Got my 09 Volvo xc70 last month. Wanted to do some customizing so I got on the forum and did some research. Took me a while to figure everything out, so in case anyone else is interested, here are some fun facts.
•The biggest diameter tire you can fit without any rubbing is 28.6"
•The original tire was 27.1" so this will affect the speedometer and odometer a little. The bad news is, when you're speedo reads 65, you're actually doing 68 (be careful). The good news is that you are covering more ground with every revolution of your tire, and so your odometer will read less miles than you're actually putting on the car! There was no change to the mileage in my case.
•If you want a BFG All Terrain tire, the only one that will fit is the 225/70R16
•That means you need to move down to a 16"wheel. This gives a higher sidewall and more of the offroad look (instead of the wagon wheel with a rubber band look of big wheel / thin tire)
•The best looking volvo wheel that fits this is the older 16x7 Tellus Wheel.
•That wheel is narrower than the Sargas 17x7.5 wheel that came with the car, but the offset gives you more clearance on the inside and the same outer width.
•The older P2 wheels have a different hub bore (65.1) than the P3 hub (63.4)
•You can adjust with a plastic hub ring from
www.hubcentric-rings.com
•shipping hub rings from Finland is cheap and fast.
•In my opinion, the stock outer width of the volvo wheels is too narrow. If you want the wheel/tire to line up with the outer edge of the fender, H&R Spacers make the stance look great and handle well.
•If you get H&R Spacers, go with 15mm on the front and 20mm on the back.
•If you add the spacers, you need longer lug bolts
•The lug bolts have a cone seat (not a ball seat). Extended size (for these spacers) is 14x1.5 45mm
•Bolts should turn 7 times... if not, you're too short and they may come loose.
•If you want to black out your wheels to get that offroad gangsta look, you can pay $400 for powder coating, or you can go to the hardware store and get Rustoleum primer and flat back spray paint for five bucks. If the paint ever scratches off, touch them up with the spray again-- quit whining-- you just saved $395.
•If you do spray your wheels black, the older black logo centercaps look better than the new grey shiny caps.
•If you do spray your wheels black, do it after the new tires are mounted (not before).... mounting tires tears up painted wheels.
•If you want to buy genuine volvo accessory parts, hit the internet (not your local volvo dealer's service department). Many volvo dealers are selling accessories on ebay for 1/4 the price that they sell them in the dealership.
•If you DO want to do it through your dealership, don't go to the service department-- go to your salesman. If you've got a good relationship with him, he'll order them for you at dealer cost. And if you really buttered him up you can get the installation at dealer cost discount. Also about 1/4 the price of the service department.
•If you buy the Volvo Mudflaps for the P3 volvo, they're installed with included screws (not rivets). You can do it yourself without a drill. The screws fit in the existing holes from the fender flares.
•If you install the mudflaps yourself, you don't need to take the tires/wheels off first. Just hold a star bit at a right angle (to fit between the tire and wheel well) with a pair of pliers and tighten the screws. For the front tires, turn the wheels to the side and you'll have even more room to install.
•The full cargo mat is well worth it. Fits the entire storage space with back seats up or down.
I'm just getting started, so I'm sure I'll add more later. If I'm incorrect on anything above, I'm sure you guys will set me straight.
thanks for a great forum with lots of info.
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