Just bought a new old '96 850 Turbo... sold my '93 GLT (458 K) ... she was getting a bit tired but found a DIY guy.
Anyway... live in Canada and winter is coming big time... bought some new snows at standard size of
205 55R 16. Car has 16 inch swept back Volvo rims. At slow speed (parking lot) ... when I crank the wheel all the way to go either right and particularly left the tires hit the wheel wells and make an unsettling noise to say the least.
What gives??? ... can't find anyone else having this issue nor any recommendation in the manual to purchase lower profile snow tires.

Any input? Solutions?
Thanks.

One final thought - I had a '90 744 TI that had nice wide 16 inch Hydras.

During a winter tire removal I noticed that the wire going to the wheel sensor was half worn through by a tire rub - repositioning it cured the problem.

Take a good look for tire rub issues other than the inner fenders.

I had this problem when the front springs were ready for replacement, yours could be too. 205/55-16 is a standard size for that car, there shouldn't be a problem.

My '96 855R with nice wide 17 inch wheels and special wheel well liners had the same size recommendation - 195/65/15 -I thought quite narrow.

They worked great, as the traction control made the car perform better in slippery conditions than our '95 854 base! Even when I tried to make it spin a bit.

Are your wheel well liners one piece or sort of two skimpy pieces like my 855R had.

The bigger question is are you looking for snow traction or slush/wet/icy traction?

You probably have no room for those wide snows.

Check with a good tire store like the family business that I use - they have a book that might have a wider size than Volvo's, but I'll bet that it is not too wide.

Actually, I think the manual wants you to buy 195/65/15 for snow. Which would mean getting steel rims.

Not all 205/55 tires are exactly the same width, especially snows with a much deeper tread depth.

My 1996 has steering stops on each control arm, about 1/8th inch thick. Of course the stops are just barely hanging on... Yours might be missing, they do tend to fall off with age and constant banging when turned to lock.

Thanks Klaus,

Checked the book and sure enough the recommended rim/tire size is smaller for winter tires.
185/65 R15 as a matter of fact.


Well I've got them now.... will have to watch my cranking in the parking lot etc.
Would have saved on tires 15 vs 16 but would need winter rims... not in budget right now and too late anyway. Strange though that every tire distributor (except tire rack... just looked) on the web had 205 55 R16 as the correct size for winters.

Tire rack I see suggests as an alternative an those with 16 inch rims 205 50 R16 as recommended.

I'll look into the stoppers as well ... wouldn't be at all surprised as noise only occurs right at end of crank. I suspect these "stoppers" would prevent me from going this extra bit and may help some.
If they ARE missing, can I purchase and put them on or is this something that must be done when replacing the control arms?

Thanks as usual.

I have a set of 185/65 R15 snow tires on steelies though I have not put them on the Volvo the last few years, since the winters have not been that bad, and I don't ultra-marathon commute any more. Skinny snow tires definitely work best in snow -- and are worst on dry pavement.

Volvo ditched the recommendation for the 185/65 R15s after they started equipping their cars with brakes that wouldn't clear inside 15 inch wheels. My "summer" tires are Michelin Pilot Sport AS in 205/55 R16 and they clear the wheel wells, although that particular tire won't fit in the spare tire well -- I keep a spare from a different manufacturer there and it fits.

My winter tires on the BMW are 205/55 R16s, too -- which are the smallest, skinniest tires that BMW recommends. That size should do okay in winter snow. I don't know why you're hitting the wheel wells --did you check the bump stops?

-BtC

'98 V70 T5 202K mi., 5-speed manual, original clutch, third evaporator, third windshield, heated velour cloth comfy chairs, factory HD suspension (1998 only), Bilstein HD, front IPD stabilizer bar, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, XC grill, C70 jewel E-Codes, V-1, Lidatek, IPD stuff, JB Weld, Original Duck Tape, zip-ties, Mobil-1 since new.

'08 BMW 328iT 6-speed manual; considerably fewer miles...

The turn to lock pads on my car are riveted to the control arms. Just don't turn that hard?