Best Tyres for the Volvo C30 1.6 Drive

Replaced Avon ZV7s on the front basically as the equivalent Yoko's were £25 a corner cheaper and the same wet A-grading as the predecessors.

I only bought these because at the time of purchase there was a good deal on, making a set of 4 cheaper than budgets. I could have paid a few £ more and had Pilot Sports, but I was keen to try something which is aimed more at comfort than ultimate handling given that this was to be my commuting car for 100 miles a day. I think I can sum these up as good, if rather boring, and frankly rather average tyres. In the dry they perform perfectly fine, I've been able to throw the C30 around hard enough and without finding any ditches along the way. In the wet they are noticeably poorer in performance than Pilot Sports when new, with an alarming tendency to pull violently into standing water, not too bad when new but by the time the tyres have hit 3mm it's pretty hairy on a wet road at speed, although wet braking has remained good throughout. These are just about life expired now after around 8000 miles on what is supposed to be a super economical puny engined diesel. Admittedly I make it work harder than Volvo ever intended, but all the same really was expecting a lot more life out of these. These were supposed to be A rated for grip and A rated for fuel efficiency according to the label. I can't say as I noticed any change in fuel consumption since fitting them, and that wet rating must have scraped through. Can't personally recommend them, though I think if driving at 45 everywhere as Volvo wanted me too they'd probably have excelled, but as it is it's back to Rainsports for me.

Had these put on a couple months ago on my volvo c30. I was worried at first because of the price that they might feel a little unstable but I needn't have been dubious. They are extremely good under heavy breaking which I've had to do twice since they've been on. I have both times I was left thinking how good they performed. They feel very stable under wet conditions too.

I used these tyres after UG7s (on 2005 Opel Astra 1.3 cdti), which made my life much easier in winter in Ankara (Turkey). I was living in a neighbourhood up on the hills and with steepy, narrow streets in which snow stayed like rock for weeks. UG7 created no problems, I kept moving while other cars stuck or slid back down the hills. That's why I picked Good Year UG9 when I had to buy a set of winter tyres for my new car (Volvo c30 1.6 D2). As expected, these were even better than the UG7s. Absolutely no problem in steering on fresh or frozen snow/ice, wet or dry (but icy) roads. The car clutched the surface as if it was summer with summer tyres on. More surprisingly, there was almost no change in fuel consumption when compared with Good Year Efficient Grip Performances I used between March and November. Moreover, I managed to avoid some crashes as the car could stop quickly no matter it was snowy or rainy. Another indicator of the overall perfect grip was the sign of the tracking control system which did almost never activate with UG9s on. Unfortunately, I could not find the size (225-45-17) for my new car this winter but still I sticked to Good Years and bought a set of UG Performance Gen 1 which did not have to cope with heavy conditions yet. But anyway, I am confident about the good years.

These were standard fitment on this car.

What they excel at is:

Motorway work, when they get nice and warm; in fact the longer the journey, the better.

Wear, which is negligible – after 40,000 miles the fronts have 4mm left and the rear over 5mm.

Fuel efficiency has been extraordinary, the car has average 58 mpg over 40,000 miles much of which has been on main roads/motorways travelling as quick as is reasonable. I have yet to see if the new tyres I am running (Continental Winter Contact TS830P) seriously affect the mpg.


What they are not so good at:

First long journey on a damp November A road got me nervous about their grip. I have never felt that I wanted to put these tyres to an extreme test; they just did not inspire confidence in col/damp conditions. Having said that they have never let me down or done anything really horrible.

Noisy, not unbearable but definitely there.

A hard and harsh ride. This has seemed to get worse as the tyres have worn. They are not meant to be a ‘performance' tyre but they seem almost as harsh as one.


Would I buy them again or refit them after the winter?

Not sure about this. They do have some strong attributes, especially wear and fuel efficiency. However in terms of driving experience and enjoyment my new winter tyres are so much better, and it's still 10c outside so not a ‘real' winter yet, that I will have to seriously consider alternatives in the spring.