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Volvo V70 Wagon Experience

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Comments

  • redwingwagonredwingwagon Member Posts: 3
    Just curious if you or anyone else had attempted the electric wiring? Getting ready to purchase this hitch, but will be wiring it as we have a large motorcycle to tow along with using it for bikes, etc. Is the wiring plug and play or do you have to cut into the lines to wire it? Just curious as I know you need the Volvo OE wiring harness on this thing.

    This will go on a 2005 base V70 wagon. Haven't looked at bike racks as of yet but looked at the 2" hitch due to hauling a trailer with an RT1150 sitting on it.

    Also....angle of the car...would you scrape bottom front if you backed the thing up on ramps? Have ramps and haven't tried yet. Was tire removal necessary to get the bumper off?

    Just wondering if this is one of those "Volvo makes it impossible for the guy to do it at home" deals? We had someone crack the rear passenger side tail light (bottom) and it turns out that the top interlocks with the bottom so you had to tear all that out to replace it (which was not fun).

    Curious as to how ugly this is going to get when I do this. I definitely don't want to drop $450 for the dealer to do it either.
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    I installed the Volvo wiring harness and hitch on a 2004 V70 base model. I don't know if the 2005 is the same installation. I bought the hitch and harmess before reading the instructions. IMO if you follow their instructions, it is a professional job. But I did it without following the Volvo instructions after a lot of thinking and then a lot of effort to put the hitch in. The wiring and hitch work fine. Before you think you can do it, see if you can get the installation instructions from the dealer.

    If I had it to do over, I would try to get an aftermarket 2" receiver hitch from one of the big manufacturers, like Hidden Hitch. You could just buy the Volvo harness if you wanted to use that rather than the aftermarket one. The Volvo hitch fits higher and so you'd no significant loss of clearance on a ramp.

    1. Wiring harmess

    For the 2004 V70, the wiring harness simply plugged into an open plug in the spare tire/battery compartment. Contrary to the instructions I did not move or disconnect the battery. I just pushed out the old oval rubber plug in the floor pan and pressed in the new wire and grommet combination.

    However, the type of wiring harness used in 2004 has no circuit breaker. As best I can determine protection from short circuits in the trailer wiring is from fuses in one or more of the several fuse boxes. To make things more confusing I expected to be instructed to add a new fuse that was not present in this base model V70, but there was no such instruction. Yet the thing works! How can this be?! I was not able to figure out which fuses protect from shorts in trailer wiring. I'll have to see what fuse or fuses are blown if and when this happens.

    The wiring harness from Volvo for their newer models may be like the aftermarket arrangement where the power comes directly the battery to the breaker protected controller. Only signals come from V70 wiring to the various light circuits.

    2. Hitch itself

    The bar/receiver for the 2004 was in three main pieces which bolt together, rather than the usual welded single piece hitch!

    For the 2004 V70 the instructions are to totally remove the rear bumper facia so as to gain access to install the hitch behind the facia. To do this you must support the body and remove both rear wheels to drill out the light rivets holding the facia in the back inside of the wheel wells . . . I had no tools or skills to do this, so I did some surgery on the plastic bumper facia which allowed me to insert the three pieces (some force required) separately and assemble them in place behind the bumper facia. If you want more info, email me and I'll give more detail.

    My wife bought a 2007 XC90 and I plan to get an aftermarket hitch and either have it put on or do it myself. I haven't decided on the wiring harness. The procedure for the 2007 Volvo XC90 hitch is even more complicated that for the V70.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    Jim's advice is good. I didn't install the wiring harness so I can't comment on that.

    I will say that I could not find any aftermarket 2" receivers - that's why I bought the Volvo part. And I'm glad I did - a "Hidden Hitch" or "U-Haul" product would not have the flush factory appearance I wanted.

    The Volvo hitch hangs about 3" below the bottom of the fascia, so I guess it depends on how steep an incline the ramps are.

    Here are some photos of my installation...

    image

    image

    image
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    I also was unable to find a 2" receiver hitch aftermarket. I really do think that the procedure followed by "fedlawman" is very much to be preferred.

    If you do it my way you have to cut three holes in the facia in addition to the one over the receiver, but only one is visible standing behind the vehicle. (The purpose of these 3 additional holes to gain access to the two large bolts and nuts which fasten the bar to the brackets which attach to the frame.)

    I cut all of these holes with a 1.5" dia keyhole saw on my electric drill.

    The visible hole is in the rear on the driver side opposite the hole on the passenger side for access to the tow hook. I pressed a 1.5" black plastic plug into the hole and it looks OK. A better idea might be to buy another square plastic plug like the one on the passenger side and cut a square hole. This would allow more room for wrenching. If you use a 1.5" dia hole it has to be in exactly the right spot, which I achieved by multiple measurings.

    The other two holes are in the underside corners to allow wrenching on the bolts. Then I had to cut from the holes to the edge to make the bottom back of the facia flexible enough to work the bar under the facia.
  • davidingilbertdavidingilbert Member Posts: 53
    Hey all.
    My wife & I are considering the 2008 V-70 Wagon.

    The big question is should we go with Tricotec or Leather?

    I stopped by a dealership yesterday to check out the cars in person and see the difference. From the photos on the website, it is hard to tell. In person, almost as hard to tell. The one T-tec upholstery car I saw, there was a bit of a sheen to the T-tec kind of like leather. Felt pretty comfortable, or I should say, as comfortable as possible for 110 degrees in Phoenix. Also seemed pretty durable and easy to maintain. Not a cloth however.

    What is everyones opinion on this?

    Thanks.
    Dave
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    You must have seen our base V70 :)

    I'm not a fan of the T-Tec in the S40 because it uses a cloth insert that is REALLY hard to clean.
    However, the full T-Tec in the C70 and V70 should be easy to care for and quite durable.
  • camydogcamydog Member Posts: 64
    Thanks all for your posts. Unfortunately, having the closest dealer two hours away is not a good thing for me. I will have to do more research on the temp. sensor. I spoke with A/C technicians I work with (Airplane mechanics) and since the driver's side blows ice cold they ruled out freon but I may ask them to check the pressure to see where it is. I'll let you all know.

    fedlawman, the hitch looks great. Run into any problems with airbag sensors in the bumper area? What's your best advice to someone wanting to install a 2" receiver themselves?
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    My opinion (admittedly based on dated facts) is that there are no airbag sensors in the back bumper. The front impact airbags do not deploy with rear impacts where the principle direction of force is front to rear.

    There may not even be any crash sensors in the front bumper. The detector and integral computer for frontal impacts is a module bolted to the floor pan in the front row, in some cars under one of the front row seats and in others under the center console. This detects a collision with an onboard accelerometer.

    The side impact torso airbags (front row only) probably have a detector in the front door or in the B-pillar. There is so little side crush distance that extremely rapid deployment is required. The side head impact bags (both rows) may be triggered by the side impact detector or the central detector or both, I don't know.
  • camydogcamydog Member Posts: 64
    I'm finding more things out about my AC. I had the system evacuated today, vacuum tested for 15 minutes, then recharged...

    The machine shut off at .8 pounds, about twice as much as was taken out but nowhere near the 2.17 pounds required. The driver's side is still cool and the passenger side ambient air temp. The technician didn't know why it didn't take the full charge. Any ideas?
  • jontyreesjontyrees Member Posts: 160
    Just got back from 2 weeks in England with my wife and 2 boys. We put about 1000 miles on a rented 2008 V70 2.4 D and found it to be a fine ride. It was a base rental model, with full pleather upholstery, which actually turned out to be very comfortable. The whole experience was comfortable in fact - the seats were good, the driving position, the ride. I didn't really care for the "insert key fob, push button" start procedure - it seemed pointless, and I kept leaving the fob in the car, then having to go back and retrieve it. I didn't calculate the mpg, but I only filled up twice
    (the second time just to have enough to comfortably get back to the airport), so it had to be good, Websites list it at 41.5 mixed, which sounds about right, and is excellent for the way it drove. The stereo was really good, with an aux port in the console between the seats. That was a life saver - have you ever listened to UK radio? Endless crappy techno/disco. Anyway, for anyone looking for a good mid-size wagon, I have to say this one was very competent in all areas. For perspective, I just switched from 4 years in a 2004 GTO to a 2008 Taurus Limited (same platform as the Volvo). Does Volvo offer the diesel in the US? They should given the 40+ mpg.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    Volvo should offer a diesel in about a year.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    The V70 is the ideal platform for a diesel. It's laid back touring performance would be perfectly complemented by a small, torquey, economical powerplant.

    I'm 3 days into our 2-week family vacation from Seattle to San Diego. So far I'm averaging 30 MPG with a fully loaded (people & cargo) V70 2.4. I get more economy on the interstate but passing slow traffic in the Siskyous, a detour to the Oregon Caves, and San Francisco city traffic has brought my mileage down a few MPG.

    I stopped at a Volvo dealer in Medford for an oil/filter change and service was terrific. They knew I'm from out of town and will likely never return, yet they bent over backwards to fit me in and get me back on the road with little delay. I checked out the new V70 while I was there and, though it's very nice, it has nothing to offer that would tempt me to trade in my '04.
  • camydogcamydog Member Posts: 64
    OK, my AC is fixed...

    I took it back to the same technician, actually three of them this time. They were all in front of the car while it was serviced. They used the same machine as last time but it had be serviced/recharged since the last time they worked on the car. They put 2.1 pounds in my system and the AC now works... both sides.

    I no longer have the passenger side ambient air issue. This is what someone posted to one of my posts; that if the freon was low, the pass. side would not get conditioned air. That was the case with my car. Glad it was not a diverter door motor.

    Hope this helps someone in the future since our '01 cars are getting older and needing more service. Oh, for those of you that think the Volvo dealer is the only place you can take your car, please seek out someone in the local area that is smart on the system to be worked on ie brakes, AC, suspension...
  • merlin1merlin1 Member Posts: 5
    I have an '01 v70 non-turbo wagon. Religiously have the oil changed. Last time it was in the repair shop (90K) they advised that I need a new oil pan as the drain plug stripped out. They want $750 to do the change out. He advised a dissimilar metals issue (iron plug and aluminum pan) and I suspect the wrench was in the wrong direction. Ever had this problem?
    :mad:
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    The drain plug in my '04 V70 non-turbo is stuck due to it's being put in too tight or without the aluminum crush washer at an oil change place. I then rounded it off trying to remove it in my driveway. I used my 12-point socket which I got before I knew the difference.

    Bad idea! I will never do that again, only use a 6-point socket for these critical applications. Then I escalated to a set of vice-grips and completed the destruction of the wrenching surfaces of the plug. I'll take it to a competent place next. I hope the pan is OK. A $750 charge for a new oil pan is sickening. These aluminum engines have their downsides.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    These aluminum engines have their downsides.

    Umm, not the engine's fault.
    Operator error.
  • jgb2000jgb2000 Member Posts: 2
    Do your homework. The 2000-2001 Volvo XC70 was completely redesigned. I bought a 2001 and it has been a nightmare. Every possible electrical problem you can imagine. Steering/suspension problems. Don't do it or if you do, do your homework. It's too bad because it is one of the most useful, comfortable cars I've ever owned. I hope they shaked the bugs out by now.
  • merlin1merlin1 Member Posts: 5
    Yep, been through all the front end problems. Hammered Volvo Cares enough that they did the first set of repairs under warranty even thought is was just over the mileage limit. The dealership was no help in resolving the issue and were in fact a hindrance to resolving the issue.

    What do you mean by "do your homework"?
  • kberntsonkberntson Member Posts: 1
    Just bought a 2001 V70 with 69,000 miles on it. Today after having been out of the car for 1/2 hour, upon returning to the car I fund the ventfan running. Car was locked, no key in the ignition. Is this a common gremlin in this model?

    One more question, the black plastic wire covers in the engine compartment are brittle and coming off. What is the best solution to this? I saw a similar probelm in my '83 240 turbo, but not until after 150,000 miles.
  • merlin1merlin1 Member Posts: 5
    The vent fan running all by itself is a cabin ventilation system feature that controls the humidity level in the car. Not to worry, the gremlins have not taken over the car. :)
  • volvov70rvolvov70r Member Posts: 1
    Hey, here are a few bits of info that helped me, I've owned and loved 3 Volvos myself and they've become "the family car." First, the bad is that, provided you take the Volvo path, be aware that repairs do cost more. The catch though, is that, in my experience, they require much fewer trips to the shop. On top of this, the cars computer system seems to provide ample warning as to when something's going to go. Any V70 you buy (N/A or Turbo) is going to be a 5-cylinder, telling the difference between a 2.4T and a T5 is simple, the car's insignia will have either under the "V70" in the back. About the cost, 14,500 seems a little steep for a '01 V70, I'd expect to pay that much for a T5 or an AWD... Look around a little before buying. overall, the second generation V70's are strong cars, they look as though they'll be replacing the reputation of the previous 850's. I might also add that NEVER, EVER have any of my three Volvos left me stranded, my most recent V70R (1998) started in -35 the other day. I hope my ramblings will help you make a good decision!

    **V70R AWD = Love
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    You do realize that you're responding to a 4 year old post?
  • xcv70sydneyxcv70sydney Member Posts: 8
    Hi,

    I just bought a Dec 2000 XC V70 and same vent fan going off out of the blue. So you say this is normal? I was afraid it would flatten the battery one day. What I did to stop it was unlock the car, started it and turn it off. Then it stopped. So its a dehumidifier that is part of the volvo feature?? Wow what technology then !! Cheers
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    The way I understand it this is a feature which is designed to dry off the evaporator coils and the entire sytem which collects and drains the condensate water from the a/c system. This reduces the growth of mold in the a/c system.

    Try it and see how long the fan runs. If it would run and not shut off, then this would drain the battery, but probably you would find that it shuts off in a few minutes.

    What some people used to do was to turn off the a/c condenser (but leave the fan on) about 5 minutes away from final destination to allow the evaporator coils to warm up and shed all the water. Presumably this would expell all or most of the water from the air handling box too. But the Volvo automatic system may do a better job or at least an acceptable job without the operator having to go through this.
  • xcv70sydneyxcv70sydney Member Posts: 8
    Thanks mate. I am glad it was a special feature and a good one at that. I live in Sydney and always have the AC on. I will monitor the fan next time it comes on after I park it in the garage. My previous cars would normally leave a pool of water after the AC is turned off. This is my first Volvo so still learning. And its a damn fine car too and you could say I am now a Volvo convert! Its just that the first time it happen I thought it was an electrical fault somewhere that started the fan. Thanks again mate it is appreciated. Cheers
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    If this system is working as I think, you will still have a puddle of water and in fact it should be a little larger due to the fan expelling all or most of the water on the a/c evaporator (i.e. cooling) coils and in the condensate collection system. But it would probably not be noticeably larger than without the system.

    I don't know if this is true, but I have seen it written on this site that the cars come from the factory with this system disabled by software and it is up to the importer or dealer to enable it. The story is that some US dealers neglect to do this and so the feature is never operational becasue the car owner isn't aware that it should be there. But why this feature would be disabled at the factory is not clear to me. . .
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    If this system is working as I think, you will still have a puddle of water and in fact it should be a little larger due to the fan expelling all or most of the water on the a/c evaporator (i.e. cooling) coils and in the condensate collection system. But it would probably not be noticeably larger than without the system.

    I don't know if this is true, but I have seen it written on this site that the cars come from the factory with this system disabled by software and it is up to the importer or dealer to enable it. The story is that some US dealers neglect to do this and so the feature is never operational becasue the car owner isn't aware that it should be there. But why this feature would be disabled at the factory is not clear to me. . .
  • xcv70sydneyxcv70sydney Member Posts: 8
    Hi mate, thanks again for the info and will see how big a puddle I get when I get home tonight. Which model Volvo do you own? Like I said this is my first one as I have always own Australian or Japanese cars and this is my first Euro product. Have always stayed away from them due to maintenance and ownership costs. But this one came along too cheap to refuse($12k below local market value!!) and I figured I have nothing to lose in the short term. But it has changed my perception of the Volvo and it is a damn fine car to drive. The fit and finish is just excellent and for its age it is drives better than my 2 year old Holden as the Volvo has 161000kms on the clock but feels and drives like a new car. Credit to the previous owner who'd serviced it and God knows what it'd cost him as it was always by a Volvo dealer! Cheers
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    Mine is a 2004 V70 US base model with 5-spd auto as the only extra. It was a hand-me-down from my wife who moved up to an XC90. I gave away my beloved 1991 Dodge Spirit (100 hp, 5-spd manual) to a good home. I had owned the Spirit for 16.5 years.

    My V70 has the naturally aspirated (i.e. non-turbo) 2.4 L 5-cyl rated at 168 hp. It was also serviced at the dealer under the 3-year free maintenance deal then standard at the time of purchase. It's got less than 40 000 mi on the odo (64 000 km).

    It's got great highway fuel economy--30 to 34 mpgUS (equivalent to 36 to 41 mpgUK and 7.8 to 6.9 L/100km). But this good fuel efficiency comes from low ground clearance and was apparently partly due to the OE tires being of low rolling resistance. The first highway trip I took after I replaced the OE tires I got only 29 mpgUS (35 mpgUK). I have scraped bottom on some rough roads I have gone on.

    Your XC70 has considerably higher ground clearance than a standard V70 and AWD too. I assume it has the turbocharged 5-cyl rated at about 210 hp. So it will not match the fuel efficiency of a standard V70, but is a more rugged vehicle.

    In the late 1960s I lived in Fiji for two years, worked for Australians, and got plenty of time in Australian cars of the day. A 21st century Volvo is a far cry from a 1960s vintage Australian or US car.
  • xcv70sydneyxcv70sydney Member Posts: 8
    Hi, Yes my V70XC is turbo charged and am averaging 12.5litres per 100kms at the moment. Although I took it up the Central Coast the other day and it gave me 9 litres per 100kms. So that was pretty good I thought and very comfortable. Will have to send you pictures of mine(how do I do that BTW??) and it has beige leather, HC803 Dolby Logic 4 stacker CD, drivers memory seat, sun roof, Nautic Blue and shod with Falken tires at the moment. Will think about replacing them with the factory spec Pirellis. Any recommendation on the tires front for this model? I got to say the turbo sure kicks in at 1800rpm and you can feel the surge and off it goes!!!
    You'd worked in Fiji in the 60's? Wow I was only an infant then! I am from Perth and now live in Sydney after working through Asia & the U.S. for FX in the 1990's and most recently spent 15 months in India. Now you hardly see our type of Volvos in India! My first car when I got my licence was a 1966 HD Holden Wagon if you remember seeing them in Fiji or maybe not. It was a rust bucket, used a litre of engine oil every week but goes well! Oh and it was a 3 speed manual on the steering wheel. The old 3 on the tree! Them were the good old days where the headlight dip switch was on the floor! And none of these high tech computers we now have in our cars.
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    From this TireRack link for your 2000 V70 XC the OE base wheels were 15" wheels with 205/65-15 tires.

    Of course, yours may have larger wheels--16", 17" or 18"--with lower profile and wider tires. What is the size of the tires on the vehicle right now? See the large writing on the sidewall.

    According to TireRack these are the specified sizes for your car:

    15 inch wheels: 205/65-15 (OD at tread 25.5 inch)
    16 inch wheels: 215/55-16 (OD at tread 25.3 inch)
    17 inch wheels: 215/50-17 (OD at tread 25.5 inch)
    18 inch wheels: 225/40-18 (OD at tread 25.1 inch)

    Even if your car came from the factory with Pirelli tires that doesn't mean those would be the best for the car, and almost certainly wouldn't be the best value. Check out the other brands, especially see the Kumho offerings.

    My 2004 base model V70 came with 195/65-15 (25.0 inch dia at tread) and I stayed with that size when I replaced the OE tires.

    Some people mount wider and lower profile tires than specified, but this can lead to rubbing of the tires on the wheel wells and suspension especially as the vehicle ages and the suspension loosens up.

    For example, suppose you have 15" wheels, then some people might mount 225/60-15 tires, but often this leads to headaches. These are 20 mm wider than the OE, but since they are lower profile 60 series then the diameter at the tread is about the same as the OE 65 series tires. This means that the calibration of the odometer and speedometer doesn't have to be fiddled with to remain accurate. But these tires could rub on suspension components or the wheel wells.

    Dia in inches of 205/65-15 = (205mm/25.4mm/in)(0.65)(2) + 15 in = 25.5 inch

    Dia in inches of 225/60-15 = (225/25.4)(0.60)(2) + 15 = 25.6 inch
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    I took my 04 V70 to a good independent Volvo shop and the tech let me look over his shoulder while he loosened the drain plug. He first tried a wrench--no movement. Then he used a compressed air powered chisel to jolt the plug tangentially counter-clockwise and it loosened (unscrewed). There was no aluminum crush washer, the quick-lube place had failed to install it.

    The new plug went in fine (with crush washer) and the tech said that the threads were OK.
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    It seems to me that the OE size for the 2000 V70 XC with 16" wheels could also be 205/60-16, for which the OD at the tread would be 25.7 inch.

    (205/25.4)(0.60)(2) + 16 = 25.7. I wonder what Volvo says is the specified size for 16" wheels on an XC70?

    IMO there is no point in having low profile tires on an SUV. So SUV should not have tires lower profile than 65 series or at the lowest 60 series. The base tire on the 2007 XC90 is 235/65-17, and replacement tires are a lot cheaper than those on the optional 18" wheels.
  • xcv70sydneyxcv70sydney Member Posts: 8
    Hi, the tyres are 215x65R x 16inche rated 98H Falkens. You wouldn't believe what happened today: Pulled up at a gas station and as I opened the fuel flap it fell off!! DOH and what the? The plastic bit that holds the fuel flap broke simultaneously with the plastic lug that holds the spring and fell right off my hands. Thank God it did not fall off while I was driving as I would not have known. Anyway a quick trip to the local Volvo dealer and A$25 later a new plastic thingy. Then it was wait till I get home tonight and only just finished taking out the old one and replaced with the new. A bit tricky and put some thought into it and it all worked out well. Must say even something like this fuel flap and the way the plastic bit is designed, makes it easy to install. Only thing and only now I'd realised that the plunger that locks the fuel flap does not work when I lock the doors. The plunger is to be released and lock the fuel flap when you lock the doors. Any ideas on how to fix this one?
    Cheers Aus EST2158hrs Friday
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    You might get some info at the site described in the link below. It could be that one part of the hinge is installed incorrectly, preventing the door from latching. Or it could be something else entirely. Probably you installed the hinge correctly or the door wouldn't close.

    http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=41689

    http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?p=271649#post271649

    The 215/65-16 tires have an outside diameter of 27.0 inches and may be a little larger than exact spec by about 1.1 %. You'd have to check with Volvo.

    But this difference may have no problems for you. If it is over spec, the odo and speedo would both read falsely low. A trip where the odo shows 100 mi would actually be 101.1 mi. If your speedo shows 70 mph then you are actual speed would be 70.8 mph.
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    "Please note that the fuel filler door will remain unlocked until the car begins to move forward. An audible click will be heard when the fuel filler door relocks.

    "The central locking button does not lock the fuel filler door."

    Quote from section entitled Fuel filler Door, Owner's Manual of 2004 V70.
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    Oops! I made a mistake in the percent calculation! My excuse is that I have not done these calcs in a while. (The reality is that I am losing my math skills from disuse and advancing age.)

    I see that the specified base tyre for the 2009 XC70 is 215/65-16, which is what you have on your 2000. Since you are not the original owner you might just check with a Volvo dealer to see if this size was the OE spec in 2000.

    A tire which is 27.0 inch diameter at the tread is 5.9% larger than one which is 25.5 inch diameter. If they tell you that the specified tyres in Australia are what you have then you can assume that your speedo/odo are reading right. But if the specified size was different from that, then the previous owner could have had the speedo/odo recalibrated to read correctly with the larger tyres. So you should check the odo over one of those calibrated distances. Be sure to use the trip odo since it measures to the nearest 0.1 mile.

    The speedo counts the turns of the wheels in a given time and converts this to speed by mult by the circumference, and circumference is pi times diameter at tread. Therefore, if the speedo is calibrated to read true speed with 25.5 in OD tires, but you are using 27.0 in OD tires, then the true speed will be 5.9% higher than the indicated speed. For example, if your speedo reads 70 mph, you are really travelling 74 mph. And if your odometer reading is 100.0 mi for a trip, then you actually went 105.9 mi.

    Here is a popular and widely used tire calculator: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    According to Tirerack.com, the OE tire for a 2000 XC70 SE was 205/55-16. That's US spec, of course, but a common tire size for Volvo (that's what came with my 2004 V70).
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    205/55-16 (24.9 inch dia at tread) makes sense as a wider lower profile option for a V70 to the base 195/65-15 (25.0 inch at tread) I have on my 2004 V70, but I would expect a V70 XC to have larger tires to add more ground clearance to that from the higher suspension.

    But maybe the 2000 V70 XC wasn't big on ground clearance and they just used the same size tires as the standard V70. We need info on Australian specifications on the 2000 Volvo V70 XC.

    If the 205/55-16 were the OE tires, then 215/65-16 tires (27.0 ich dia at tread) would be much larger than the OE: 27.0/24.9 = 1.084, so the larger ones would be a whopping 8.4% larger in diameter. So, unless the speedo was recalibrated, if the speedo was reading 70 mph, the actual speed would be 76 mph. And a trip registering 100.0 mi on the odo would actually have been 108.8 mi.

    It would be surprising that tires this much larger than OE spec wouldn't rub at least when the steering wheel was near lock to one side.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    Yup, my V70 has the factory 16" wheel upgrade. I do get rubbing at extreme lock in both directions. Always have, but it's never bothered me.

    215/65 seems awfully tall to me for these wagons. More like an SUV/minivan tire.
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    So your 2004 V70 came with Volvo 16 inch wheels and with 205/55-16 tires. Do you still have that size on it, or did you change to a larger tire? Did it rub near lock with the OE 205/55-16s?

    I think 215/65-16 would be a great size for an all purpose wagon--one capable of regularly handling rough rural roads--assuming the vehicle was designed for that tire.

    But 215/65-16 tires would not have the right appearance for those who want the low profile look. The 2009 V70 base tire is 225/55-16 (25.7" dia at tread).

    The 2009 XC70 base tire is 215/65-16 (27.0" dia).

    The 2007 XC90 base tire was 235/65-17 (29.0" dia at tread), but evidently for 2009 the base tire for the XC90 is 235/60-18 (29.1" dia at tread), and the 2010 XC60 gets 235/60-18 too. I guess the market demands a lower profile tire for a certain look. I suppose handling in extreme evasive maneuvers (like on a fast and crowed freeway) might be better with 60 or 55 series tires. And probably more Volvo owners face that situation than they do negotiating a rough rural road.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    A 65 profile tire is definitely what I would call an SUV/minivan tire. They just don't look right on normal sedans/wagons. You cannot buy a sporty tire (high performance summer compound) in that size. Of course, for the XC series, the extra sidewall helps cushion the blows from off-road driving. The tires also gives these car with higher ride height a more rugged look.

    Our 2001 had 15's and I don't remember them rubbing. It only had 20,000 miles when my wife totaled it. Our current 2004 is wearing 205/55-16 Goodyear Assurance ComforTred tires (super smooth and quiet!). They could be a smidge wider than the OE Michelin's - I don't know. Maybe the springs have settled over the years/miles and altered the geometry a little.

    I do remember that Volvo added the turn stop bars to the front hubs to limit steering angles. They are "L" shaped. Maybe they fell off while my wife was rallying?

    Hey Jim, have you ever heard any power steering moans? It seems after I turn to the stop at parking lot speeds, I hear the pump complain. Then after I return to neutral steering, the moaning occurs whenever I turn the wheel (though a little quieter). Could be my imagination, but it seems louder sometimes and quieter other times.
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    I have not had any P/S noises, but my 2004 V70 has less than 40 kmi on the odo.

    This British Volvo Forums site has a thread on rubbing as related to standards on Ministry of Transportation (MOT) inspection: http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=35058. IMO some of these guys are obsessively and recklessly mounting larger tires than specified.

    It sounds like the lock stops can deform with time. One guy reported the minimalist solution of switching the stops between the two sides. From the pdf below it sounds like there are supposed to be different sized stops (or maybe spacers) depending on the size of wheel.

    This pdf from the Volvo Forums thread (http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/repository/MoT%20-%20Issue%2035%20-%20April%2020- 07.pdf letters on page 5 indicates that Volvos may have minor rubbing with 16", 17", and 18" wheels.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    Good stuff, thanks for the links.
  • xcv70sydneyxcv70sydney Member Posts: 8
    Hi Jim, I can confirm the size/spec of my tires for my V70XC is correct factory specs(Australian spec?) as in my original Volvo manual. Also checked the spare tire with THE ORIGINAL tire from new = but there were Pirellis Scorpions. I did speak with the original owner who told me that the reason when he change tires each time and avoided replacing them with the factory spec Pirellis was due to cost and advise from his local Volvo dealer that the Falkens will do the same job as the Pirellis at half the cost.
    I was in Melbourne today and rode in my friend's 2006 XC90 and must say i drives similar to my 2001 V70Xc except bigger and with the 7 seats.
    BTW, when I half floor the gas pedal, there's a "boom" sound from the engine area = is that the turbo at work? It must be as you can certainly feels the speed right after the boom! Cheers mate
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    That's great! That is a good size for a capable rough road vehicle. That means the speedo and odo are calibrated for those tires. They must have the right size stops to keep the tires from rubbing.
  • xcv70sydneyxcv70sydney Member Posts: 8
    When I find some time over the next few days or over the weekend, will post my V070Xc pics on the volvo forum site(UK) and let you know. Cheers
  • redwingwagonredwingwagon Member Posts: 3
    Well, we did get the OEM hitch on it. I also did do the electrical harness/wiring. That was a million times easier than the hitch. Took the bumper off vs drill holes. The supplied cutout is way bigger than it needs to be, so kept that pretty tight. 2005 appears to be a bit easier than the above. The only drilling was through the metal on the hitch itself to hold the electrical plug in. Now, 1 year later, my bumper was smashed. Being that I have to replace it anyway, I am contemplating doing the rear park assist. Has anyone installed this on their own? In looking at parts, looks like the bumper skin with the park assist prep isn't that much more than one w/o. The absorbers are the same price. I'm thinking about asking the shop if I can pay the difference. My only issue is, I don't know how bad it is to tear out the interior to get the sensor lights in the ceiling and if there's any computer connections/resets that need to happen. If anyone has installed this, I'd love to hear the trials and tribulations!
  • al_2003al_2003 Member Posts: 26
    Hi,

    I have a 2006 V70 with about 60k miles on it. I now have a job where I will be driving 110 miles/day, and I have to decide whether this car is reliable enough to put 30k miles/year for the next 3 - 4 years or to sell it now and find something else (at significant initial cash outlay).

    So far the car has been perfect; it's comfortable, safe, and not a bad ride. Does anyone have any experience with running up high mileage on this car? If I decide to keep it I will probably run it to 200k miles oro more. The only concern I have so far is some unusual interior wear.

    Thanks!
  • merlin1merlin1 Member Posts: 5
    If you have kept your maintenance up on the car, there should be no problems getting 200K out of this car. I have an '02 V70 that just turned 125K miles. Other than normal wear and tear items (brakes, etc) it runs as good as the day that I drove it off the lot. I religiously change the oil at no more than 5K intervals and have the scheduled maintenance done at a reliable shop. No quickly oil change places.

    :)
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