2002 Volvo V70 T5 alternative snow tire sizes

[brick8]

Need to pick up a set of snows for my 2002 v70 t5. A neighbor is selling a nearly new set of blizzaks from his 2008 mazda 3 that are 215/50R17 The tires on my car now are 235/45r17. Will the 215/50s fit on my car? Anyone here tried this?

I have a set of 15" blizzaks on steel wheels from my deceased 1998 V70r but I am pretty sure they won't work on the 2002.

Thanks!

[wouterve]

Those tires should fit the car just fine, and narrower tires are usually better for snow anyway. You'll see only a .5% inaccuracy in your speedometer, so that's well within tolerance. I would go for it!

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Specification  Sidewall  Radius  Diameter  Circumference  Revs/Mile  Difference
235/45-17         4.2in  12.7in    25.3in         79.6in        796        0.0%
215/50-17         4.2in  12.7in    25.5in         80.0in        792        0.5%

Also, your 15 inch tires might just fit; I had 15" snows on my 02 S60 and that worked fine; I don't know if the T5 has bigger brakes than a 2.4NA though—if it does, those wheels might not fit for that reason.

[brick8]

The neighbor's tires are gone and the 15" tires won't fit. I also found some 225/50R17 tires on Craigslist but I am concerned they might rub because they are taller than the OEM size. Do you think these might work?