i know that a 1989 240 dl sedan take a 185/70/14 tire size but ive read people putting 195 on there and a few other sizes. i just dont like the cornering while im driving so i wanted some suggestions? also i am a little hesitant with putting 6x9 speakers in the back deck, thinking they wont fit, seen someones car online and they didnt want to remove the back headrests so they went with 5.25. i do not want to be doing much to the car itself. i do not have the time for that. also i have an aftermarket upper console stereo and front speakers(aftermarket) , i noticed there isnt any speakers in the back doors what would i have to do for that, i am clueless but not dumb , i have a 2.5 yr old and my time is consumed by her. thanks joni

I also have a 1989 240 DL sedan with 95,000 miles on it & original everything. I had read hear on brickboard that a cheep suspension improvement was to install 240 turbo sway bars. I recalled an 1983 turbo at a local PULL-A-PART & purchased front & rear for $24.00, Bought new bushings from VOLVO for around $15.00. I installed them (with no harm to the wallet) & not really expecting that much. After a test drive i got out & walked around it twice to see if i was still driving the same car, a very big difference in handling. I am sure with IPD bars & good shocks/struts it would even be better.

I have 225/50/15 tires and wheels on an 86 240 with new shocks and a stock suspension. I chose Sumitomo HTR 200 tires which are available for around sixty dollars apiece through www.thetirerack.com These tires have made a huge improvement in the handling of this car. I think that this is the cheapest most significant handling upgrade that can be made for a car. Keep in mind that the HTR 200 tire is not for cold weather. I live in Miami and have the luxury of not needing all season tires.

"I think that this is the cheapest most significant handling upgrade that can be made for a car."

I hate to keep harping, but I don't want joni to spend a lot of money and be disappointed. $60 x 4 plus - what? $40? for mounting, disposal fees, etc. and $40 for shipping from tirerack.com and you're up to $320. That's a significant chunk of change that could pay for lowering springs (which is the first thing I'd do for handling improvment) or new IPD sway bars (which is considered by many to be the ultimate handling upgrade for a 240).

If new tires made that much of a difference on your car, you must have had some terrible, destroyed, cheap tires before. I have gone from old, $20ea. Pep Boys tires, to brand new Goodyear, to brand new Michelin, and never noticed much (or any) difference in handling. Much different ride quality, but no handling improvement.

New wheels (wider, ability to run tires with less sidewall) could make a significant difference in handling, but then you're adding the cost of the wheels too. Let's be conservative and say you find a set of cheap alloys or steelies for $100. Now you're up to $420, probably enough to have a certified IPD installer put the thicker sways on the car for you. If you don't like any of the 15" or 16" wheels available that actually fit the 240, you're also looking at $300 for spacers/adapters.

The right wheels and tires can make a big difference in handling, but it is not the cheapest nor most significant upgrade.
--
'93 244: 'A' cam 4 deg. advanced, 25/22 sways, custom heim endlinks, poly bushings, and a lot more styling customization than I care to recount.

The 6x9 will require some metal cutting and maybe the removal of the rear headrests. I went for a compromise in my 89 240, 4x6 Pioneers. They fit nicely in rear deck, no cutting, and the trunk does a nice job of amplifying the lower frequencies. There's an easy wiring path down the driver side to the trunk.

Crutchfield has about a dozen flavors of 4x6 speakers, from @ 40 bucks to @ 150.

You can fit up to a 225/60/15 if you really want to, I've hade a set of those on virgos on both an 84 sedan and an 86 wagon. Handled pretty good for a rusty piece crap that my first volvo was. IMHO I'd go with a 205 or 215/60/15 and pick something in a performance all season tire, I have a set of Falken ZE512's and love them. Japanese made tire, not some POS chinese made tire.

You should be able to mount a set of 6x9's under the back shelf from inside the trunk with no issues, thats what I did in my 84 sedan. The sound was a big improvement, a set of newer same size front door speakers won't hurt as well.

Good luck

even if i have 14 inch rim i would think because the tires are that i would be able to fit a 15 inch tire on a 14 rim?

you can only fit 15's on a 15" rim, vice versa with a 14". Virgo's are a 15" wheel, all I really meant was you can fit a tire as wide as a 225 on a sedan. If you want a better handling ride without doing shocks springs and sway bars, you should think of going to a 15 or 16" rim with a lower profile tire. that will help a bit.

You are correct ,no way you can mount 15s on 14s rims. As far as the speakers go,rear deck surface mount 5 1/4 will be the easiest to install,rather than the rear doors.

A 5.25" speaker should be easy to fit in the rear deck, without removing the headrests. I have 6.5" rounds in the rear deck (bolted from underneath, in the trunk), and a 6 x 9" would probably fit in the same space, with a little more creativity. Unless you are looking for big bass, 6.5" or even 5.25" will be enough for the small-ish passenger compartment. I like the Pioneer speakers from Walmart - best for the money, IMO.

Tires are a terrible way to improve cornering, if that's what you are trying to do. My first choice would be putting stiffer springs on the car (such as IPD's lowering springs or the stock-height rear wagon springs and HD fronts that I use); but a close second for improving handling is IPD's sway bars, which are quite easy to install (if a little pricey). New shocks help too.

There is no end (really, there isn't) to how much you can improve the handling of your 240; the limiting factors are your time and mechanical ability, and money. Especially money.

Good luck!
Sean
--
'93 244: 'A' cam 4 deg. advanced, 25/22 sways, custom heim endlinks, poly bushings, and a lot more styling customization than I care to recount.

our local pick and pull yard sells alloy rims (with tire) for $33, so it's possible to upgrade pretty cheaply if you get lucky.

Why do you want speakers in the rear doors? If you do, you will have to run the wire and cut a hole in the door panel, but most importantly, you will need a new amplifier. The amp in your car is only able to handle 4 speakers (and even then, not powerfully). Oh, though of course, if you have an aftermarket stereo, that has probably been bypassed, but you still do not want to run 6 speakers off of your stereo. A cheap aftermarket amp would be plenty to drive two extra speakers. You could install your 6x9's in the rear deck and run those off the amp, then drive the door sppeakers with the stereo's built-in amp.

It would be easier - if you are looking for car-thumping sound - to install 5.25" speakers in the rear deck (probably very easy) and to add a small amp and sub in the trunk, or even get a powered subwoofer, which is just an amp and sub in one box that you set anywhere (trunk usually).

The 240 sedan actually delivers wonderful sound as-is, with speakers in the front doors and rear deck - if you do not have time to fuss with the car, just swap them and be done.
--
'93 244: 'A' cam 4 deg. advanced, 25/22 sways, custom heim endlinks, poly bushings, and a lot more styling customization than I care to recount.

The best way to improve cornering (handling) is to install larger sway bars, ones from the turbo 240's is a big improvement but the IPD sway bars are bigger and better.

To continue improving handling get 15 or 16 inch diameter wheels which will allow you to go a little wider and with less side wall height.

Whatever tires and wheels you get try to get very close to the diameter of the 185x70 14 which is about 24.2 inches to minimize speedometer error.

Dan

ok im new to the whole sway bar thing, for now would you recommend 215/60/14 ,195/65/14, 205/65/14 , 195/70/14 ? i dont have alot of time and money , i will do my homework on the sway bars . it has to be a 14 since i do not have the money to go out and buy them . sure a junk yard could be less. the 215s are closet as diameter but they wont be too wide? Stock Tire - 185/70R14 Tire 1 - 195/70R14 Tire 2 - 195/65R14 >Search Tires Tire 3 - 215/60R14 Tire 4 - 205/65R14
Section Width: 7.28 in 185 mm
Section Width: 7.67 in 195 mm
Section Width: 7.67 in 195 mm
Section Width: 8.46 in 215 mm
Section Width: 8.07 in 205 mm

Rim Diameter: 14 in 355.6 mm
Rim Diameter: 14 in 355.6 mm
Rim Diameter: 14 in 355.6 mm
Rim Diameter: 14 in 355.6 mm

Rim Width Range: 5 - 6.5 in
Rim Width Range: 5.5 - 7 in
Rim Width Range: 5 - 7 in
Rim Width Range: 6 - 7.5 in
Rim Width Range: 5.5 - 7.5 in

Overall Diameter: 24.19 in 614.42 mm
Overall Diameter: 24.74 in 628.39 mm
Overall Diameter: 23.98 in 609.09 mm
Overall Diameter: 24.15 in 613.41 mm
Overall Diameter: 24.49 in 622.04 mm

Sidewall Height: 5.09 in 129.28 mm
Sidewall Height: 5.37 in 136.39 mm
Sidewall Height: 4.99 in 126.74 mm
Sidewall Height: 5.07 in 128.77 mm
Sidewall Height: 5.24 in 133.09 mm

Radius: 12.09 in 307.08 mm
Radius: 12.37 in 314.19 mm
Radius: 11.99 in 304.54 mm
Radius: 12.07 in 306.57 mm
Radius: 12.24 in 310.89 mm

Circumference: 75.99 in 1930.1 mm
Circumference: 77.72 in 1974.0 mm
Circumference: 75.33 in 1913.3 mm
Circumference: 75.86 in 1926.8 mm
Circumference: 76.93 in 1954.0 mm

Revs per Mile: 859.8
Revs per Mile: 840.7
Revs per Mile: 867.3
Revs per Mile: 861.2
Revs per Mile: 849.3

Actual Speed: 60 mph 100 km/h
Speedometer1: 58.6 mph 97.7 km/h
Speedometer1: 60.5 mph 100. km/h
Speedometer1: 60.0 mph 100. km/h
Speedometer1: 59.2 mph 98.7 km/h

Speedometer Difference: - tire 1 Speedometer Difference: 2.271% too slow, tire 2 Speedometer Difference: 0.872% too fast , tire 3 Speedometer Difference: 0.162% too fast, tire 4 Speedometer Difference: 1.236% too slow
Diameter Difference: - tire 1 Diameter Difference: 2.23% , tire 2 Diameter Difference: 0.87%, tire 3 Diameter Difference: 0.17% ,tire 4 Diameter Difference: 1.23%

215 is too wide for the standard 14" steel rims.
Use the tire size calculator to check different size tires. Use 185 70 14 to compare the different sizes. 195 65 14 is very close in diameter to what you want and will have the least speedometer error.

http://www.wickedbodies.net/Tire-Size-Calculator.htm

Check engine light will set codes in you computer, follow the procedure in the 700/900 FAQ's to retrieve and analyze the codes.

ODB Codes, look for LH 2.4. The test module is on the back side of the drivers side front wheel well, look below for the procedure.
http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/EngineOBDCodes.htm

Dan

yes the 195/65/14 are close but whats even closer is the 215/60/14 but i dont think i should go with a 60 with the rim being closer to the ground? im new to this sorry

The 215 is too wide for the 5.5" rim the 60 series aspect ratio is OK, who sells this size tire?. Most tire shops these days won't sell tires that are not the size recommended by the factory. Dan

on sears this is the only one lol bfgoodrich 215/60/14 g-force ta drag rad

If you change to a lower profile tire size it will make your speedometer read the wrong speed. Lower will read faster than you are really going.

You can put wider ones on with out any problem. 10mm isn't squat but the profile is if you know what I mean.

If you want to feel the road more. The suggestion in the other post will do that. It will cost a lot more than just cutting a hole in the floor,so you can touch the ground without opening the door.

In your spare time, push the stroller faster and practice your cornering.

Life is as fun as you make it?

Phil

i did the math on smaller/larger tires the other day and basically you take the radius difference and multiply that by 2 x pi. factoring in that the tire is about 24 inches diameter, a one inch difference adds up to about a 4% difference in speedo reading. which is 2 mph off at 50mph. maybe not too much of a concern.

http://www.dakota-truck.net/TIRECALC/tirecalc.html
--
'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

I was talking like he is one of those young guys (with baby and all) that wants rubber on the rims. Air being optional.

Thanks for the numbers! Can you work up some gas mileage figures in there too? I'm curious if it 4% or not?

Phil

i have no idea about gas mileage as the wind resistance increases as the square of your speed. smaller tires would make acceleration easier but leave your engine running at higher rpm's. larger tires, vice versa. overdrive improves gas mileage so it may be safe to assume there would be some increase in highway miles on larger tires, but the added leverage required to bring larger tires up to the same speed might offset that in town.

but really i only sound like i may know what i'm talking about, i don't really ;)

i feel when i am driving around a sharp curve or windy road i really have to slow down, probably because of the weight, if its just the car then i guess ill deal with it.i was thinking of a wider tire would help i dont know like i said im clueless but i was up all night looking at the tire size chart

You are not going to notice much improvement - or any - buy putting new tires on those rims. Changing to a wider, taller wheel might help some, but they will still do nothing to compensate for the very soft suspension, which is where the huge amount of body roll comes from.
--
'93 244: 'A' cam 4 deg. advanced, 25/22 sways, custom heim endlinks, poly bushings, and a lot more styling customization than I care to recount.

Make sure shocks/struts in decent shape. If not, I like sachs/boge turbo gas.
IPD sways make a huge difference. First thing I do with every 240. Big safety improvement for emergency handling. (At very least, sways from an old turbo a big improvement)
If you have to do much snow driving, a narrower tire performs better. Some all season tires (such as Michelin Hydroedge w/ 80K warranty, IIRC) are smaller than spec. I've got 195/70 14 on a 244 and speedo/odo very accurate.

As far as tires go, I think size is much less important than the *kind* of tire. If you want to improve cornering, you really want a tire with stiffer sidewalls. Also, you want to be sure that the shocks, struts, and bushings are all in good shape. If the car still doesn't handle to your liking, you can upgrade the sway bars, stiffer shocks/struts, get bigger wheels, etc. Lot's of options. Some are painless on the wallet... others aren't. :-)

I've been really happy with the Toyo Spectrums on the 1990 wagon. This car also has upgraded sway bars from a late 70's or early 80's 240 turbo or GT. If you can find them, they're usually pretty cheap, and a nice upgrade.

For the back speakers, this isn't tooooo hard to do. Starting in 1990, Volvo put them in the rear doors. The door panels come off with ease on these cars (use a wide, flat tool...just be careful), and Crutchfield (.com) will tell you what'll fit back there. You'll either want to get a pair of rear door panels from a later 240 from a salvage yard... or just one to use as a template to cut a hole in your existing door panels. These inside door panels are really just glorified cardboard, so it shouldn't be too hard to cut a hole in them.

-Ryan

--

Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars