The Kumho’s overall width is 9.8″ and the Nitto Motivos are 10.24″ wide. Almost a half inch of additional width. If you go back and take a look at the way the old tires fit on the stock wheels you’ll notice they’re pretty much flush with the lips of the wheels. So the additional width of the 255’s will not only give us some added front grip, but it will also give our newly refreshed wheels a little bit of protection from those pesky curbs.
We sent the wheels off to Embee Performance and they took care of smoothing out the lips and powder coating our stock V70 wheels. We were trying to get the color close to the darker silver finish of the Pegasus wheels and think we got really close with one of Embee’s available off the shelf colors. We’re super happy with the workmanship and finish!
With our newly refinished wheels looking so good we couldn’t just put the dirty TPMS sensor caps back on. Some metal polish and elbow grease got them looking like new. Our wheels were now ready to get their new Nitto Motivos mounted.
The wheel and tire hauler for this project! My daily driven B13 SE-R. It is amazing how much bigger wheels have gotten over the years. The B13 is on 15″ wheels and it came stock with 14″s. The stock V70 18″s look humongous next to it!
While we had the wheels off we decided to spruce up the brakes a little too. This is the G2 Caliper Paint kit and this little bit of product is enough to do 4 normal sized calipers. We’ve used the G2 kit on various cars we own and around the shop with super good results. The finish is very durable and has withstood over a decade of use on my B13’s calipers. Once fully cured you can even spray them with brake parts cleaner. All you do is mix the activator solution in the small glass bottle with the paint, thoroughly mix, and you’re ready to start brushing on the paint.
5 comments
I drive/modify a P80 (MY00) V70 R, so I’m super excited to see a Swedish wagon on MotoIQ!
I’m gonna nit-pick this article a little though because although this is a cool wagon, it’s not a V70 R. The last V70 R made was the P2 (04-07) that the Pegasus wheels you mentioned came from.
The P3s were badged as “R Design”. I’m not trying to be pedantic about it, but the distinction is that the “R Design” is largely a cosmetic package, without any performance upgrades. The P2 R models got some upgrades over the other trim levels at the time such as a 300 HP turbo 5 cylinder, 4 piston F/R Brembos, better suspension, etc.
I’m pretty sure the P3 V70 shares a lot of parts with the P3 S/V60s, which have a ton more aftermarket support. I don’t know those models as well as some of the older ones. Either way, I’d suggest you check out Viva Performance and IPD for some suspension upgrades, and FCP Euro for any maintenance parts you’ll need. Good luck!
Hey Andy, that’s totally fair. It is a shame the P3 only got the cosmetic R-Design package and didn’t come as a “real” V70R.
Thanks for the info on the S/V60s. Was just recently at a junkyard looking at other Volvos for similarities.
Hey Martin, I totally agree it’s a bummer Volvo didn’t make a P3 R model because the turbo versions of the I6 is pretty potent, especially if they get a few aftermarket goodies.
Volvo, as a smaller company, shares a lot of parts between their models. For example, my 2000 V70 R is running a mix of parts from 4 distinct generations of Volvo models. Admittedly, most of that is so the 6 speed manual swap works with the stock AWD system…
It may be very possible that a set of coilovers from a S/V60 would bolt right up to your V70. Might want to spend a little time exploring the Swedespeed forums – there’s a lot of good info available and it still has a fairly active user base, so hopefully you can find the answers your looking for.
Again, super excited to see a V70 on MotoIQ, and I’m looking forward to some future updates!
I’ve bought 3 sets of Motivos. Best sporty DD tire. Period.
No, they’re not MP4S, but they do stick very well and have excellent feedback. Wearing like iron is icing on the cake.
That’s good to know, thanks for the feedback. My set of PSS are nearly worn, and I’m looking for something that will last a little longer, so I’ll have to keep the Motivos in mind.