I bought my used Volvo over the winter with 2 full sets of tires. I had to replace the winter snows (went with Gislaved) and have just put on the summer set. They are Michelin Energy MXV4 pluses on steel rims (not very sexy, I know). I suspect they were the original tires as they are pretty close to worn out. I figure I'd go with exact replacements, but the cheapest new ones I could find were $134 each, so now I'm looking for a way to save some money.
In general, across brands and lines it looks like I could save about $15/tire by going with H rated instead of V. Then when I asked at a tire place, the tech told me my 850 wagon needed V rated tires, and wouldn't sell me anything else. I know I won't drive fast enough to need them based purely on the speed rating. Are there other differences between the tires that might make it desirable to have the V rated rather than the H? Is the performance at lower speeds any different? Or is this just a ploy for tire shops to make more money?
Originally I was considering Bridgestone Potenza RE930 ($57) which doesn't come in a V rated version (these are what the tire place wouldn't sell me). After more checking it seems Pirellis seem to have a great value/performance ratio and now I'm thinking about either the H-rated Pirelli P6000 ($66) or Pirelli P6000 Sport Veloce ($64). Both of these got good ratings and reviews relative to the Michelins (at Tirerack.com) and are half the price. Even if I have to go with the V-rated versions it sounds like they would still be a better value.
Does anyone out there have experience with any of these tires on an 850 wagon? Any suggestions/experiences would be helpful!
Thanks,
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