tirerack claims that 850 turbo wagons could use either 205/55-16 or 205/50-16 tires, mine came with 205/55-16 which is what it says on the tire/weight sticker too. my tires scrape the wheel wells on lock to lock U turns and parking maneuvers. My current yokohama avid v4s have about 30K miles on them, so I'll be replacing them before long. they've worn evenly so I have no complaints there.

can I use 205/50-16 on this car unmodified without messing up the steering or speedometer


interesting. In VADIS, its telling me ...
6.102 foot tire circumference is 865 turns/mile, which Yokohama gives as the size of a 205/50VR16. the 205/55VR16 is about 4% off of that (831 turns/mile) both these tires specify a 6.5x16 rim as nominal, which is what I have.

 

205/55/16 on my sons 850 glt. No problems. Either one should work with minimal speedo problems. Slightly higher side wall on the 55 will give you a little bit smoother ride.

 

does my car look like it was lowered in that picture above? I have no knowlege of this being done, but it sure looks low in the wheel wells to me.

again, this is a 96 'Turbo' model, with the T5, and not the low pressure GLT version.

 

looks factory height to me. the wheel wells on the 850 dont have the gaps you see on most cars.

 

Although my Label says 205/50/16, my 850 (sport suspension) has 205/55/16 mounted. My speedo reads 66-67 mph, when GPS says 70 mph.

 

I have the same error with my odometer. About 3 mph off. I believe the gps. I always wonder if I can tweek that at the gauge. The Scan Gauge allows you to adjust the reading on it. Allows changes for tire size wear.

I think you should go with the 55's. I believe that's what the manual says. The car looks a little low to me. I think the 850 ride high.

 

I bought the car with the 55s. When I buy the next set, I will go with 50s.

Unless there is weight in the back, the silver wagon looks low. I have the same rims; mine looks a little higher and does not scrape.

 

Measure from ground to finder lip. Do in cm's and inches if you can. then others can post their measurements.

 

and you guys aren't having problems with the corners of the tire wearing grooves in the plastic wheel well liner? like when you are doing full stop U turns or parking lot maneuvers ? the plastic lip on the fender has busted off too.

 

excellent idea, why didn't I think of that??. i'll have to find a flat level spot to do this. tomorrow.

 

FYI
http://volvospeed.com/Repair/2055516.php

One thing I agree with is that 55 rides better than 50.

 

When I had 55's on it they rubbed. I replaced the tubs and wore them out within a week. I have just come to the conclusion that you dont go lock to lock, stop a bit short.
Since my 17s and suspension I no longer rub other than lock to lock. If I stop just sort I dont have a problem. I dont think I have rubbed in months. The 55 is a taller tire and will hit over a 50. You will get a better ride out of the 55 since there is more tire between you and the road. Its just a balance and decision you will have to make.

Ground to fender I am 23.25in


Before suspension with 55's

 

Isn't the turn stops suppose to stop you before you rub??? I wonder if those are worn because I have destroyed 2 tires with rubbing in the wheel well.

 

I had brand new arms on both sides and they rubbed. I was thinking of adding metal(weld) to the stop arms so it just cant go that far. Another option is to drill out the rivets on the stop pads and replace the pads with thicker ones. They look like teflon.

 

we have mountain roads around here with hairpin switchbacks that require full stop turns to stay in your lane. yes, big pickup trucks have to do 3 pointers, its really ugly.

I don't want to do anything that impacts my turning radius.

 

I am sure you do not do lock to lock turns while your driving. Not even on Lombard Street in San Fran do you hit lock to lock. But, if thats what you have to do then 50/16's or go down to 15" rims.

 

i lived on Leavenworth, 1 block from Lombard, in the 1960s.

these switchbacks in the hills here are considerably tighter than the curly block.

for instance...

<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;hq=&amp;hnear=Santa+Cru z,+California&amp;ll=37.145976,-122.017722&amp;spn=0.002968,0.00456&amp;z=17&amp;o utput=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;hq=&amp;hnear=Santa+Cru z,+California&amp;ll=37.145976,-122.017722&amp;spn=0.002968,0.00456&amp;z=17&amp;s ource=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>

(if this board won't allow that mess, its here)

 

Some of them are pretty tight. I think you have some options to think about.

 

Hope you own a M/C, if not, you should! That looks very cool...and fun!!!

 

a 96 BMW R1100RS. Which I want to downsize to something like an F800GS as the R1100 is just a little too big and heavy to toss around on these sorts of roads... The Santa Cruz Mountains are full of these sorts of barely paved goat trails.