Mon, 12 May 1997
Glenn,
I liked your topic on tires. I have to replace my Goodyear NCT 185/70 VR 15s soon, so I am looking for a good replacement. Although they worked fine in the past, the cost of $140 each is too expensive. On my other P1800 I tried 185/65 VR 15s from Bridgestone. The size is o.k., although you have to recalibrate the speedo slightly (by five percent). These tires are easily available here in Germany, and costs are just half compared to those of the 185/70 size.
Here in Germany we are still allowed to go as fast as we want on the Autobahn, so I rely on brands with a good reputation. Any size wider than 185 can lead to clearance problems (depending on the rim offset). I still use the original composite mags on my 1800E, but I am considering to go for slightly wider ones like 6" (any idea with period looks?).
By the way, your calculation formula for tire circumference is correct in theory only. There is a lot of variation between the different makes, and if you have the chance to look at a tire manufacturer's tire booklet you will find the correct numbers for each tire listed. There a deviation of more than five percent, so don't rely on calculation. The dynamic values are also dependent on tread wear and tire pressure.
Regards,
Thilo Moerke
FORD Vehicle Safety Assurance
tmoerke-ford@e-mail.com
GERMANY
Thilo -
Well it figures! Nothing measures up to the right size any more. Even 2x4" lumber is only 1-5/8 x 3-3/4". Thanks for the tip on tire circumferences. Point well-taken.
I'm not sure what would be the appropriate period aftermarket wheels to put on a P1800. Seems like I have seen old pictures of P1800s wearing wheels that looked like IPD's Laguna design, but I couldn't swear to it.
I bet if you did a little research in a big library, you could find advertisements in old car magazines for aftermarket wheels for sporting Volvos. Then you might be able to find similar wheels on the market today. Worth a try. -Glenn.