QuestionHello -- I'm considering buying a used volvo s60 with 22K miles. We noticed that it made a slight groan on a sharp turn and our mechanic said it had the wrong size tires on it. It has 17s and the manual, etc says they should be 16s.
I have a few questions on this -- 1-- should they be replaced with 16s? 2-- could there be any underlying damage to the car if it's been running with 17s for 22K miles? and 3 -- this car seems to get almost 5 miles to the gallon LESS than my older s60. Could the tire size be causing this? 4 -- do you have any speculation as to why the wrong size tire is on this car? thank you!
AnswerKathie,
First, the groan has nothing to do with the tires and has everything to do with some problem in the car.
But let's start at the beginning:
On every vehicle sold in the US - and I understand this is a worldwide practice as well - there is a sticker – commonly called the tire placard - that lists the original tire size and the proper pressure for that size. The placard is usually located on a doorpost or in the glove box – but sometimes it is located in the trunk or on the fuel filler door.
BTW, it doesn't matter who makes the tire or what pressure is listed on the tire's sidewall, if the tire size is the same as the placard, then the pressure listed on placard is also appropriate.
So what does the vehicle tire placard say about tire size? If it indeed says 16" tire, then there are appropriate sizes in 17" that will work just fine.
To find out, go to Tire Rack's web site and see what size they recommend for 17".
Once you've done that, post a followup and we'll discuss further.
