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960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Paul Watson on
Thursday, 5 March 1998, at 7:42 p.m.
I have a 1993 960 wagon that has what I consider shrimpy looking wheels and/or tires. I put Michelin 185 65 R15's on the alloy wheels. Great riding but no good! Any ideas of a tire or wheel / tire combo that has a more balanced look for a car this size?
Re: 960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Eric D. on
Friday, 6 March 1998, at 6:50 a.m.
Paul,
You could easily go with 195/65 or 205/60 H or V rated tires on the stock 15" alloys without a problem. The 205's should give a nice wide stance for your wagon (and the ride and handling should be alot better than the skinny 185/65's).
The 960/S90 sedan went up to 16" alloys in '95, I think. Tires on those were 205/55 VR16. The '91 940T I've got also has 16" alloys and 205/55's. I'm sure there are folks out there who perhaps have gone with even wider tires and/or taller rims on the 700/900s, though I've heard it's not recommended.
Regards,
Eric
'90 780T
'91 940T
Re: 960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Shatz on
Friday, 6 March 1998, at 8:04 a.m.
The 92 960 stock is a 195/65 R15 tire. A Michlin MXV4 tire is standard. These are H rated tires. These are good all-around tires, but on wet pavement the tend to be squirrly. I will look carefully at others that may give better performance in that regard. I rather like the standard rims on my car. They are similar to the subsequent "sunburst" design, but with forward-angled spokes. Gives the car sleeker look in my opinion.
Re: 960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Edward Mills on
Friday, 6 March 1998, at 11:40 p.m.
Bolt pattern (5 on 4.25" or 108mm?) is hard to find and correct offset for rwd Volvo's is even rarer. If you want stock look, try to find a set of 15" or preferably 16" Volvo wheels off a 7xx or pre 1995 9xx Volvo. They should fit (correct bolt pattern and offsets). Stay away from 8xx series wheels and late 1995(?) and later 96x wheels as they are much greater inboard offset. Alternate is aftermarket wheels - best sources may be Tire Rack or Discount Tire Direct via WWW. Both seem to have a good selection. Personal preference would be something like 16x7.5 MilleMiglia MM-11 which is claimed to fit 7xx and pre-1995 9xx Volvos.
As to tires, I'm guessing you had 195/65-15 as stock. To keep same height and keep speedo accuracy, stay with a 195/65-15, 205/60-15 or 205/55-16. If 185/65-15 was your OE size, then alternates would be 195/60-15, 205/55-15 or 205-50-16 or of course you could go up a size to those listed above to better fill out wheel well. My recollection is about 2 or 3% speedo error for size increase, though there is some variation from one tire brand to another.
As to tires themselves, Michelin has an XGT-H4 (or XGT-V4) which is good all season and was reasonably priced when I bought last year with a 40k(?) Michelin warranty. Personal preference for handling at best price (but sacrifice mileage?) would be Dunlop SP D40M2 which are well under $100 from above wheel sources. If you buy tires and wheels by mail, they mount and balance free and you typically pay freight, but no sales tax. Note: Americas Tire is owned by same parent as Discount Tire Direct and they have a local mounting deal at least in Ca. I was also told they would match mail order prices from DTD. Best wishes. Ed Mills
Re: 960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Rick Ewald on
Saturday, 7 March 1998, at 4:29 p.m.
Just a thought about the wheels and tires for the 960 wagon. While 960 sedans have come with 16 inch wheels and tires, the wagons have always had 15 inch. This is due to the fact that the 15 inch wheel and tire has a higher load capicity.
If you drag a ot of stuff, you might want to stay with the 15's.
Re: 960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Bill Matthews on
Saturday, 7 March 1998, at 10:20 p.m.
HuH? This makes no sense. What is the relationship between load capacity and wheel diameter?
Bill Matthews
Hockessin De
94 855T
73 1800ES
Re: 960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Rick Ewald on
Saturday, 7 March 1998, at 11:15 p.m.
Bill,
Yeah I know it sounds wierd, but work with me here. The load cap. of a wheel and tire combo has to do with how tall the sidewall is.
If you take oh say a 195/70x15 and a 205/60x16 they will have the same outer diamater, right? But the sidewall of the 205 will be shorter and more flexable (has to be more flexable to keep the tread on the ground). This cuts into the weight cap. of the wheel and tire.
If you are still not convinced then cruise down to your local Volvo dealer and look at a new S90 and a V90, read the small print on the sidewall the load ratings are printed there.
Rick
Re: 960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Bill Matthews on
Sunday, 8 March 1998, at 8:55 a.m.
What you are saying may apply to the two specific tires that Volvo is offering as OEM equipment but does not hold as a general statement. Moving to a lower sidewall height does not necessarily move to a more compliant side wall - only if you choose to do that based on maintaining a certain set of ride characteristics. In many cases just the opposite is true - for instance because you may choose to go to a higher speed rating and have less flex in the sidewall.
There is not a hard and fast rule as there are way too many other variables in tire design. The speed rating itself comes in to play here because it really is a measure of a tire's ability to throw off heat as fast as you put it in the tire (caused primarily by flex as the tire rolls). This is basically the same problem for load rating at a slower speed or maximum sustainable high speed. The higher the load the more tire flex. Simlplisticly, to improve high speed durability (or load carrying ability) you either make the tire more stiff or improve its heat transfer characteristics. Tire manufacturers comprimise these variables in different ways. An individual changes them as needed by increasing tire pressures for higher load conditions.
Bill Matthews
Hockessin DE
94 855T
73 1800ES
Re: 960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Rick Ewald on
Sunday, 8 March 1998, at 10:11 a.m.
Bill,
Yes, I took the simple way out with my explaination. Yes there are many variables in tire design, tires are in fact a very complex structure.
When the 964 came out with 16 inch wheels I wondered why the 965 had 15's so I did a little reading and asked a few questions. the explaination I gave is the answer I was given. While the diference in load capacity may not seem like much, it occurs to me that the guy that designed the car probably knows more about this subject than I do. As far as is this a general rule (shorter sidewall = less load capacity). Volvo's world wide come with Michelin, Pirelli, Goodyear, Gislaved, and probably some more that I am not aware of, and instead of finding a 16 inch tire that had the capacity the designers chose to put another part number into the system and go with 15 inch.
The point I was trying to get across, and it is important is this:
If your 965 hauls a bunch of stuff you had best be paying attention to the load rating of the tire / wheel combo that you put on the car. To ignore this and just put on what looks cool is to invite a tire failure.
Re: 960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Bill Matthews on
Sunday, 8 March 1998, at 4:09 p.m.
On your final point I am in total agreement. Know how you plan to use your car and put on the approriate tires to match your needs. Although seemingly simple, tire technolgy has advanced significantly in the last 15 years. To the point that there are so many choices the average consumer neither knows or wants to take time to find out what it all means. Where the rubber meets the road is one of the most significant handling and safety variables of the car you drive.
Bill Matthews
Hockessin DE
94 855T
73 1800ES
Re: 960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Edward Mills on
Sunday, 8 March 1998, at 11:09 p.m.
For load info, you can find a nice table explaining load ratings at http://www.tires.com/direct.html under the section "before you buy". As change in load capacity, I would agree, but if OE was 195/60-15 load rating is typically 88 or 87 depending on tire. 185/65-15 is also typically 88. 195/65-15 vary between 89 and 91. 205/60-15 are typically 90 or 91. 205/55-16 are typically 89 or 90. So going to 16's is not necessarily a decrease in load capacity. Other interesting sources for tire info including Load capacities http://www.dunloptire.com/library.html and http://www.goodyear.com/nat/pclt_cat/performance.html and http://www.michelin.com/us/eng/tire/pilot/welcome1.htm
Re: 960 wheels / tires[850/1995] posted by Lee on
Sunday, 8 March 1998, at 12:58 p.m.
Replaced the 195/65HR-15 tires on my '94 960 with 205/60HR-15 tires: "look of the car is better; steering response is sharper; ride is as "soft"; and, the load rating is higher. All three of our cars are "one size larger" than OEM with no adverse effects and only 1-2 mph speedometer error.
Good luck in your search and final solution.
Lee Lowrey
'94 960 (205/60-15 Goodyear Aquatred II)
'89 740 (195/65-15 B.F.Goodrich Touring T/A)
'89 M-B 190E (195/65-15 Goodyear Eagle GT II)