Hello, and Merry Christmas.


V70. I am wondering -- Can I replace our car's original 185/65R15 tires with 185/70R14 studded tires (on rims) for this winter season? We happen to have these, only one season on another Volvo, on hand, and am hoping to be able to put them to good use as they are needed now, and new ones are quite costly

Thank you.

What kind of rims?

Alloy or steel?

Some steel rims have extra room inside as the steel is thin.

Are the wheels rated for your car? When I purchased steel rims from a tire dealer, they had to find heavy duty rims to handle the weight of a loaded wagon. The heavy duty 850 rims had at least twice the welds than the rims from one of our 740s had.

If the wheels are alloy and you know three names, the last time I went to Volvo's site, I was able to cross reference wheels from 2012 back to Volans from 1996. They should fit!

I just went out to look at them to check and -- they are NOT on rims like I thought I remembered they were.

Does this mean that I cannot use them?!

You cannot fit 14 inch tires on 15 inch rims. Today, 14 inch tires are like buggy whips.

Obtaining rims for your tires is probably sending good money after bad.

If the tires are in good condition, selling them might be your best bet. BTW - the studs can be pulled out - a pair of narrow parrot-nosed pliers makes the job easier. You could offer to sell them with or without studs.

If you decide to get another set of rims, try to find Volvo rims - aftermarket rims can be a nightmare.

I had a set of aftermarket rims ordered by my tire dealer - they were about half the price of Volvo rims - BUT - they used different lug bolts, a real hassle - I have to carry extra lugs to use my spare!

Sadly, you are in a more expensive league when you look for wheels for your car.

If you check Volvo prices for wheels, you might find that it would be less expensive to buy a set of used Volvo wheels with poor tires the buying new wheels of any kind.

Volvo's site has a large listing of rims, you might check to see which wheels fit your car. I found that the Volans from my '96 855R will fit my '12 VC70!

The tire size is close enough, but check the rim doesn't touch the caliper.
--
Keeping it running is better than buying new

How? I won't be putting them on myself, but at a tire shop.

You'll want to check that the overall diameter is close between the two -- and that the 14" rims will clear your calipers. -- Dave

Better yet, make the snow go away. :)