Do you rotate your tires on your XC90? Do you not? Why did Volvo say yes to rotation in 2004 and other early years and then switch to no rotation recommendation in recent years? The owner’s manual for your 2004 Volvo XC90 has very little to say about tire rotation, but what it does say is very important. So if you’re looking for information about the rotation pattern for your tires, this post is for you.
For the sake of accuracy, I won’t paraphrase what Volvo says about tires and rotation in the 2004 XC90 owner’s manual, so here it is:
Tire Rotation
Volvo recommends rotating the tires every 7,500 miles (12,000 km). Tires should be rotated front-to-back/back-to-front only. Tires must maintain the same direction of rotation throughout their lifetime, and should never be rotated from one side of the vehicle to the other.
Pretty simple, right? Tires remain on the same side of the vehicle to maintain the same rotational direction. If I had to guess, Volvo suggests this in the manual for a number of reasons:
It’s likely your XC90 came with directional tires. Meaning, your tires were designed to only rotate one way. Not sure if you have directional tires? Take a look on your tires and. See if there’s an arrow on them. My Bridgestone tires are not directional, while my winter tires are directional. I rotate both sets as if they were directional to avoid confusion. I think this is what Volvo was going for in the 2004 manual to avoid people improperly rotating directional tires.
There’s a good chance that, even if your XC90 didn’t have directional tires when it was built, it has been fitted with them. Go look for yourself and see.
Volvo, in their manual, is trying to take the safe route and avoid explaining the often confusing details of rotational patterns based on the type of tire you have. Simple is better when it comes to manuals and Volvo doesn’t stray from that in this case.
Tires that are non-directional can still be rotated as if they were. To sum up what I’ve stated above, it’s ok to rotate your tires from back to front, maintaining the same side. With that said, there may always be an exception, so read the fine print from your tire manufacturer and read the fine print from the reseller. If either of those two offer a warranty with their tires, they may stipulate that you rotate your tires on a certain schedule and in a certain way to maintain the warranty.
I bought my summer tires (Bridgestone) from Costco. I’m certain that in the Costco literature or the Bridgestone literature there is something that refers to rotation and warranty.
So, when it comes to rotating the tires on your XC90, you have to go beyond your owner’s manual to get the full story. But your owners manual is always the best place to start.
