'98 V70 T5 tires - size matters?

5rivers · Post by **5rivers** » 14 Jan 2023, 08:09

Greetings all,

All four wheels have 195-60R-15's but this model V70 calls for 205-55R-16's. Can I run the car on the 15's - does this mess anything up - or should I be looking for 16" rims and tires?

Appreciate your feedback!

Post by **scot850** » 14 Jan 2023, 10:15

If your car is running on 15" rims then you ca continue to run them. Just check they are not hitting the front calipers. It could be the car was originally sold with the optional 'big brakes' (302mm v's 280) rotors. Those do not fit under 15" rims if I recall. If it is running the 280mm front rotors you should be good. Some like to run the 16" rims in summer for better grip/stability with the wider tire foot print, and then use 15" in the winter with the taller sidewall on steelies as they can take a bigger hit from rough surfaces.

It will not screw anything up as the rolling diameter is the similar on these 2 tires. There is about a 1.5 mph difference at 65 mph. Originally the 16" tire was a 50 sidewall which gives the exact same speed at the 195/60/15 tire. But due to complaints in the uS of people claiming they were getting blow outs when hitting pot holes they increased the recommended sidewall from 50 to 55 on 16" rims.

Neil.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 14 Jan 2023, 11:33

5rivers wrote: ↑14 Jan 2023, 08:09 Greetings all,

All four wheels have 195-60R-15's but this model V70 calls for 205-55R-16's. Can I run the car on the 15's - does this mess anything up - or should I be looking for 16" rims and tires?

Appreciate your feedback!

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You can stay with those but if you go with 16" the 205/55/16 may rub a little. Per Neil the OE calls for 205/50/16. The rubbing could be due to the 07 S60 2.5T rims I put on our 00 S70, having an offset of 49mm rather than the stock 43mm of 15" rims.
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https://www.wheel-size.com/size/volvo/v ... 2000/usdm/

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MDK · Post by **MDK** » 14 Jan 2023, 19:04

Well, I took a set of the 2003 AWD wheels from an S60 and put them on a 1998 XC70 , cleared everything.. 215-45-r17.. for every tire size you go up or down it changes the speedometer by 1.5 miles an hour.. give or take.. but so what.. my XC70 looked awesome! MDK

Post by **foggydogg** » 14 Jan 2023, 21:12

5rivers wrote: ↑14 Jan 2023, 08:09 Greetings all,

All four wheels have 195-60R-15's but this model V70 calls for 205-55R-16's. Can I run the car on the 15's - does this mess anything up - or should I be looking for 16" rims and tires?

Appreciate your feedback!

https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-size-calculator
https://tiresize.com/comparison/
Tire Rack has similar information.
Circumference is the important number here; there may not be a large impact on your speedometer because of the difference in the aspect ratio. No harm otherwise. Issues usually only crop up when going bigger, or changing to wheels with different backspacing.
If the tires on it now have good tread and don't slide around a bunch with dew on the road, run'em.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 14 Jan 2023, 22:13

MDK wrote: ↑14 Jan 2023, 19:04 Well, I took a set of the 2003 AWD wheels from an S60 and put them on a 1998 XC70 , cleared everything.. 215-45-r17.. for every tire size you go up or down it changes the speedometer by 1.5 miles an hour.. give or take.. but so what.. my XC70 looked awesome! MDK

Wondering if the XC70 is taller up front as the THOR is compatible with the S70's. The 215 though wider is not as tall as the 205/55/16. Regardless the OP is good with his current 15". From other online post 215/45/17 should be the largest before a little rubbing takes place especially if the springs are worn.
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https://volvo-wheels.com/product/volvo- ... -thor-rim/
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https://tiresize.com/comparison/
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: Volvo Thor.png (617.9 KiB) Viewed 1035 times

: Volvo 16 vs 17 Tires.png (546.13 KiB) Viewed 1035 times

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Post by **FireFox31** » 15 Jan 2023, 16:37

scot850 wrote: ↑14 Jan 2023, 10:15 Just check they are not hitting the front calipers. It could be the car was originally sold with the optional 'big brakes' (302mm v's 280) rotors. Those do not fit under 15" rims if I recall. If it is running the 280mm front rotors you should be good.

Is there an easy way to visually identify the 302 mm vs 280 mm front brakes? My 1998 T5 has 16" on it but I'd like to swap on 15" temporarily. According to FCP, the caliper is the same for both but the bracket is different. Looking at the 280 mm and 302 mm, all I see is the cylindrical protrusions look longer on the 302 and the inner face is more angular. Any easier way to tell?

Post by **scot850** » 15 Jan 2023, 18:42

Not really that I know other than measuring the diameter of the rotor. Looking at the 2 brackets below (assuming they are showing the correct ones) the ends of the brackets do look a little different in terms of length. If you can tell from that then ok. If not it is a case of pulling a wheel and measuring the rotor diameter.

https://www.ipdusa.com/products/9263/30 ... 319-120644

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo- ... 50-8251156

Neil.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 15 Jan 2023, 20:06

FireFox31 wrote: ↑15 Jan 2023, 16:37
scot850 wrote: ↑14 Jan 2023, 10:15 Just check they are not hitting the front calipers. It could be the car was originally sold with the optional 'big brakes' (302mm v's 280) rotors. Those do not fit under 15" rims if I recall. If it is running the 280mm front rotors you should be good.
Is there an easy way to visually identify the 302 mm vs 280 mm front brakes? My 1998 T5 has 16" on it but I'd like to swap on 15" temporarily. According to FCP, the caliper is the same for both but the bracket is different. Looking at the 280 mm and 302 mm, all I see is the cylindrical protrusions look longer on the 302 and the inner face is more angular. Any easier way to tell?

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My 98 S70 T5 came with 16" and I went with 01 V70 15" for a softer ride. Best to throw them on and spin the wheel. Most 15" have less positive offset so less likely to rub the calipers.
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: 98 S70 T5.jpeg (216.68 KiB) Viewed 978 times

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Post by **abscate** » 27 Jan 2023, 01:38

5rivers wrote: ↑14 Jan 2023, 08:09 Greetings all,

All four wheels have 195-60R-15's but this model V70 calls for 205-55R-16's. Can I run the car on the 15's - does this mess anything up - or should I be looking for 16" rims and tires?

Appreciate your feedback!

Just checking back with you 5rivers.

In the middle of moving , so let me know if you need parts , which will mean I don’t have to move them.