Cousins:

Anybody know if any other maker's wheels will fit a 240? There are some nice wheels out there...

The Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable, and a few various other Ford vehicles use the same 5x108 bolt pattern that are found on the 240/260 series Volvos. However I believe that Ford wheels have a 38mm or greater offset while Volvos have the following offsets:
240 series, 20mm offset.
740/940 series, 25mm offset.
FWD Volvos (850, S70, etc), 43mm offset.
FWD Ford vehicles, 38mm or more.

Offset measurements are the distance that the wheel hub mounting surface is 'offset' from the true center of the wheel. Thus a higher offset number will 'push' the wheels farther under the car, towards each other. Mounting a wheel intended for a FWD 850 on a RWD 240 will not work without the use of spacers (not cheap). For a good explanation of using spacers with Volvo wheels, read Paul Grimshaws webpage regarding the subject:
http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/Volvo_Books/susp7.html

As for selecting wheels amongst the Volvo lineup, check out the following webpages:
http://www.sonic.net/~zipzippy/volvo/volvo%20240%20faq.html#tires
http://brickparts.d--r.com/wheels/index.htm

God bless,
Fitz Fitzgerald.

P.S. Also take a look at the rest of Paul Grimshaws online exerpts from his Volvo Performance Handbook:
http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/Volvo_Books/archive.html
--
'87 Blue 245, NA 220K

Supposedly, the only direct, other-make replacement wheels are big four lug Fords like the later-model Thunderbirds. Their 4 1/4 bolt circle is said to match well. This is a pretty limited selection though.
However if you are interested in using FWD wheels, many manufactureres can make adapters that have a non-Volvo stud pattern. You would have to have an idea of what kind of wheels you wanted though.

Unsolicited rant: Different bolt circles by different mfrs is one of those highly annoying things. "Diversity" here achieves nothing in terms of innovation or different benefits and costs (unlike say, differences in motor design, etc) but it's nevertheless a huge PITA. No benefit, all cost.

Well, there may be one silver lining: as they say, this helps to avoid the "heartbreak of excess compatibility" :(

4 lug?

Justin B.

Oops, thanks for the correction! 5 lug.