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Hi Everyone! I have an 1980 244 and it has 205/55/15 tires fitted. They are getting pretty low so I am thinking about a new set. The car has been lowered around 2" at a guess so I am wondering if the 205/60/15 would fit? Just looking for a bit more padding to take the harshness out of the ride. Pretty tough question I know given the unknown lowering height but if anyone has any advise it would greatly appreciated.
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An emphatic YES to the question.
I've run 15x6 alloys from 740s wearing 205/60-15 on Blaustein, the long-gone '91 sedan, and on Son o'Gutz, the '92 245 which is the daily driver. I can't think of any RWD Volvo alloys with the standard bolt pattern which would have so outrageous an offset that you'd have clearance problems, even lowered.
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Thank goodness we don't get all the government we pay for. -- Will Rogers
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http://ejelta.com/tiresize/index.html?tiresize=245%2F75%2F16&minwidth=&maxwidth=&minratio=&maxratio=&minwheel=&maxwheel=&maxdelta=10
http://www.dakota-truck.net/TIRECALC/tirecalc.html
may help
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm
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My springs aren't lowered, but I'm using 205/55-16 (on Hydra wheels, a 25mm offset) without any problem. Also, my wife rides on 205/55-15 tires on Virgos (a 20mm offset) just like your car had, although like mine, the car isn't lowered. (BTW, we both ride on Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2's, which I can highly recommend for their stickiness!)
As an example for you, it would seem that my using a 16" wheel (in comparison to your 15") makes up a little bit for not having a lowered suspension -- the top of my tire is almost as high up in the wheel well as your's would be (but not quite). But you didn't mention what 15" wheels you're using -- are they Virgo, with a 20mm offset.
Also, many folks have reported using 225-15 tires (in a variety of aspect ratios) on Virgos, so I don't think it's a problem.
It seems that 205 in a 15" is just not radical enough to be an issue.
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Nope they are not Virgo, they are some local brand we have down here in Australia. They too have an offset, matched with the 2" lowering gives the car a nice stance. Also I am concerned that the 60 profile may throw out the speedo but saying that perhaps it already is out given the 205/55/15 tyres already on the car?
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I really screwed up that last message about your speedometer error -- I mixed up under and over reporting your speed and distance. That's what I get when I try to think at 7:00 AM, before my morning breakfast!
First, I wrote (excerpted) that your 205/55-15 tires, with a 606.5 mm diameter (compared to the OEM's 614.6 mm), had been "...very slightly overreporting your mileage and speed (i.e., when your speedo says you're going 50 mph, you're really doing 50.7 mph)..."
This is wrong. It's a smaller tire (and smaller circumference), and therefore your car doesn't go as fast or as far as the speedometer and odometer indicates -- it has been UNDERreporting your speed and distance, so that if it says you're going 50 mph (or you traveled 50 miles), you're really going only 49.3 mph.
Likewise, your planned newer tires, 205/60-15, with a 627 mm diameter, are larger, and therefore your car really goes 2% faster (and farther) than your speedometer indicates.
I'm very sorry for my mistakes.
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I don't know what the standard tire size is in Australia, but here it's 185/70-14. That diameter is
(185 x .7 x 2) + (14 x 25.4) = 259 + 355.6 = 614.6 mm.
The 205/55-15 tires already on your car has a diameter of
(205 x .55 x 2) + (15 x 25.4) = 225.5 + 381 = 606.5 mm
Thus your current tires have an error (compared to the original tire size) of only 1.3% (well within the tolerance of any speedometer), very slightly overreporting your mileage and speed (i.e., when your speedo says you're going 50 mph, you're really doing 50.7 mph).
Your planned newer tires, 205/60-15, has a diameter of
(205 x .6 x 2) + 381 = 246 + 381 = 627 mm
This is an error 2% (off 1 mph at 50 mph), but the other way than the 205/55 tires, underreporting your mileage and your speed but still within an acceptable tolerance.
Now, my own car's 205/55-16 tires are another matter -- a larger error because of their larger diameter
(205 x .55 x 2) + (16 x 25.4) = 225.5 + 406.4 = 631.9
an error of 2.8%, but it doesn't matter because I have a GPS fixed to my dashboard:
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Cool, and thanks for all the responses! I get the picture now. My only issue is if the 60 profile will actually fit without rubbing on anything. Questions is would there be a noticable comfort change by going from a 55 to a 60 profile?
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I really screwed up that message -- that's what I get when I try to think at 7:00 AM, before my morning breakfast!
First, I wrote (excerpted) that your 205/55-15 tires, with a 606.5 mm diameter (compared to the OEM's 614.6 mm), had been "...very slightly overreporting your mileage and speed (i.e., when your speedo says you're going 50 mph, you're really doing 50.7 mph)..."
This is wrong. It's a smaller tire (and smaller circumference), and therefore your car doesn't go as fast or as far as the speedometer and odometer indicates -- it has been UNDERreporting your speed and distance, so that if it says you're going 50 mph (or you traveled 50 miles), you're really going only 49.3 mph.
Likewise, your planned newer tires, 205/60-15, with a 627 mm diameter, are larger, and therefore your car really goes 2% faster (and farther) than your speedometer indicates.
I'm very sorry for my mistakes.
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