At SimpleTire, we took some time to compile a list of five great tires for your Volvo XC60, including all-season, all-weather, winter and ultra-high-performance (UHP) tires. We know you’re anxious to find out, so let’s get right to it:
1. Continental ContiSportContact 5 - Best UHP tire
For more performance-oriented drivers, there’s the Continental ContiSportContact 5, an ultra-high-performance tire option. Continental designed the ContiSportContact 5 initially to match the performance targets of Mercedes-Benz SLK350 roadsters, with great cornering and braking traction along with lowered rolling resistance. Continental’s Black Chilli tread compound combines long-chain and short-chain polymers for long, even wear, enhanced adhesion to the road for shorter braking distances and good heat dissipation. This tread compound, along with a solid center rib that improves steering response and a “macro-block” outboard shoulder, adds up to handling that’s good enough to merit a SimpleScore of 9.9. Wet-weather grip is enhanced by circumferential grooves and sipes, for a SimpleScore of 9.9 for traction. Longevity comes in at a SimpleScore of 8.6, thanks to the ContiSportContact 5’s twin steel belts and spiral-wrapped polyamide layer. It’s worth noting that the ContiSportContact 5 also lowers road noise with ContiSilent Technology, a layer of foam that helps soak up sound waves and vibrations from the road. Like most UHP tires, the ContiSportContact 5 is not designed for colder weather; its softer, stickier tread formulation will stiffen up and lose traction on cold days and it shouldn’t be used if temperatures are below 40-45 degrees F.
2. Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2 - Best Winter tire
When it comes to winter traction, we’re going with the Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2. The Scorpion Winter starts off with a low-temperature tread compound that stays flexible for traction in subfreezing weather. That rubber formulation is molded into an aggressive directional tread pattern that’s designed with V-shaped grooves, chamfered grooves, circumferential grooves, and dense 3D sipes to literally chew through snow and slush, for a solid SimpleScore of 9.8 for traction. Those tread features also work as a system for improved braking performance, steering response, cornering and control, for a SimpleScore of 9.8 for handling. Not surprisingly, durability and tread wear aren’t a strong suit with the Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2 – as a dedicated winter tire, it’s not designed for warmer weather and its softer, more pliable low-temperature tread compound will wear quickly if temperatures are above 40-45 degrees F. That being said, the Scorpion Winter 2 still sports a great longevity score of 8.0.
3. Toyo Celsius Sport - Best UHP All-Weather tire
If you’re not familiar with the all-weather category for tires, these are tires that are designed for enhanced winter performance, in the kind of conditions where all-season tires often just can’t get the job done. The Toyo Celsius Sport is an all-weather tire that’s also designed to deliver the kind of shorter braking distances, sharp steering response, and confident cornering you expect from a UHP tire. The Celsius Sport has the industry’s Three Peak Mountain Snowflake stamp for severe winter service, thanks to its asymmetric tread pattern that’s designed with circumferential grooves to channel water away and resist hydroplaning, multi-wave sipes, and zigzag shaped blocks on the inboard tread elements that lock snow into the tread for snow-on-snow friction. That’s enough for us to give it an 8.5 SimpleScore for traction. Handling comes in at a 9.3 SimpleScore, thanks to a sticky silica-rich tread compound, single-ply polyester construction, a reinforced shoulder, and tie bars that reduce tread squirm and boost rigidity for solid cornering ability. Longevity score is 8.00 – this tire features durable, stable construction, and is covered by Toyo with a 60,000 mile tread life warranty.
While these are the best Volvo XC60 tires on the market, there are plenty of other options out there. Here’s another one that caught our attention:
4. Accelera Iota ST68 - Great All-Season tire
Now we come to the Accelera Iota ST68, our pick for an affordable all-season tire for your Volvo XC60. Don’t let the affordable price point fool you, the Accelera Iota ST68 is packed with innovative features like an asymmetric tread pattern with three interlocked block lanes for improved steering response, for a SimpleScore of 8.5 for handling. We also like the wet-weather and dry-weather grip of the Iota ST68, with its circumferential grooves and sipes (SimpleScore of 7.9 for traction). Durability is also pretty respectable, as Accelera covers the Iota ST68 with a 35,000 mile tread life warranty, which allows us to give it a SimpleScore of 7.7 for longevity.
Order Volvo XC60 Tires Online
Buying tires online can be a stressful process, but it really doesn't need to be. SimpleTire offers a simple approach to finding the tires that are best for you and your Volvo XC60. Select your Volvo XC60 below, then tell us a few more things such as year and trim level to determine your tire size. From there, we'll show you tires that fit your vehicle and are the best match based on performance characteristics, but you can also look for the best value tires, tires that are on sale or part of a promo, have the longest tread life, and much more