Greetings. First post here, looking for a little info/education.

My son drives (and loves) a 1991 740. Recently, one of his front wheels was damaged. I was going to get a replacement 15" steel wheel from a salvage yard, but someone he knows offered him a good deal on a set of 17" allow wheels from a 2002(?) Volvo. (Not sure of the model.) What I assume to be the size is cast into the inside of the wheel: 7Jx17x49.

Based on reading I've done here, it sounds like they might work, but may require spacers? What I'd like to know is:

• Do I need the spacers if the the wheels are Volvo wheels?
  
• If so, am I correctly interpreting what I've read here that I'm looking for 5x108 spacers?
  
• If so, what would the thickness be? 25mm? Would the front and rear use the same size?

Thanks in advance for any info, links, or references you can offer!

CB

 

the front wheel drive volvos use the same bolt pattern but a different offset, such that you need 20-25mm thick spacers on your hubs, and wheel bolts that much longer. each time you change a wheel, that spacer is going to want to fall off, and will make it that much harder to get the wheel on straight. All RWD volvos through 1995 used 20-25mm offset wheels, while FWD volvos (and the 1996+ 960/S90/V90) use 40-50mm offset wheels. I believe the x49 in your size is the offset.

putting 17" wheels on a 740 will result in a really harsh ride. I've got 16" Volvo "Hydra" wheels on my 740 wagon, and they are noticably harsher than the stock 15" "Aries" rims were. The Hydra were a OEM optional wheel used on turbo 740's, so they bolted up without any hassles.

I was able to find my Hydras on craigslist from a regional volvo enthusiast, quite inexpensively.

740 wagon w/ Hydras...


and the Aries rims that were stock (2 were bent and all 4 tires were bald when I bought the car, thats why I swapped )