He doesn’t think downsizing will make much difference in propensity to bend. They all bend.
Regarding aftermarket wheels, “we work on a lot of them,” he says. He’s not against them, but recommends OEM. Reading between the lines, he may be encountering proportionally more cheaper aftermarkets that skew his view, but I’m sure he can distinguish quality when he sees it, and he didn’t recommend seeking out quality aftermarkets. He also acknowledged that the situation is different with tires—no need to stick with OEM tires.
Regarding tires, he cautions against summer performance tires that sacrifice wet performance—you have to pay attention to the TireRack tests. Actually, TireRack’s cross-category test notes that the entire max performance summer category performs better in wet than extreme performance, which is bested by UHP all season category.
He just runs ultra-high performance all seasons all year—on a Lexus hatch. It’s not about spirited performance, it’s about the optimal trade offs. He reckons (grand) touring tires sacrifice too much grip for ride and longevity (IIRC), but wasn’t against them.
I suppose the case against port take offs is that V60 is no longer in port. There just isn’t much inventory.
For an all season 19″, that leaves a decision between GT and UHP. Do you match the polite dynamics of the Volvo with the GT, or do you complement it with the UHP?
It’s hard to compare across categories, but for me, the decider is wet performance. That’s the most common real world hazard to navigate. The aforementioned TireRack cross-category testing confirms that UHP is the better wet bet, but you have to figure the best of the GT competes with the lesser of the UHP for wet performance.
True to form, the all-weather Goodyear and Vredestein GT tires excel here. Among the three popular UHPs (Pirelli, Continental, Michelin), they all fare well, with minor differences in specific exercises.
That leaves a choice between hedging all seasons toward winter and comfort vs. summer and performance. For me, summer is probably the better hedge, and the Volvo provides ample comfort. Although I read a while back that the Continental UHP performed particularly well in snow for the category. The Pirelli P Zero looks hard to beat on the all-around scores, catching up with the venerable Continental DWS 06 and Michelin Pilot Sport.