Can I use 16 inch summer wheels/tires when the door frame sticker says 17 inch?

AylmerQc · Post by **AylmerQc** » 16 Oct 2024, 18:10

2007 XC 70.
I have two (mostly) identical cars, except one (which is a bit of a junker and that I'm planning on getting rid of) has the door frame sticker listed tires as 16 inch and the other (the good car) 17 inches.
The 17 inch tires on the one vehicle are worn out, so would there be any issues or problems arising from throwing on the 16 inch tires on the car which has 17 inch tires as standard?

Post by **volvolugnut** » 16 Oct 2024, 18:47

Two potential problems:
1. The 16 inch wheels may not clear the brakes on the 17 inch wheel car.
2. The 16 inch tires may be shorter and change your indicated speed. Not much of a problem as long as you know the speedometer is off.
Maybe third problem is the 16 inch tires are taller and the tires rub at full turning.
volvolugnut

Post by **erikv11** » 16 Oct 2024, 20:13

We’ve got a 17 and a 16 inch XC70 and I’m pretty sure they have the same brakes. So if the 16s fit in the wheel well which they almost certainly will, then the only issue is the speedometer error.

Check out a tire size comparison website and you will see that the speedometer difference for 215-60-17 vs 215-65-16 is like 0.66% which is trivial. Speedo says 70, you’re actually going 69.5.

Should work fine, I’d definitely try them out.

AylmerQc · Post by **AylmerQc** » 16 Oct 2024, 20:26

Thanks for the replies.
If every thing is 99% fine with using 16" tires minus speedometer readings) any guess on how it would affect the feel or ride going from 17 to 16 inch?

yanga001 · Post by **yanga001** » 16 Oct 2024, 21:04

Mount one tire on the XC70 and if it clears the calipers then you are good. I run 15's on my S60 with no issues. The car lists 16 inch as the required. No real issues with rubbing on standard 195 sized tires.

Post by **vtl** » 17 Oct 2024, 05:28

AylmerQc wrote: ↑16 Oct 2024, 20:26 Thanks for the replies.
If every thing is 99% fine with using 16" tires minus speedometer readings) any guess on how it would affect the feel or ride going from 17 to 16 inch?

If you keep the absolute tire size that would mean the tire has a taller wall, which results in a plusher ride and lesser steering response.

I run my XC70 with 235/70R16 (29") vs stock 215/65R16 (27"). It accelerates slightly worse (the tire is not only bigger, it is an all-terrain tire), maybe steers tad worse, and the speedometer is 10% off

But 1" of extra ground clearance and much better grip is totally worth it on a cross-country vehicle.

Post by **scot850** » 17 Oct 2024, 08:43

All the P2 XC70's have 286mm diameter rotors that I have found. The only one that may be different is the Ocean Race edition which I have not dealt with. Our 06 has these rotors and has 16" wheels. If you have the larger 305mm rotors I believe they also fit in 16" wheels.

Lastly there is a 320mm option, but they do need 17" wheels.

Neil.

Post by **matthew1** » 17 Oct 2024, 10:22

AylmerQc wrote: ↑16 Oct 2024, 20:26 Thanks for the replies.
If every thing is 99% fine with using 16" tires minus speedometer readings) any guess on how it would affect the feel or ride going from 17 to 16 inch?

I've never once read that ride gets worse going down a wheel size. Maybe there are edge cases where this rule is broken, but I don't know about them.

SPA Volvo car owners routinely post about strongly disliking the ride with the massive OE 20-21" wheels. They discover the new world of plush ride because they go down to 18" for winter tire/wheels for a season, and it's a revelation. Then they mount summer tires on the those 18" wheels when winter is over and the big 20+" steamrollers are left to collect dust in the garage, or get sold.

Post by **scot850** » 17 Oct 2024, 15:00

I should add, that you should not have an issue with the speedo if you fit smaller diameter rims, as long as you fit tires the correct profile. Our XC70 with 16" rims (which are standard on this car) are 215/65/16" tires. I think that equates to 215/55/17". There are tire calculators available on line.

As to complaints. Larger side wall tires have more compliance so are not as rough on you or the car, especially if the roads are rough where you live. What drivers complain about is that the cars feel less direct as the sidewalls flex more when cornering hard and when trying to change directions quickly. Unless you are driving your car at 110% all the time, then most normal drivers will only notice the greater comfort.

Neil.