A Tale of Two R's!

Post by **JRL** » 14 Apr 2011, 10:44

I bought both of these during the past couple of weeks.
Both are pretty loaded, both have Nav. The Grey is a GT, the Blue a 6 sp manual.
Some of you saw the Ti Grey in the For Sale section on SS a few weeks ago.

Both are sold and paid for.
The grey 06 is being delivered this weekend and the 05 Magic Blue (6 speed) is going next week.

The Magic Blue is heading West, (CA) the Ti Grey to North Carolina.

The new owner of the Grey is a first time Volvo owner so welcome him to all the Volvo forums, he should be joining today.
The new owner of the M Blue is a current SS member who was an S60 R owner who has been "R-less" for the past couple of years!

Both of these are super nice VRs so let's wish both of them a trouble free, long distance drive home!

Post by **matthew1** » 14 Apr 2011, 12:52

That grey R is my wagon, exactly, except mine's an '04. Didn't the '06's have side marker lights on the side mirrors? Or was that '07?

I can't say enough good things about these P2 R wagons. Every time I get out of mine I think damn. nice. car.

My only gripe is the rear suspension behavior, the 4C system. It's bad, jumpy, unrefined and nervous on our poorly maintained US roads. Simply put, it should never had made it outside the Volvo Test Track at Hällered, Sweden.

Having said that, when I replace my 850 T5 it will probably be with an '06 or '07 V70 R manual. I like them that much.

Anyway, I don't mean to throw this off track. Good cars, good sales. They'll be happy.

New owners, welcome to MVS. Keep us updated on your experiences with your Volvos.

Post by **JRL** » 14 Apr 2011, 13:44

You have an 04 the 4C is glitchy and noisy
07s have mirror turn signals
Have you ever pulled fuse #23 in the end of the dashboard?
if not do so.
That will kill the 4C and you will be running standard suspension but your headlights will be pointing down, so only do this during the day.
I got so good at it I could do it at a stoplight in about 10 seconds.
It defaults at a slightly stiffer than sport but the rear stays planted and it's QUIET

Post by **priapism** » 15 Apr 2011, 01:02

beautiful!

Post by **matthew1** » 15 Apr 2011, 07:55

2004 4C is the only one huh? Good to know. BTW, my suspension is silent. Skittish but silent.

Post by **JRL** » 15 Apr 2011, 10:09

matthew1 wrote:2004 4C is the only one huh? Good to know. BTW, my suspension is silent. Skittish but silent.

Try it
Fuse #23 in the left dash fuse box
Takes a second
You don't like it, put it back, doesn't hurt anything
Have you had the 4C re-calibrated only, no new software?
You need to do that every year or two

Post by **matthew1** » 15 Apr 2011, 10:23

I switch suspension modes too often to want to turn it off -- I'm probably in the minority. I like the stiffness of Advanced mode. Body roll is nearly eliminated. Cornering on long sweepers feels like I'm pulling a lateral G. Seriously.

When I go to my mom's to pick up my son twice a week I take a deserted new street in a new development with wonderful S curves, after some highway on/off ramps. The car is in "Comfort" 98% of the time, but I pop it into Advanced for these little joys.

For those wondering what specifically I'm complaining about with the 4C, for instance, driving over a manhole cover on these sweepers will cause the back end to wobble and hop... it just gets unplanted for a split second. The active suspension's shock on that side will over-react. It's not dangerous, but it's not right either.

I had the latest software updates done 9 months ago with the Volvo V70 R 90K Miles Service.

Post by **JRL** » 15 Apr 2011, 12:38

I realize this but when you're going to be driving "normally" for a while and around some iffy roads .....
TRY IT. Don't be so stubborn, just try it
It takes 10 seconds to remove it and 10 seconds to put it back and you will be surprised at the difference.

What you describe is about normal especially for an 04
It took me 3 years to dial most of that out, but occationally I would still get minor side hop.
If you don't have sprigs and sway bars on and the alignment set just right, (0 rear toe) you will never get rid of it.

Oh and when you remove the fuse... NO MORE SIDE HOP

Post by **matthew1** » 15 Apr 2011, 12:41

Will do.

Post by **JRL** » 15 Apr 2011, 15:30

matthew1 wrote:Will do.

I'm really curious how you like the handling when and if you pull the fuse.
It's been a while since I did it with my 04
It's not so easy to do with an 05-07, the fuses and the entire electrical system is different and you need to pull multiple fuses