Posted by paul elliott on August 13, 1998 at 13:55:05:
In Reply to: Volvo 850 all-season tires posted by Eva on May 21, 1998 at 17:32:24:
Ok, TireRack is wrong on this!! In '94, Volvo used a 4 lug hub and a smaller wheel well
insert...Then in '95, they went to the current 5 lug wheel, and switched to the current,
larger whellwell insert...I have the 205/55-16 tires on my '85 854T. The only time it
rubs is while parking at complete, 100% wheel lock...even then, its only a slight rub, and
should not at all keep you from this size if you want it...Keep in mind, though, that
the 55 series tire is about 3/4 " greater in overal diamter, which affects gearing, which
means that when your going 60, the speedo will say 58.8, and more importantly, you will
have a perceivable loss in acceleration due to the gearing change brought about by the
larger tires. With our Turbo cars, its not that significant, but it is there...I've decided
to go to the original 205/50-16 as soon as my current 55 s where out...I need all seasons
and have found that the following all season tires are avaliable in our 50 series size
and are all very well rated: Nitto 450, Nitto 500z, Falkan Zekes, BFGoodrich comp ta vr4
and Firestone GTA. These last 2 actually come in a 215/50-16 instead, but this diameter
is only 1/4" inches greater in diamter, and as such, will not effect acceleration or
speedo significantly....good luck, and let us know what you do...