I have four tires labeled 185SR14 on the car, no aspect, all of them badly dry rotted. IPD says the proper aspect ratio is 80, but I've also saw that it should be 75 or even 70. These are the standard 14 inch steel rims with hubcaps and I'm going to put a all-season tire on the car. I think from my measuring that either a 75 or 80 would be the best fit. Which way should I go?

I'm running 185R14 on my '92 wagon. The speedo reads very slightly high. I prefer them on a wagon to 15 inch wheels with 165s. The 165R15s transmit too much road noise on poor surfaces, which gets amplified in the spacious 245 cabin. The 15 inch wheels are on my sedan, where the 165 makes less difference to noise. Some of this may be because my sedan is deeply slathered in underseal which reduces road noise anyway.

165R15 were never spec'd for the 240 series. They are a left over from the Amazon and 1800 and more suited to 4" rims. Road noise varies a lot depending on the tyre design/pattern. Not always dependant on cost but premium tyres do tend to be less noisy.

several years ago Road and Track magazine tested larger rims on a series 3 BMW.

Besides the original wheels, they tested +1. +2, and +3 wheels, using the same tires on each.

They tested the tires on a skid pan and timed laps on a race track.

The winner - the standard wheels and tire size!

They asked a BMW engineer why that was the result when street engineering expected the largest wheels to perform the best.

He said - The car was designed to perform with their choice of factory wheels and tires.

R&T decided that the people who purchase larger wheels often purchased better tires.

Comparing better, new tires easily outperformed worn original factory tires.

Try to duplicate the tires that Volvo provided for your car - perhaps a better model though.

In your other posts note this is a wagon.

The wagon uses a 195/70/14. I've got an 87 245 and this is the size. It is the closest modern size. to the 185SR14 which is the stock 245 Wagon size as New.

The SEDANS use 185/70/14.


See a lengthy discussion-----PS You should use the SEARCH Box - Upper Right on the BB page for questions like these----there are many many threads.

My Post in one of those threads Tire Recommendations for 240 Wagon (89) 𖑀]
Sizes or Brands??? 200
https://www.brickboard.com/RWD/volvo/1677213/220/240/260/280/sizes_brands.html

Here is one search page list------------You may want to delve into the discussion of Tire Size and Speedometers The tire size effect the accuracy of your Speedometer.

The Brickboard Volvo Search: Tire size 245 Wagon
https://brickboard.com/FIND/index.htm?forum_menu=&cx=003544480620222770647%3Aki7j2gik3xi&cof=FORID%3A11&q=Tires+245+Wagon&x=0&y=0
_________________________________________________________________________________

Volvo OWNERS MANUALS
You can see and download the Original Volvo Owners manual for your year---from the Volvo Website.

go here.

https://volvo.custhelp.com/app/homeV3

use the pull down boxes---entering 240 in the Model box
and you will get the page with all the Owners Manuals for the 240 series for your year.

I used 185/70 14’s on my 90 240 sedan for years. No issues - except snow. 240’s suck in the snow with summer or all-season tires. Put on snow tires in the winter and it would pass SUV’s stuck in the ditch in snowstorms….:)
--
Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Hi,
Yes! Tires are a things that rolls around in front of us many different ways!

You are going to have to buy 195’s and let them worry about the aspect ratio.
You may find older 75 or newer 70 ratio sizes depending on the brands and production rules in progress.

In the past I used 205s to get a larger diameter for a better milage payback and ride but I think they may be history too!
We are talking about difference in overall changes about 3/8 inch each between 185, 195 and 205 with ratio differences being used. The width changes both some.
The 195s won as a compromise beneath the 205’s expense and minor cost savings towards the 185.


There are still 14 inch rims on lots of older cars that people are hanging onto!
The 13-14 size is still a popular when thinking economy cars and even electric cars today!
I don’t think they will ever disappear! The engineers and bean counters have to play out their ambitions over time and will come to their senses again!.
Big rims and thin tires, is a fad, IMHO and a harsher ride is enviable with the increased tire pressures and also comes the tire wear. Consumers will wake up and want sensibility!
That quicker handling grip come with its own price list!

They are already talking the electric cars will need their own special tires due to the quicker torque outputs.
I don’t see a pneumatic tire replacement on the horizon despite all the hype, for awhile, about near solid urethane, run flat tires.
Also touted was the possibility of being lifetime tires. Depending on who’s or what’s life?

Heck, I see 14’s on wheelbarrow parts haulers used in the junkyards! Always a nice manageable size for most things! Especially the emergency tire ones that are not provided in many cars any longer.
No fifth tires due to both weight, displacement and costs! BMW ran two different sizes on the same car. No spares for that reason and they called it a “Smart Car?” Definitely, intelligence varies everywhere!

Like it was stated by the other poster the 14 inch tires are getting a little harder to fine in stock on tire shop shelves.
I have always liked Michelin X Radial for years! Costco has been my favorite place but I have to order them in now!

Anyhow,
All that is always changing as competitors sold more tires in a volume pricing war.
As time moved on, some companies moved away from the 185 size and it seems to have been dropped altogether. I haven’t seen other tires sizes either!
This reduced their inventories to make room in their product lines for those lower profile tires needed for a lot larger shelf abundance or demand! Some tires stay on shelves for years around labor or supply glitches.
Watch your code dates when purchasing from small tire shops! It use to be really bad!

Within the whole process the car manufacturers were offered special deals for the new big wheel look on new cars! Marketing!
As we all know ALL the consumers who now have those tires pay far more, for less amount of a tire, on those bigger rims!
A win-win for tire manufactures.
A big boon for wheel manufacturers needing a shot in the arm for that industry, but it’s going to get bruised if you are watching the worlds scenery!

There was Competition with Michelin years ago with the Toyo company. Toyo worked through a very large Northwest coast outfit. This company sold a Toyo top of the line cruising road tire for them.
I believe it was call a touring 800?
It got better than 80,000 miles back then. When I mean better, it was in that, they (the outfitter) guaranteed them with a prorate all the way there plus!
Good sales gimmick to get you to come back.
It all seemed to me as a marketing test zone when I look back at it now?
The trick was those tires lasted that long for me!
The 800 design totally disappeared too when I needed more. (:-(
Several lower “catch phrase” tire names replaced it!
What we have now are only marketing claims and an actuary’s probability numbers!

Todays Korean & Chinese brands are all over the place!
Why because the big tire names moved or began there!
It’s a tough haul change for American as
China wants to make cars too!
An interesting “Look Out” worldwide coming for electrical cars too!

I hope I didn’t bore anyone with the facts as they are “simply” in front of us, rolling around!

Phil

185sr14 are 80 ratio. Not much choice in 14" tyres now days. It's common to move to 15" rims and use larger but lower ratio tyres like 195/65/15.

[pedant]
185R14 tyres are nowadys considered identical to 185/80R14 tyres but the actual aspect ratio of tyres without one specified on the sidewall is about (but not exactly) 82%.
[pedant/]

My very first 245 had a mix of both sizes and the 185/80R14 did indeed look very slightly smaller. But for practical use, a 185/80R14 is as near as makes no difference .

195/65R15 is exactly what I have been using for the last 15 years. Abundantly available and even premium brands seem very affordable in this size. I think you could buy four of these tyres for the same price as one tyre for a reasonably sized SUV.
This size is actaully 2-3% smaller in circumference so at the same speeds will leed to slightly - but noticeably - more rpms than with the 185R14.

I run summer tyres on Virgos and winter tyres on Dracos. The latter is a 700-series wheel which will fit but sits slightly more inside the wheel well (ET is different). This works well enough but on extreme deflection of the rear axle one side will rub the inside of the wheel well ever so slightly (but because of the asymmetry caused by the Panhard rod, only on one side).