Don't know about skinnies on a 240 but I do on a 120 and they were awesome. Best winter handling I ever had! You will have fun with that, really the best part was the braking in snow, excellent traction and feel, cornering very postive too, nice controllable oversteer. One year I ran studded on the rears, that was truly a treat, don't know if that,s legal in Alberta, it is in quebec, Nov-April.

I would like more info.

I'd like to know what tire you're considering that doesn't come in anything taller than a 65 series.

As others have pointed out, taller and skinnier is most often best in a winter tire. Tires with short aspect ratios make no sense for winter - snow tires don't handle for crap no matter what the aspect ratio.

Regardless, 175/65-15 is the wrong tire for a 240. The load rating is too light.

Sadly, there isn't much out there in a tall, skinny 15. Just isn't much call for it anymore.

If you insist on the 15's, I'd suggest the Nokian Hakka2 in a 195/65-15 - or you might try the new Nordman1 in that size.

But since tall/skinny is much more available in a 14, I'd really suggest you consider it.

The Hakka2 comes in a 175/80-14 with an 88Q load rating. A Canada-spec '81 244DL came with 175R14 stock, so the size is almost dead on.

Stud those 2s, and you'll be unstoppable.
--
'73 142, '75 242, '75 245, '80 245, '83 244, '86 244, '87 745T, 92 244 (for sale)

Just my two cents... Had Conti Contacts 185/70 14's on a 240 Wagon in Maine and New Hapshire winters, and it plowed through amazingly bad conditions. At 0 degrees thetires were so sticky they would squeak on frozen surfaces. Some type of compound that gets stickier when colder. The dry road driving was a blast since the tires had limits in warm weather that were fun to exploit at mere mortal speeds. They would break away with such control on dry roads, that you could do the best interstate entrance ramps in a controlled 4 wheel slide. Ah that was fun!

Hi. Re: "...I should also mention that I'm putting in a Detroit TrueTrac posi within the next few weeks...."

Are you really sure you want that? People are always raving about limited slip and locking diffs, and while they're great for the track, or even doing stunts on the street, in really slippery conditions (e.g., ice) there is a noteworthy downside!

I know that you know a lot about traction in snow, because of your wise preference for tall, skinny tires -- it's the right choice in snow, a "secret" that a lot of folks down here in the U.S. really don't appreciate. I use 185-14's (without the aspect ratio, a tire defaults to a .81 aspect ratio), and have happily used 175-14's in the past. I wouldn't go to any 65 or 60 series in the winter.

But also consider this:

When tires spin, they loose what I'll call lateral traction -- the ability to slide sideways. Now let's say you're trying to go up a mild hill in your RWD Volvo, and you've applied a little too much throttle ... oops,....
First consider the usual open differential: the rear tire with the least traction will start spinning, of course, but the other tire doesn't spin and holds the rear of the car in place on the road. You may not get up the hill (unless you've got good studded tires, like my studded, Nokian Hakka-1's), but your car isn't fishtailing wildly either, and is staying straight ahead.
Next, consider your intended locked differential: both rear tires start spinning, and since neither tire exerts lateral traction, the rear of your car is fishtailing, and your steering to control wild oscillations (side to side) from winding up spinning you around.

Give this some thought. And in any case, enjoy the winter.
Ken