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I'm getting snow tires for my 240, and don't want to deal with constant tire changes, so I'm buying wheels for them. I'm not certain how long I'll have this car for, but there's a good chance I'll buy a newer 740 or 940 at some point, given all the knowledge of the similar 240 I've gleaned off Brickboard.
Since I may want to be able to use the new tires on a 740 or 940 in the future, I'm buying 195/60R15 tires, and want to put them on rims that will fit all three series: 240/740/940. I know that 240s use a 20mm offset. My understanding is that 740s use a 25mm offset, and 940s usually use a 25mm offset (although some 940s may use a 43mm offset). Is all this accurate? If so, I want to buy 25mm offset wheels, to cover most of the current and future possibilities.
In general, 15" Volvo wheels - steel or aluminum - are either hard to find, or expensive. The cheapest I found was a new steel 740 wheel for $80 CDN. One independant Volvo garage quoted $70 each for used steel wheels! I found an independent Volvo shop that had used aluminum wheels for $50. He has both Virgo and Draco styles. (If you're unclear of which wheels these are, please see the following website: http://brickparts.d--r.com/wheels/).
I know the Virgos are 20mm offset wheels. I gather from the archives that they'll fit any 240, but will only fit 740s that have standard (non-ABS) brakes. Can anyone confirm what the offset of the Draco wheels is, and whether or not they will fit 740s with ABS brakes?
I realize that aluminum wheels are more prone to bending than steel wheels, but I don't really want to spend more for steel, and still have to get hub caps. I'd be interested in anyone's experience with bent Virgo or Draco wheels, particularly in comparisons between the two. I plan to spin the wheels on the balancer before the tires are installed, which I'm hoping will give some indication of any serious problems.
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Having bought a new set of Dracos for my '92 245 last year, I'll pass along my experience. The wheels came with lug nuts which had short, straight shoulders and had a metric thread for the 700 wheel studs. You can not use the conical-seat nuts (1/2-20 thread, I think) from the Coronas or 200 steel wheels with Dracos! Yes, they will bolt up, but the Dracos rely on that short straight shoulder to positively locate the bolt circle, and the close fit in the bolt hole is intentional.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Dharvey
on
Tue Jan 13 12:16 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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Smitty--
Sounds to me like you would have to replace the studs. Or is there a 1/2-20 lug nut that is compatible with the Dracos?
I've been looking for some alloy rims for my 1992. I had ruled out the Virgos because my car has ABS. Now it sounds like I can't use Dracos either unless I pull apart all four hubs and install new wheel studs.
Bummer.
Is one of the other Volvo alloy rims compatible with lug nuts that will also fit the threads on 240 series studs?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Doug Harvey
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D-
i've had virgos on my '92 245 with abs for almost 10 years. no compatibility problems at all. very pleased with this wheel. jc
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I have been looking into aftermarket wheels for my '84 242DL SB Ford V8 project. My '83 242 Turbo parts car has 4, 15in. Virgos and all 4 are bent badly due to Michigan's crappy roads. So bad that even the steel wheels on my GMC pickup have bent!
There are shops locally here in the Detroit area that repair/straighten bent alloy wheels, (since there are so many of 'em!), but I can't vouch for the quality of their work.
The DL has 14in. steel wheels that look freakishly under size. Salvage yards get $$$$$$ for Volvo wheels because of the odd 5 on 108mm bolt circle. The offerings listed on new wheel supplier web sites are very limited and are pricey, too.
Somewhere, I saw that Volvo's and some Fords both use the 5 on 108mm bolt circle. A little more digging finds that some Jaguars also use this odd spacing. The Ford application for 17 and 18in. is for some Focus and Fusion models. Some of these can be had new for just over $100 ea or used for around $50 each.
The difference is in the back spacing and offset.
If you're having clearance problems with calipers, especially if you have gone to the "R" Brembo sourced calipers, as I plan to do, you will need to go to a 16, 17, or even 18in. wheel. There are plenty of Focus & Fusion cars in salvage yards.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of those giant wheels with tiny sidewall monstrosities. The ones that look like rubber bands. UGLY and stupid, too, but I'm all for upgrading braking capability and bigger brakes mean bigger wheels
Has anyone here had any experience with using any of these wheels on Volvo, especially 240?
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To fit a later 740 or a 940 you had better buy 16" Hydras. The 15" alloys will bolt onto the later cars, but contact with the big calipers will prevent the wheels from rotating, a significant drawback. There is no reason on earth a Volvo steel wheel should sell for more than $20 and $10 is more like it with the supply pool being so large.
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Are you saying that no 15" wheel will fit a later 740 or 940, and they all have similar clearance issues?
Is this indeed because of ABS brakes?
So this means that every 740/940 with ABS has 16" wheels?
I agree that the steel 15" wheels should sell for $20, but no wreckers had one, and the independent Volvo shop quoted be $70. I live near Toronto, and work in Toronto, so if anyone can point me to a potential source, I'd love to check it out.
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Insofar as the last 740s and the 940 had the new big caliper, then the Virgos will not fit. Now that I think again about it though, I can't remember if the Dracos fit (and turned freely) on Mike W's 940 or not when we tried them. I believe they did. So I may have been wrong initially about the Draco.
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On my '91 740 with Bendix calipers but no ABS, Virgos definitely hit the calipers. Dracos fit fine.
--
Bob W.
16 Volvos ('58-'91)
445-544-122-240-740
Four turbos
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The Virgos are the only 15" wheel that seem to have clearance problems.
This is due to rim thickness and depth, not offset. This design is also damn difficult to fit onto a normal tire machine- many have scratches in the inner edges on the front side, due to difficulty mounting them face-up on a typical tire changer machine.
Of course, they're also the only 15" wheel that was offered on the 240, so that might be why they have these issues- after Volvo stopped building 240 Turbos in 1985, they only offered the 240 with 14" steel wheels. Anti-lock brakes didn't come along on any model for a few years after that, and the 740 had by then replaced the 240 as the luxury model.
The 740 alloys all fit all 740, 760, 780, 940 and early 960 models.
The Draco's fit cars with ABS just fine- they in fact ONLY were offered on ABS equipped cars (740T's, 1988, 89, and 91).
The 1990 740T and the 91 and some 92-95 940T's came with the 16" Hydras. Other wheel packages were offered, all 15X6 alloys in these years. Primary options were the Adhara or Aries wheel (again, see: http://brickparts.d--r.com/wheels/).
All these wheels fit all RWD Volvos except the late 960/S90/V90.
The Virgo will fit all 740 non-ABS cars. It would fit any of them on the rear wheels, but had clearance problems with the front calipers on the ABS equipped cars.
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '87 244DL/M47- 225K, 88 744GLE- 209K, 91 244 183K. Also responsible for the care and feeding of: 88 745GLE, 229K, 88 244GL, 146K, 87 244DL, 235K, 88 245DL, 236K
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Thanks, Rob, you've given me the re-assurance I needed - that the Draco would give me the best versatility possible for fitting future 240/740/940 Volvos that I might own.
In your statement: "The 740 alloys all fit all 740, 760, 780, 940 and early 960 models" - what constitutes a "740 alloy"? Any 15" ever offered by Volvo except the Virgo?
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"The Virgo will fit all 740 non-ABS cars. It would fit any of them on the rear wheels, but had clearance problems with the front calipers on the ABS equipped cars."
Wrong, wrong wrong. Sorry but this is the information I was relying on when I bought a set of Virgos to put snows on our '91 740 with NO ABS. This car has the Bendix calipers. Virgos absolutely hit the front calipers and it cost me a bunch of money to trade them for Dracos.
--
Bob W.
16 Volvos ('58-'91)
445-544-122-240-740
Four turbos
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Well they will fit any 700 with the smaller calipers/rotors anyhow. By 91 you got the biggest rotors.. about 11 1/4" diameter IIRC.
If you're looking for snow wheels, there should be some 15" steelies that will fit.. as well as some less attractive alloys to choose from.
- alex
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Say what? I thought the 240 GLTs got the Virgos until the end of that model.
As for fifteen inchers what about the various special models? The 240 SE and the Classic both got non-steelie wheels, right? I thought those BBS style wheels were 15".
And what of the ABS equipped 240s?
- alex
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'85 was the end of the 240 GLT/Turbo. ABS arrived later on the 240, but it was still offered with the standard 14" steel or alloy Corona wheels.
The Scorpius wheel (on SE and Classic 240s) was a 14x6".
"The 740 alloys all fit all 740, 760, 780, 940 and early 960 models."
Almost - there were some 14" alloys on the early non-ABS 700s, and of course, they will not fit the later ABS cars either.
--
Speed Racer, '83 240 R, '74 164 E, '93 940 OL1 (Manchester, CT)
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1985 wasn't the end of the GLT model however.
- alex
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Should have said, "in the U.S." We didn't get GLT's after '85.
--
Speed Racer, '83 240 R, '74 164 E, '93 940 OL1 (Manchester, CT)
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My friend put Dracos on his 88 764, no problem.. I believe that they eventually went to some rotors that were slightly larger in diameter tho.
- alex
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