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Hi all, I am in the middle of preparing documents in pursuing a denied claim from an extended warranty comapny (for the full story, please see my previous posts).
Long story short, my claim was denied because I had 205/55/16 tires instead of 205/50/16 on my 850. Therefore, it was considered as been altered, but I have heard from people that 205/55/16 was offered as an option from volvo at one time, and I need proof that this is the case.
My question is, has 205/55/16 ever been offered as a standard or optional tire size on an 850 or the 70-series? if so, can anyone provide any document that states it?
thanks
Olson
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Thank you for replying. The information is very helpful. I have an 850 R, which makes the issue a bit mroe complicated.
1. I get tire rub with 205/55/16, but is the damage is limited to the tire? what about the rest of the suspension system?
2. What was the whole "wheel/tire class-action suit" about? I have not heard of it, can someone explain it to me?
thank you
Olson
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I have the 94 850 turbo, and was included in the class action settlement. I was given new tires, slightly higher sidewall. I did not read it all, pages of legal jargon, but the jist was a New Jersey driver was killed or hurt, due to the tire blowing out from a pothole or something. I suspect the case's theroy was the lower profile tire was dangerous and since Volvo specified it, Volvo was responsible. I never had a problem with the OEM tires, except they were horrible in snow.
Spence
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posted by
someone claiming to be Punxsutawney Phil
on
Sat Jun 15 16:13 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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This happened just before Ford bought Volvo. Law firm got >$4MM. Volvo 850T/R owners with low profile tires got new set of tires, $500 or $1000 credit for new Volvo. Multiple discussions in the brickboard archives. Some listed below....
http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/index.htm?id=431258
http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/index.htm?id=147070
http://www.brickboard.com/ARCHIVES/1999MAR/10009226.shtml
http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/index.htm?id=145692
#1 I thought the wheel well rubbing was due to the design of the "early" 850 wheel well liners, but OCICBWAPA. (ofcourseicouldbewrongandprobablyam) I don't know about the other suspension components. Look in your owner's manual and on the sticker inside your gas cap to see if the 55s were factory issue on your car.
-Punxsutawney Phil
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posted by
someone claiming to be Punxsutawney Phil
on
Sat Jun 15 16:26 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Note VolvoSpeed's nice photos below. What I surmise from his post is that the suspension is different on 850Rs and so it's "more" than just replace the liners. If Volvo says not to use 55s on 850Rs, and they designed the car........
-Punxsutawney Phil
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On the gas lid of my S70 T5 - the tire pressure and loading information refers to the 205/55/R16 as stock - so does the Owner's Manual.
Hope this helps!
--
1998 S70 T5Se Silver, 83,000 km
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Your situation may fall under the aftermarket parts Magnuson Moss law. Below is a copy of TME's webpage, discussing aftermarket parts vs. warranty. You are fighting an insurance company, and they make more money by paying less claims. You might want to file a complaint against them with the attorney general in the your state, and possibly the insurance commission. They more trouble you make, the more likely they will pay.
TME statement in Q & A section:
3. Will I get engine problems by upgrading the performance?
No. The engine performance upgrades developed by us, for use with unleaded premium fuel and with our exhaust system, have not shown any noticeable increased wear. Your choice of motor oil, service intervals and your own driving style will make a bigger difference. We recommend 5W-50 or better, fully synthetic motor oil and also to follow the service intervals from Volvo. Do not use the ECU upgrade with the stock exhaust system. The ECU upgrades are developed for use with our exhaust systems, only. You can overheat the catalytic converter and turbocharger and you will get unstable performance, less power and slow throttle response because of the added thermal load on the engine, by using the ECU upgrade with the stock exhaust. Automatic transmission only: Do not ever use any ATF additives and only use ATF oils recommended by Volvo, but change the ATF oil every 25,000 miles or 40,000 km. US-market only: By law, the installation of aftermarket performance products on a vehicle does not necessarily void the manufacturer's new vehicle warranty. The manufacturer must be able to prove that the aftermarket part directly caused the failure in question if warranty is denied. This is stated in the Magnuson Moss Act which protects your right to install aftermarket parts on your vehicle and maintain your warranty. All other markets: check your local laws and warranty terms.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Punxsutawney Phil
on
Sat Jun 15 04:27 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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My '98 V70T5 came from the factory equiped with 205/55/16 tires. The 205/50/16 was a "no cost" option. Same size wheels for both. I was STRONGLY discouraged from ordering the 50 series size by my dealer. Essentially, they refused to order the car with the 50 series tires. Subsequently I learned of the 850 wheel/tire class-action lawsuit that involved this size, and surmised that the dealer had so many customers returning purple-faced with bent rims out here in NYC pothole-land that they "had it" with the 50-series. Obviously, the 55 tire has higher sidewalls, and it will absorb more of a shock than the 50 series.
From the 1997 850 owner's manual, available at the Volvo NA website, under "Owner's Circle", "Caring for your Volvo" and "Owner's Manuals":
"Snow chains cannot be used on those turbo-charged models fitted with all-season tires 205/55 R16 or 205/45 R17."
Implicit in this statement is that all-season tires 205/55 R16 must have been available on 850s by 1997 at least as a factory option if they needed to tell you in the owner's manual that snow chains would not fit. I also recall from memory that the 55 series was an "approved" replacement size under the settlement of the class-action lawsuit, but my memory is often fallible these days. You might check that out. Have you contacted Volvo NA? They might be able to help.
-Punxsutawney Phil
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posted by
someone claiming to be Napoleon
on
Sat Jun 15 03:40 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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The dealer supplied 205/55/16 snow tires with my 01 V70.
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205/55/16 is an S70 size. S70s take a different sized tire though than an 850. 205/55/16 is known to cause damage on 850s.
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I just walked out to my car (96 850 turbo sedan), flipped open the gas cap door, and the sticker from Volvo says 205/55/16. Now, maybe that has something to do with the fact that I have a turbo vs. a GLT, but I'd like to see some more documentation about how the 55's do damage to the 850, Volvospeed. That's the first I think any of us have heard that.
Olson, I trust you will get on the phone with VCNA on Monday and asked the horse's asses, oops, horse's mouths who can tell you for sure.
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http://64.105.196.250/Repair/2055516.htm
Volvo knows about the problem. Its only bad on R models, but is still there on others. In 96 they changed the stickers as a CYA.
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posted by
someone claiming to be mistertwo
on
Sat Jun 15 13:46 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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I have been running Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's in 205-55-16 size for the past 2 years on our 1994 850 Turbo wagon. Aside from a minor bit of rubbing on the inside wheel well when the front wheels are turned at full lock (usually while parking), I have experienced absolutely no problems from using this larger size tire. What I have experienced is a less jarring ride with a bit less rattling insiide the rear of the interior. I will be putting on Bilstein shocks and new springs soon to see if this will smooth out the ride even more. The grip of the KUMHO's has been very good compared to the Dunlop's that were on before - and the rain traction is absolutely top of the line.
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And notice I said Rs had the problem, not turbos. As for rattles the cage took care of that.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Herb
on
Sun Jun 16 04:47 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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one can order steering rack stop spacers that'd stop the tire from rubbing that plastic and it's been available for many years (old SB or TNN) but I've never been asked to install any to date.
IMHO, the fact that those tires will rub the plastic liner isn't a major "claim denying" issue in itself and I see that condition often on 850s w/o suspension parts prematurely failing.
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