A Cult Car

This is a blog on refurbishing a Volvo 240 Wagon-- a cult car that is legendary for its durability. The 5 speeds manual transmission in particular gets great fuel economy, 32.5 mpg is attainable at speeds of 60 mph. Both the sedan and the wagon have plenty of rear leg and head room, even for tall people. Additionally, a tall person can sleep in the back--it is 77" long if the rear seat bottom is removed.

Thick sheet metal make it durable--so is the motor. Volvo took a V8 truck engine cut in half, to make this 4 cylinder engine. It has bearings and rods are designed for much heavy loads and this makes the engine nearly impossible to kill. People can get literally a million miles between rebuilds with regular oil changes and normal preventative maintenance.

The 5 speeds cars are fun to drive. Their durability means it is a smart economic choice to put money into them--they will last indefinitely if maintained. Parts are cheap. They are easy and simple to work on. Police just don't ever pull them over. It is because they like to stay at legal freeway speeds and purr along at 60 mph--so police expect them to be driven slowly. Finally, they are safe--built around a full roll cage. These are the reasons why there are so many are still on the road today.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

New Tires




Here are my new tires.  I bought Michelin Harmony Tires. These are 195-65R15's mounted on my Virgo Rims.  I held off on buying these until I found an extra rim so I could buy a full sized rim.  One problem I have is these tires are a little short so I lost some of my top end speed and the speedometer reads high.  I am thinking about taking these back and putting on 205-65R15's. The ride is great.  They corner well, and have a high tread wear rating.  I should be able to get as much as 100,000 miles on these tires, if they don't wear out due to the rubber breaking down from UV light.  In any case, having a full size spare will allow me to have a five tire rotation (these are not directional tires), and give me a bit more confidence on long trips.
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