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What kind of wheels do I have? 850 1995

uid 9113's pic
posted by  Taxlady on  Tue Jun 18 17:02 CST 2002
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last visit: Mon Dec 23 11:55 CST 2013
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How do I find out if I have steel or ally wheels? I assume they are steel, because I have hub caps. What would have come standard on a 1995 850 4 door? Other than appearance, are there advantages to having alloy wheels? Do they rust less? Does that matter? I intend to buy another set of wheels anyways, 'cause then changing to and from snow tires is easier.








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    What kind of wheels do I have? 850 1995

    posted by  steve s on  Wed Jun 19 17:53 CST 2002
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    hub caps? if u can see an ugly black wheel behind it, it's steel. some 850 base models have the steel wheels as standard. alloy wheels are generally lighter, but then because they are painted, they are more susceptible to surface damage. if u intend to buy another set of wheels, then u can keep the steel ones and use them for snow, as snow and the following salt/sand placed on the road eat havoc on the wheels. so better to use steel wheels in the winter.








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    What kind of wheels do I have? 850 1995

    posted by  james_a_sousa on  Wed Jun 19 16:48 CST 2002
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    Try to stick one of your refrigerator magnets on one of your wheels, if it sticks, the wheel is steel.

    In General -
    Alloy wheels are often lighter than steel wheels, (they have less unsprung weight, allowing better handling over bumps and pavement irregularities)
    Alloy wheels are often mose susceptable to damage - dents, curb rash ,bent wheels, etc.
    most people think that alloy wheels are more attractive. Volvo only offers a couple of wheel cover designs for steel wheels. (EVERYONE has alloy wheels now!)

    Personally, I like to have some fun with wheel covers - paint them body color, or any color you like. I have painted wheel covers yellow, burgandy, and white.

    In the gallery, search for 700s and look 1/3 of the way down page two to see "Evander in his winter plumage" Evander, a black 1990 740 Turbo sedan has white wheel covers and a white reflective stripe around his flanks.

    Wheel covers are cheap, have some fun with your car.
    --
    2 8s & 2 7s 600,000 miles total








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    What kind of wheels do I have? 850 1995

    posted by  someone claiming to be Zee on  Tue Jun 18 17:35 CST 2002 [RELATED]

    Here's a good page with rim info

    http://www.volvotuning.com/rims.html








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      What kind of wheels do I have? 850 1995

      uid 9113's pic
      posted by  Taxlady on  Wed Jun 19 07:59 CST 2002
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      last visit: Mon Dec 23 11:55 CST 2013
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      Thanks for the link.

      Does anyone know if the 1995 850 4 door, non-turbo came originally with steel or alloy wheels?








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        What kind of wheels do I have? 850 1997

        posted by  Ken Temkin on  Thu Jun 20 02:59 CST 2002
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        If you have hub caps, you have steel wheels.

        The base model 850s came with steel wheels, alloy wheels were an option.

        Besides looks, there are advantages and disadvantages to alloy wheels.

        Alloy wheels reduce the unsprung weight of a vehicle, which is better for handling and ride. But the differences, in non-racing situations with a production car, are going to be inperceptable.

        Alloy wheels are more vunerable to damage and corrosion than steel wheels. And, because they are appreciably more expensive than steel wheels, the cost of ownership is much higher. If you you want to spruce-up your car, with respect to its wheels, with steel wheels, you buy a new set of hub caps. With alloy wheels, you have to send them out to be professionally repaired, at the cost of $100+ per wheel.

        In summary, on the street, the greatest advantage of alloy wheels is in how they look. And, if that is important to you, spend the money on alloy wheels.








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        What kind of wheels do I have? 850 1995

        posted by  genie on  Wed Jun 19 08:55 CST 2002
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        I have the base model 854 non-turbo and I have the steel wheels with the hub caps. I guess the standard for the base non-turbo model was the steel wheels. Other than that I have no idea what advantages alloy rims have over the steels (the looks excluded). http://volvoworld.com has good OE alloy rims starting from $257 each. And you can find some nice replica alloy wheels at http://discounttiredirect.com starting from $110 each. But I don't know if anybody bought anything from them or what's the difference between what they sell and OE. There's one thing though, they're cheap and shipping is free.
        Ihsan 1995 850 non-turbo








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          What kind of wheels do I have? 850 1995

          uid 9113's pic
          posted by  Taxlady on  Thu Jun 20 05:30 CST 2002
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          last visit: Mon Dec 23 11:55 CST 2013
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          Thanks to everyone who replied. I guess I'll stick with the steel wheels. I looked at the price of alloy wheels and if it's mostly for looks, well it just doesn't matter that much to me. The wheel covers look good enough. The corrosion is definitely a factor in my choice. I had a 14 year old truck whose wheels were corroded. The tubeless tires had inner tubes, 'cause they wouldn't hold the air due to rust. I don't think we do that anymore. I would like to avoid that kind of nuisance.







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