Are 205mm wide tires too wide for stock steel wheels?
92 240dl wagon

Personally I would stay with a 195/65 14 (the 205/14 will fit) The 205 is a bit too much tread/diameter to go with unless it's a lower profile 15 inch tire. The 195/65-14 is going to have much better traction, handling, and hydro-plane less than the 205/15. Even a 195/70-14 is too much tread and oversize diameter. Don't go to a plus one tire size unless you change the rim to 15 and have a modified suspension.
A perfect upgrade for the wagon is a 205/60-15, a sedan is 195/60-15.

I took a '85 245dl wagon for a test drive that a guy fitted 205/75-14's on and it had a terrible ride and bounced all over the place. The gearing is raised so much that 0-60 took forever. The sidewalls are really big, and the car tends to roll around on the tires.
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'89 245 Sportwagon, '96 960 sedan

the bouncing prolly came from the shocks or under inflated tires. for the 75 series tires, a 5.5 inch rim is more than adequate. with regard to gearing, the 205/75 only produces 10 revs per mile less than the stockers. i know i've answered my own question with this post, i found the info with further research.
thanks for the info & opinions.

meant to write 205/70, not 205/75.

I have no idea where you came with a 195/65/14 size ... 24.0" diameter. That's WAAAAAAY OFF!

Stock 185R14 diameter is 25.6".

205/70/14 is 25.3". I fail to see how that would be too tall.
195/75/14 is the most popular option - 25.5".
195/70/14 is 24.8" ... on the small side already, but a decent compromise for a slightly lower profile.

Plus one ... 205/60/15 is 24.7". Proper plus-one sizing for wagons is a 205/65/15 - 25.5".

And why for you say modifying the suspension to go to 15"? No such is required. It wasn't at the factory when they were new, and there's still no such requirement today.

As for too much body roll, bounce, and acceleration with 205/75/14 ... it's not the tire's size fault (26.0"). That's more a suspension and other mechanicals fault. The tall sidewall would yield a very compliant ride, and would squirm in the corners, but not as much as the stock suspension (and tiny sway bars) setup creates. Once that's addressed (turbo bars on a budget, iPd bars for the best results), then you can say it is the tire's fault.

-- Kane
--
Blossom II - '91 745Ti/M46 ... Bubbles - '74 144GL/BW35 ... Buttercup - '86 245GL/AW70 ... The Wayback Machine - '64 P220/M40

I am aware of the specifications that you point out. The one thing that is missing from the discussion is that a lower profile tire which has a stiffer sidewall will sit higher under the car's weight and compared to a bulging sidewall 205/75 14 the choice of a 195/65 14 is not going to ride much lower, or spin at a smaller diameter considering the free standing specifications.
I still hold firm on my comment that a 195/65-14 is a good choice and well matched with the Volvo 14" wheels and close to the +1 recomended 195/60 15 for either the sedan or wagon. A good choice would also be a 205/60-14 on a 6" rim.
Go measure the height of a stock 185/14 tire from the ground up to the center of the hub. It is not much different than a 195/60-15. When you use a 205/xx on a 14 inch, this value is a LOT higher, because the load rating is higher, and the displacement of the weight squishes out the sidewall less. That's why you need to think of keeping the sidewall section consistent under load, and not necessarily the width or overall height. So going to a 205xxx, you should also change the rim width and run the lower profile tires with comprable sidewall section.
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'89 245 Sportwagon, '96 960 sedan

The 195/60/15 for wagons only applies to 240 turbos ...

If sidewall bulge is enough to make over 1" of difference in a tire's diameter, then you've got a much more serious problem - namely, underinflation. And we're not talking about deviating from the tire manufacturer's specified rim width allowances either.

Argue as you wish, but I stand by what I've said earlier in this thread.

-- Kane
--
Blossom II - '91 745Ti/M46 ... Bubbles - '74 144GL/BW35 ... Buttercup - '86 245GL/AW70 ... The Wayback Machine - '64 P220/M40

If you want your speedometer and/or odometer to be correct, do not use the 195/65R14. Standard size for the non-turbo 240 wagons (I'm not aware of Volvo changing all the way to 1993) was 185R14, which is a metric size equivalent to 185/82R14. The closest choices (staying with a 14" wheel) are 195/75R14 or 205/75R14. I'd go for the 195 since the sidewall is a bit shorter (but still quite tall). If you don't care about your speedometer/odometer, then yes the 195/65R14 will give slightly better handling.

Zack
1980 245DL M46 272k
1988 745T+ M46 192k

Say a 205/70/14? A tad on the wider side, but most tires of that size is within rim-width spec.

Check the specs of the one you're considering first.

-- Kane
--
Blossom II - '91 745Ti/M46 ... Bubbles - '74 144GL/BW35 ... Buttercup - '86 245GL/AW70 ... The Wayback Machine - '64 P220/M40