i'm going to upgrade my wheel & tire package in the next couple of weeks. i currently have 15" wheels and was thinking of going to 16s or 17s.

any thoughts?

i will also be replacing the front suspension and possibly the rear struts. not looking to lower, just improve ride quality.

 

Bigger wheel usually thinner sidewall which means harsher ride.

 

just looked at my records on the car and the suspension was replaced approx. 30k miles ago. BUT, that was also almost 5 years ago because the owner at that time barely drove the car.

i'm going to replace the wheels/tires, see how it rides and then have the suspension inspected to see what may need to be replaced. no sense in replacing parts that only have 30k miles on them if they are still in good shape.

 

850s came with both OEM 15s and 16s. As tryingbe noted, going plus 1 or plus 2 will shorten sidewalls which will stiffen the ride to some degree. In the 16s, you can run either 205/50 or 215/50-16s - If you find 6.5 inch rims they should be ET43 offsets or 7.0 rims with an ET40 offset (215s would work better on the 7 inch rims). I did this on my S40 and didn't really notice much of a ride difference... but then again, tire pressure probably has a much bigger impact. Not sure if you recall but Volvo was subject to a class action lawsuit regarding blowouts - largely due to people running the recommended tire pressure which was too low to prevent sidewall pinches after hitting a pothole. The cure is to run 3-4 PSI above what the sticker on the car says (I typically run 36+ PSI on my S40 and 850, and 33 PSI on my VW CC which has 235/45-17s).

 

I know this probably doesn't answer any questions but I just picked up a set of four 850 5 spoke 16" wheels from a salvage yard for $120. $30 to have them all checked for run-out and having the old tires removed. $40 in sandpaper, bondo, primer, paint, and CC and I've got 4 wheels that look practically new for under $200. Salvage yards like Pull-A-Parts or LKQ Used parts (in the US) can be a good option.

 

If the struts and shocks were cheap junk, they are likely due replacement. If you don't LOVE the ride, I'd put some good quality shocks and struts on with lifetime warranty so you can enjoy them a while.

 

Moving to 16" or 17" will not 'improve' the ride as you will have to go to a lower profile tire to compensate for the larger rim. But, the car will look better. So its a give/take thing. If your after ride quality stay with the 15".

 

given that the shoes on my current 15"s are several years old (the car was rarely driven the last couple of years the previous owner had it), the ride is certain to improve a bit with new tires - regardless of wheel size. and certainly the handling will improve - i'm serious, the tires are in bad shape. but i understand that with a larger wheel size the ride isn't going to necessarily be smoother. i'm going to try the new tires and wheels (i think i'm going with 17"s) before i replace the shocks and springs.

 

New tires will indeed improve the ride. Nice soft thicker rubber will help a lot.

 

my new shoes arrived last night. 17x7.5 Sport Edition SE-16s. Sumitomo HTR A/S PO2 205/45R-17.

the ride is a bit smoother but the handling is vastly improved. i'm betting my mpg will improve by 1 or 2 as well.

ordered from TireRack - arrived w/in 3 biz days and were in great shape.

 

Looks good

Bit off topic, but is it possible to get 17's under the car if its on IPD lowering springs and yellow Koni's without running into clearance/rubbing issues (especially over bumps/potholes)?

 

That looks amazing.

 

thanks for the pics of the wheels. Looks great! 97-850Wagon, fitting 17s is more about choosing the right rim width and the right offset. If you go with 7x17 ET40 with the 205/45-17s you should be ok. Generally lowering springs are firmer so they have less travel for the same weight. Most clearance concerns are with rubbing on the strut (wrong offset) or rubbing on the fender lip (too wide a rim/tire) on lock to lock turns, not when you crush the spring to the bump stop...