Volvo loves having big wheels on its vehicles. While those wheels really look great, we have established that big wheels are not really practical. The smallest factory fitted wheel that Volvo seems to offer on any model is 18-inches in diameter.
An XC60 R-Design T8, which is the plug-in hybrid model, belonging to a SwedeSpeed member Kranvagn came equipped with 22-inch wheels. Because he wanted “to some serious road trips and off-road trips in 2019, so some real tires were the first order of business”. He downsized from the factory 22s to aftermarket MSW Type 49 wheels. Those 18″x8″ wheels had a +42mm offset, nicely clearing the brake calipers.
Then, he did the best thing ever. He wrapped those smaller wheels in 255/55-18 BFG00drich A/T KO2 tires. Those are all-around fantastic tires and certainly our favorites here at the Hooniverse. The result of those chunky tires on a great looking XC60 is simply spectacular.
More importantly, he used his slightly modified XC60 to actually venture off the highway and not just look cool. And then he added more modifications, such as a spare tire carried and a rooftop tent.
Kranvagn further posted some comparisons in terms of gas mileage and noise levels, both of which were very well conducted. The thread ends with his swapping his BFGs for taller Hankook Dynapro AT2 tires. While the taller sidewall of those tires allowed him to run lower tire pressure and added a bit of ground clearance, that tire gets much less traction than the BFG.
The post got so much love that other board members went with the same setup on their XC60s and XC90s. I think that this is great setup even for those who do not venture much off the paved road but live in an area where roads are just bad. If I had a new Volvo this would be one of the first, if only, modifications I’d make to it. I think it would look killer in a V60 Cross Country.
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