Alternative to new Volvo struts on 98 V70 R AWD?

mdv · Post by **mdv** » 23 Oct 2009, 11:59

I recently bought a 98 V70 R AWD, with about 97K miles, and it bounces a bit to much for comfort and leans too much on curves.
My mechanic says that it really needs the struts replacing. The two ball-park estimates I have had so far are between $700+ and $1000+, which are more than I want to pay right now.

Is there any good alternative, to tighten the ride up?
I obviously don't want to do anything that is less than safe or not good in the long-term; but I would be glad to find a way to postpone a $1000 expenditure for a while.

I can live with the bounce, but I would obviously prefer it to hold much better. I previously drove a '95 850Turbo for ten years, and it held much better at 180k miles: I was hoping the '98 R would be even better, so a little disappointed in this aspect.

(I am probably not up to any major projects with my own hands, but I have a very helpful independent mechanic, who is usually open to suggestions.)

Many thanks for any ideas.

Mark

Post by **JRL** » 23 Oct 2009, 12:06

Are they nuts?
I pay about $300 to re-do an entire front end.
On an R, I like Koni yellows the best. As you can only do the front, they are closer to OEM yet MUCH better feel and steering response plus they are adjustable.
Yes these are the most expensive strut but if you plan to keep it a few years, well worth it.
i do not like any Bilstein, they don't match up well to the rear nivomats.
If you don't want to spring for Konis, go with new OEM (Sachs) struts.
To reduce the lean you MUST go with IPD sway bars and HD end links.
The above combo is AWESOME on Gen 1 R's.
Me and my wife's 2000's (V70R) are both set up this way, it make one nice car to drive!

mdv · Post by **mdv** » 23 Oct 2009, 13:30

JRL, many thanks for that insight and suggestions.

Could I just make sure I understand a couple of things correctly?

You suggest Koni yellows - do I need to replace the whole shock/strut assembly, or can I just do the struts, if the shocks are still ok? Could I just redo the struts now, and upgrade the shocks later?

You say I can only do the front end - does that mean that there is no point in replacing the rear end, or that it is not possible?

Do I understand correctly that $300 would be a reasonable price to solve the problem, meaning both parts and labour? This would presumably be replacing the struts only, and front end only, yes?

Thank you again,

Mark

Post by **JRL** » 23 Oct 2009, 18:28

mdv wrote:JRL, many thanks for that insight and suggestions.

Could I just make sure I understand a couple of things correctly?

You suggest Koni yellows - do I need to replace the whole shock/strut assembly, or can I just do the struts, if the shocks are still ok? Could I just redo the struts now, and upgrade the shocks later?

You say I can only do the front end - does that mean that there is no point in replacing the rear end, or that it is not possible?

Do I understand correctly that $300 would be a reasonable price to solve the problem, meaning both parts and labour? This would presumably be replacing the struts only, and front end only, yes?

Thank you again,

Mark

A strut IS a front shock it just has a spring wrapped around it, that is called a strut.
You re-use the spring and install it on the strut, then the assembly installs in one piece.
You have rear Nivomats, (air shocks) there is no aftermarket replacement for them which is why you should be careful with what front strut you use, too stiff and they don't balance out properly.
No, $300+ in LABOR, you still have to buy the struts and you really need to buy new spring seats ($62 ea.) and rfeplace them while you're in there. They fail a lot and it's no extra labor so we all (well, those who know) do this when replacing struts

Post by **holler1** » 23 Oct 2009, 19:26

$700 for parts and labor sounds pretty reasonable. I like the Bilstein Touring struts, but I only have experience with one car, whereas JRL rebuilds a lot of them and has much more experience. I have a V70 AWD but not an R, but I think the suspension components are similar. The Bilstein struts are about $150 each as I recall, maybe a little less. The stock struts are around $105 or 110. I also strongly recommend changing the spring seats. Mine were in bad shape when I changed them at around 140,000 miles.

If you want to do it yourself, there are some repair threads that outline how to do it. I did mine for the first time last year and it went OK. You have to be really careful with supporting the car, otherwise it can get a little dangerous. Probably not a good first time do-it-yourself job.

Longer term, the heavy duty sway bars from IPD are supposed to be excellent. However, they are expensive, close to $500 for the AWD, and my guess is the labor would almost double that cost. I changed out a broken front sway bar last year and I found it more difficult than changing struts.

mdv · Post by **mdv** » 23 Oct 2009, 22:48

Thanks guys for clarifying that for me.
So, it looks like I am in for $700-$1000+ or so to do it right.
Sounds like I should put up with the bounce for while and save up for some Koni yellows.

By the way, the guy I buy my Michelin tires from carries KYB shocks - any thoughts, good, bad or indifferent? Might they have one that matches up alright with the nivomats?

Thanks again for your help,

Mark

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 24 Oct 2009, 00:25

JRL wrote: You have rear Nivomats, (air shocks) there is no aftermarket replacement for them which is why you should be careful with what front strut you use, too stiff and they don't balance out properly.

Actually, they aren't really an air shock. More of a, well, um...uh...,
a System.

I'll let them speak for themselves:

nivomat.pdf: (1.69 MiB) Downloaded 896 times

Post by **holler1** » 24 Oct 2009, 10:10

You could buy used struts from a recycler like Erie Vovo for about half the price of new ones. These typically are removed with springs and all, so it saves the labor of spring compression, removal etc. I bought some last year just to get the springs. If you get them from a low mileage vehicle they might last a while if the mounts are OK.

Post by **JRL** » 25 Oct 2009, 05:56

Never use a used strut or shock on any car.
These are wear items.
A shock's useful life (depending on road conditions) is from between 50 and 80K miles so unless you can be guaranteed a used shock/strut has under 15K K miles, your 4+ hours of labor is essentially wasted.

Buying used parts is fine if they're not mechanical wear items.
Would you put used brakes on your car? I don't think so!

Stick with trim or switchgear only when it comes to used parts.