn, not the USA.

re: "...Volvo also has the 205/55/16 and a 17 inch wheel on some go fast models. These wheels usually don't do well in deep pot holes, as the wheels can get damaged along with the tire sidewall...."

Yes, indeed.

I remember back in the '90's, while I still had my 240s, my local Volvo dealer was selling 850s with dealer installed tire/wheel packages with really low (ridiculous) aspect ratios. Here in NJ we have an epidemic of potholes in the winter -- the roads seem to grow them like postules on someone with smallpox, and whenever I was in the dealer getting some parts I would see, lined up along the side of the parts department during the worst part of the season, a whole series of deflated tires with bent wheels waiting to be being exchanged.

M-B cars weren't immune either. I also had a 300E at that time, and some M-B owners of new cars had foolishly (at least in NJ) likewise opted for low profile options -- they too were bearing the brunt of pothole damages, but I noticed, as I waited in the parts and service departments, that they (typical new M-B owners) were far more belligerent and on several occasions I overhead arguments with the sales people blaming M-B for their supposedly defective wheels, blah, blah, blah.

At that point, I decided that I would never go below 65 (aspect ratio, that is, not mph :-) ). However, I haven't seen as many indications of tire/wheel damage on cars in the past few years (although our roads don't seem any better), which I ascribe to possibly better suspension compliance or something else I'm not aware of; and I see many more new cars coming with even lower profile tires as original equipment, rather than foolish dealer or aftermarket accessories. So should I assume such components are getting more pothole resistant? I don't know, but I'm still a bit leary of that.

Is there something wrong?

No klaus
Handles and corners o.k.
I just want to always avoid any imperfections/ pot hole repairs because the car does not handle them well.
Rides good on the highway
I have michelin 195 /65 that still have decent tread. What would recommend for replacement tires when needed
Thanks for your help
Pete

Any car that 'handles' pot holes is unsafe to drive, Volvos are designed to corner and stop without a lot of body lean and pot holes are very rough.

Your Michelins have a very hard outer belt which protect tires from pot holes but then they transfer the jolt to the cabin. I looked for a quiet riding tire with decent handling in snow and wet when I went to Tirerack.com They came up with a reasonable tire in their survey of 20 tires.

Tire tread makes a large difference in 'tracking', running with grooves or ignoring them. Most new tires have fewer circumference bands to negate that effect.

Your struts should last for 120K or so, depending on road surface. Mine died at 150K. The rear shocks on your car might be Nivomats, and if so, they will last longer. Replacing self leveling Nivomats is quite expensive and regular rear shocks will not work correctly.