I'm thinking about increasing the wheel size on my 94 850 GLT from 15" to 16". I currently use 195/60 R15 tires, and would like to go to 205/55 R16, and use Dunlop SP Sport 5000 asymetrical tires. I would like a firm, responsive ride, not as harsh as the R suspension. I just don't know whether the extra inch is, so to speak, worth it. I use the car only on weekends in a mix of city and long highway driving. If I stayed with the 15" wheels, I would get the symetrical SP Sport 5000 tires at 225/60 R15. What do you recommend? Thanks.

My factory wheels on my R wagon is 205/50/16 with Michelin Pilots. IMO this is an all around setup for ride vs. handling trade off. I think that the previous owner went to this size rim, vs. 17" rims, for that reason and I am pretty happy with it.

I have a 5.0L Mustang with only 15" rims and I think it could use 16" rims even if the contact patch stays the same. Just the idea of having less sidewall flex would really improve the handling response. Going with a wider tire while keeping the same aspect ratio could help some but it still is going to flex. Your idea of dropping 5% aspect ratio is going in the right direction if you are going to keep the same wheels. My $.02...

Hiya John,

I was just looking at volvospeed.com the other day and saw something that you should read. They have some pics of an 850 that the owner increased the wheels to 16"...I think 205/55/16 and there was some damage to the inner well. Check out the Volvo section and then cruise the info.

Your train of thought is not novel...tons for 15" wheel users want to upgrade to 16" and it looks like there are some problems. I hope this helps you make your decision.

Regards,

Kev

About one month ago, I completed significant upgrades to my 93 850GLT stock suspension. The real catalyst for the upgrade were the "90% shot" rear shocks which made the car feel bouncy and unsafe over bumps and at highway speeds. Maybe I'll tell the story about all of the upgrades in another post.

Back to your questions about wheels and tires. The stock tire for my model is 195/60 VR 15. The previous owner had put on the previous generation of Bridgestone Turanzas in the 195/60HR15 size. My research found that 95% of the all-season tires in that size are only H-rated. The all-season V-rated tires in that size seemed either very expensive, not that highly rated, or both. A couple of different tire people recommended upgrading to the 205/55R15 tire size -- I believe this was the stock tire size on the 94 850 Turbos.

After much research, I narrowed my choices down to Michelin Pilot XGT V4 ($650 installed) and the Dunlop Sport SP 5000 asymetrical ($425 installed) which I ended up getting in the 205/55ZR15 size. I looked at upgrading to 16" wheels, but decided to save several hundred dollars and keep the 15 inchers. I've been quite happy with the Dunlops, especially their performance in the rain (and a little bit of Maryland snow).

Maybe someone else will know, but I'm pretty sure the 225/60R15 tire size you mentioned will NOT fit in the wheel well.

Ralph 93 850GLT, 115K, Bilsteins, IPD Sway Bars & Strut Brace

Thanks for the great info. I currently have the Turanzas - not sure if they are "previous generation" or not, but they feel too hard and are not really great in rain. I don't know if I understand your tire speed rating. TireRack sells the 205/55 asymmetrical 15" in a W rating, not Z. Am I missing something??

A good question. I'm not positive I understand the difference myself. Officially, H-rated is 130mph, V is 149mph, W is 168mph, Y is 186mph, and Z is "over 149mph". These are not round numbers because they are based on round metric speeds of kph and have been converted for us dumb Americans.

Anyway, you are correct, TireRack lists these tires in the 205/55R15 size as W-rated. However, the Dunlop website:

http://www.dunloptire.com/products/tire.html?tire=sp_sport_5000

and the sidewall of my tire shows them to be "Z-rated".

As long as we were/are in the same boat of going from 195/60HR15 Brigestone Turanzas to 205/55ZR15 Dunlop SP5000s on an 850GLT, I guess I can give you an idea of what to expect. The first thing you have to remember is that you are talking about going from a performance touring tire to a high performance all-season tire. Every tire is a compromise, and no tire can be great at everything -- we just try to maximize those tire characteristics that are most important to us.

In making the switch, expect wet performance to go way up (this was the most important to me), snow performance up, handling & cornering ability up, firmness up (stiffer sidewall) (and the compromise is ride comfort down a little). The Dunlops might also be slightly noisier, but not to the point of being bothersome. Basically, you're going to "feel" the road more -- in both the good and bad senses of the word. The car is much more fun to drive (I'm sure the new Bilsteins and sway bars are contributing to this), but I now find myself to be much more concerned about bumps and potholes that are in front of my car.

Hope this helps. Ralph

Good information, as well as the info from Kevin on the rubbing for the 16". I've been persuaded to stay with the 15" and the 205/55s. Since you drive a 93, I wonder if you think that the power steering system has excessive play. Mine just feels a little loose, although I know the steering linkage is fine. I rented a 2000 V70 wagon for a drive from Indy to Chicago last month, through some heavy rain. It felt noticeably steadier on the road than my 94. It had the MXV4 OEM tires, but beyond that the steering definitely felt tauter than my 94. I suppose Volvo has made suspension and other changes. What I haven't done, and probably should do, is test drive another 94 at a dealer, just to see what it feels like.

I think if you went with the 225/60 R15s that you mentioned, they will rub. That size seems significantly larger than the stock size. I went with 205/55 R15 from 195/60 and are very happy with them. Speedo error is negligible, 1.4%.