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alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Walter on
Monday, 8 December 1997, at 8:12 p.m.
I have a '95 850T and I would like to upgrade the wheels w/o too great a cost. There appear to be take offs from R's, T-5's, etc. about from when the owners thereof upgrade to aftermarket wheels. Do any of these offer any advantages other than appearance over my present stock wheels(wider?, etc.). Also, has anyone had any troubles with tire or wheel damage when going to the larger diameter wheels and concomitant "thinner" sidewalls? Finally, I am thinking of powdercoating the wheels-any experience on how this holds up to mounting/unmounting and road use? Thanks. Walter
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Mark on
Tuesday, 9 December 1997, at 3:56 p.m.
I don't have an answer for Walter but would like to join in requesting a post from anyone with alloy wheel powdercoating experience. I have late model five spoke "turbo" wheels on my 1800ES and would like to have them powdercoated to something other than the stock silver-grey. When I had a oil pan powdercoated for my boat, the powdercoat shop had me take the stock pan to a furniture refinisher and have it "dipped" in a caustic solution to remove the stock paint. Shop said it was faster and cheaper than sandblasting and worked just as good. Will alloy wheels stand up to dipping? If not, will they stand up to sandblasting? Is the original finish on Volvo alloys a powdercoat (i.e., will my new finish last as long as the original)? The shop has given me an initial quote of $25.00 per wheel in black (if I prep and am willing to wait until hi is shooting black on another project). This sounds like a bargain to me. Or should I go hog-wild and have them coated Volvo orange to match the car . . . .
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Dan Bennion on
Sunday, 14 December 1997, at 6:34 p.m.
I recently installed a set of the 5-spoke charcoal black 17's off of the T-5 onto my 1990 744. The offset was not right, and they rubbed up against the strut tower. I had to get a pair of 1/4 inch spacers for the front wheels. The back wheels were fine. The guy I bought them from had put 225/40/17 tires on them. I am taking them off soon and getting 45 or 50 series tires, because they are too slim. It is a jarring ride, and I fear for a wheel being dented.
-Dan
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by orson on
Sunday, 14 December 1997, at 8:15 a.m.
Most aftermarket 17" wheels are at least 8" wide. This is wider than the T-5R 17" wheel. Call the Tire Rack or Discount Tire. Ask about your OEM wheel size/offset and use that to compare against any wheel you are considering. The closer the dimensions (especially offset) the better. A wider wheel with the same tire will generally provide slightly crisper performance and slightly worse ride since the sidewalls are more in tension more than if the same tire were in a more narrow wheel. The ride may also suffer somewhat if the wider wheel weighs more. But these effects may be negligible from the driver's seat.
BTW, where did you find take-offs from T-5R's? I'm looking for a set of 16" or 17" wheels myself and OEM Volvo wheels are fine for me.
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Walter on
Sunday, 14 December 1997, at 7:20 p.m.
Owners of the factory hot rod 850s seem more willing to get aftermarket wheels than owners of the more mundane flavors of 850s. Canvas local high end wheel and tire shops looking for someone who is upgrading. Do the 17" wheels have more relability problems than the 16s? If the 17s are the same width, is there any performance gain with them?
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Edward Mills on
Monday, 15 December 1997, at 1:47 a.m.
definitely more problems with wheel damage on 17" wheels as compared to 16" - shorter sidewall = less flex = more impact to wheel, also ride harshness increased.
probably some performance gain on smooth surface such as race track, but may actually lose handling / performance in real world.
If you do go 17's try to keep as much sidewall as you can - but that generally means taller tires. For example a 205/50-17 is 25.1" diameter vs 215/45-17 at 24.6", 225/45-17 at 24.9", 245/40-17 at 24.7", and 205/55-16 at 24.9". the difference is 0.5" more sidewall in the 16's for same OD. All numbers courtesy of Dunlop (SP8000).
I know of at least a couple of early T5's and/or 850R's where buyuer ordered with 16" optional wheels instead of 17" in one case and owner traded 17" to 16" in another case after riding on 17's.
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Henry T. Mui on
Thursday, 18 December 1997, at 8:35 p.m.
Unless you are willing pay out front big bucks for the Volvo alloy wheels, there is not many companies out there that makes alloy wheels to fit the Volvo size and offset. American Racing U.S.A. use to make them to fit the Volvos but, do not know if they still do or not! Try TSW U.S.A. Their prices are reasonable. Much better price than the Volvo ones! Try the link site below to TSW I hope it works! For the 800 series volvos they carry both 4 bolt and 5 bolt aftermarket alloy wheels for them. For the 93' 800 series they carry them in a 17x7.5 wheel size. As for the 94'- they only carry them in a 15x7 wheel size. But, you can get away with using the 960 94'- alloy wheels that TSW carries which does come in a 17x7.5, 17x8 and a 18x8 wheel size.
From the info. given by then the offset is the same, wheel bolt pattern and hub bore so it should work!
Good luck in your search!
TSW USA VOLVO APPLICATION GUIDE:
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Topi on
Friday, 19 December 1997, at 12:15 a.m.
I didn't know 850 had 4 bolt wheels. Anyway, you can use ALL Ford wheels regarding the bolt pattern. They're 4-on-108mm or 4-on- 4.25". How about those TRX 390mm Metric Mustang wheels on your 850....Also, Mercur XR4Ti wheels will fit.
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Bill Matthews on
Saturday, 20 December 1997, at 6:44 a.m.
93 850's had four bolt wheels all others five bolt pattern.
Bill Matthews
Hockessin DE
94 855T
73 1800ES
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Dan Bennion on
Tuesday, 23 December 1997, at 5:50 p.m.
My 93 850 has a 5-bolt pattern. I have interchanged the wheels onto my 744 when my 5-spoke 17's from the T-5 were getting machined.
Is it possible that a 4-bolt pattern was a regional thing? Neither my mechanic not I have ever seen a 4-bolt pattern on an 850.
-Dan
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Bill Matthews on
Tuesday, 23 December 1997, at 7:35 p.m.
I think the 4 bolt pattern was an early 850 thing and only a few were made that way until they switched to 5 bolt in the middle of 93. I could be wrong but I remember in my search for wheels there was always an asterisk associated with some 93 models.
Bill Matthews
Hockessin DE
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Peter on
Friday, 19 December 1997, at 12:02 p.m.
Actually the reason people have problems with rim damage on 17" wheels is not because the tire sidewall is stiffer and transfers more shock to the rim, but because a lower profile tire offers less protection to the rim. A 40 section tire offers less "cush" than a taller tire. A pothole edge completely collapses the tire sidewall and impacts the rim that much sooner than it would a 50 series tire.
I'll get on my soapbox here... I believe the main cause for rim damage while using low profile tires is not due to the the tire profile, but due to owners that don't check tire pressures. With regards to both contact patch and suceptibility to rim damage, A lower profile tire is MUCH more sensitive to tire pressure than a higher profile tire. Many owners lower their pressures to ease the harsh ride that the stiff, low profile sidewalls provide, and then wonder why they're replacing rims...
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Bill Matthews on
Saturday, 20 December 1997, at 6:57 a.m.
Having had 17" wheels with 45 profile tires on my 850 for three years now (April thru November) I will throw my oar in here and vouch 100% for what Peter says about air pressures and specifically proper air pressure helping prevent bent rims. Also because of the lower internal volume available in the 17" tire it tends to lose pressure faster than a comparable 16" or 15" higher profile tire and needs to be checked much more frequently. I try to do mine once/week (don't always get it done) but if I go three weeks and there is also any ouside temp drop I can see 4-5 lb drops in tire pressures.
I try to run 39 lbs front 35 lbs rear and it seems to work pretty well for me. I started out at 45 front 40 rear and backed down to the point where the ride was acceptable and the handling was still crisp without oversteer. The previous paragraph 4-5 drop in pressure becomes noticable in the handling once you are used to the higher pressures.
Bill Matthews
Hockessin DE
94 855T
73 1800ES
Re: alloy wheels[ALL/1998] posted by Adam Carson on
Saturday, 20 December 1997, at 6:21 p.m.
If anyone is looking for aftermarket alloys for a 240 or 700, I have the hot set-up.. Its the 16x7 Mille Miglia five spoke (same wheel as Racing Dynamics 5-spoke for BMW's), which is available from the Tire Rack. It is designed for 700's I believe, but fits great on 240's too. With a 225/50 tire it looks absolutely killer, especially when the car is in motion. From the front or rear it looks like a big-dished big-lipped wheel, and they really fill out the fender wells when equipped with lowering springs. They are not too expensive either, @$150 each, which is actually pretty cheap. I think it comes in a 17" version for 700 series cars too.