Can I Fit Smaller Wheels With Bigger Tyres?

[eric19371]

Okay, probably a silly question but has anybody fitted smaller diameter wheels and larger tyres (to maintain similar overall diameter) to a V50/S40 in a bid to improve ride quality?

The reason I ask is that (a) the alloys on my V50 are in terrible condition and urgently need refurbishment/replacement and (b) my previous car, an ‘06 Mercedes C180 had big tyres and an amazingly smooth ride (tyres were also cheaper!). I understand that by increasing the amount of sidewall the overall ride is improved which I am guessing would be a major factor in this difference I felt.

Please feel free to say it’s impossible, no space for the brake callipers, will mess up speedo, etc. but if anybody has already looked into it I would love to know.

[Adrijan]

The smallest factory wheels that come with this car are 15", with the 195/65R15 tyres. The rim dimensions are 6Jx15 ET46. These will fit no problem.

Potentially it could be possible to fit 185/75R14 tyres (take these dimensions if you want the tyre diameter to be as close as possible to the OEM one so your speedometer doesn't get inaccurate), but you'd need to make sure if the front brake diameter of 300mm would be able to fit 14" wheels. It would be pretty tight for sure, but maybe it fits. So you don't have to worry about the suspension clearance, fenders, wheel wells or the scrub radius as it is all the same as OEM or leaves even more space, but only the brakes might be a problem potentially.

[iainmd]

If you have a 2.4L with 300mm front calipers you might find that you can fit 15" but 16" will certainly fit.

[Wgl2020]

You can compare tyre sizes here to see what difference in diameter there would be:
https://tiresize.com/comparison/

Bear in mind that fitting a non-standard size may cause some insurance issues. If you stick to sizes that were available 'from the factory' I don't think it would be a problem.

[iainmd]

IIRC OEM Sizes were:

15" - 15x6J ET46 5x108 CB63.4 195/65R15
16" - 16x6.5J ET52.5 5x108 CB63.4 205/55R15
17" - 17x7J ET52.5 5x108 CB63.4 205/50R17
18" - 18x7.5J ET50 5x108 CB63.4 215/45R18

[eric19371]

Thank you all for your replies. My car/s come with the 17" wheel so knowing I could potentially drop 2" is great news, although the V50 is the 2.4i so I will check the caliper size as mentioned by @iainmd first. Anybody have any recommended wheel suppliers?

[Adrian888]

Search on Ebay, if Volvo fitted smaller wheels on the base versions i would go for those to keep some originality. You also need to consider different tyre brands can have an impact on ride quality too.