Replacing front struts : which model ?

[850 LPT]

I was wondering about this. A while ago I ordered all the parts I need to do a suspension overhaul on my XC from IPD. I went with the XC90 OE springseats which were $40.19 each. But they also offer the regular Sachs Boge OE springseat for $23.06 each. That's a really big difference in price. From what you are saying they would be the same part? Am I being ripped off?

Thanks, Dirk

[rugbygrrl_15]

I just DIY my struts and shocks, no springs, with the Koni sport model (they're the yellow ones), and I'm not thrilled. They're a stiff ride. I wasn't looking for a Cadillac ride, but a little softer than I have.

I live in LA and believe it or not, our city streets are poop. With these struts they ride truely like a sports car...pothole, *klunk* However, on the highway they're great and windy roads are fun.

If I could do it again, I would go for the Sachs and leave the Koni for my partner's Mini Cooper.

[dudabubba]

I had an epic journey in the world of suspension and my conclusion is that 850 wagons are a rough ride. The only thing I have left to replace in the suspension are the trailing rear links and they don't look bad under visual inspection. If changing the trailing links suddenly made my ride smooth, I would be amazed.

In March 2012 I purchased a 1997 850 T-5 wagon, 104,000 actual miles, from a young dude who got it from his mom. The car was very well cared for, regular dealer maintenance and looked great. The kid had it for maybe 4 years and knew his way around a car. He lowered it and put on Bilstein HDs all around.
I lived in Northern VA till Sept 2013 and knew the ride was stiff but the roads I typically traveled were pretty smooth so it didn't bother me so much. In Sept I moved to the North side of Washington DC and now travel some pretty gnarly terrain. I cringed at any approaching bumps, expansion joint or minor crack in the road.

I loved the lowered look but figured the springs must have been cut (not factory) or the Bilsteins were worn out or something, so I set off to smooth my ride with new hardware.
I did my research, read the reviews and purchased a complete FCP suspension kit Koni Sport Adjustables (the yellows) and lowered iPD blue springs. The FCP kit included all new mounts, seats, bump stops, struts, shocks and I also got new control arms, tie rods, stabilizer links, and axles.
The iPD blue springs got great reviews. People saying how awesome they were, super smooth and all that. The Koni Sports are gas charged and adjustable to "soft", also great reviews.

I swapped it all out (...used to be a mechanic back in the day) and thought it was an improvement but slowly the denial wore thin and realized it was almost the same as before. (BTW- the springs I removed were not cut. I couldn't tell what brand but maybe H&R because they were black).
Fortunatley, iPD and FCP have amazing return policies and I ordered OEM standard height springs (Pro Parts). I put these on and kept the Koni Sports. This was much better, as in, I didn't feel every single little crack and bump but still normal rough spots in the road were rattling.

At this point I couldn't justify the massive expense of the Koni Sports ("soft" adjustment is definitely not "SOFT") since I had originally purchased them to compliment and help smooth the lowered springs. Again, the amazing return policy of FCP to the rescue. I ordered some OEM Sachs front and rear and pulled the Konis.

So now I have, basically, the original suspension, off-the-lot, brand new all-around and it still kind-of stinks. I don't expect an SUV or Cadillac ride but I've ridden in enough cars and would not expect a Volvo to feel like this. It feels cheap. It doesn't feel like other cars in it's class and I know it is possible to have a sporty but smooth suspension.

Anyways, that's my story. This is the only Volvo I've owned, so I don't have experience with other 850s but I can say I've been around the world as far as suspension set-ups for this car and my travels tell me this: lower your expectations, even if your springs are not.

-Brian

[bigdaddylee82]

There was a noticeable difference in weight, material, & design between the 850 & XC90 spring seats when I re-redid my my front suspension. The cheap off-brand (Scantech maybe? they were the cheapest available around '08) 850 spring seats FCP used to sale in a kit with strut bearings didn't make it 2 years on my car. I upgraded/replaced everything about a year and a half ago, and when I did, I bought OEM strut bearings & XC90 spring seats. Nothing like doing all that work again.

XC90 on the left Off-brand 850 on the right.



Cheap, clunky, noisy, 850 spring seat after less than 2 years, probably less than 20K miles.


If these cheap 850 spring seats don't exist anymore, that's awesome! No one should have to suffer through those pieces of junk.

- Lee

[bigdaddylee82]

I did a lot of research in an attempt to get a more "sporty" suspension set up with the least amount of drop and on a budget. I wound up with the Koni STRT struts/shocks and an Eibach Pro kit. I was a guinea pig at the time, I couldn't find a single other 850 owner running Koni STRTs. There was a lot of chatter, hear-say, and folks saying they were going to, but I couldn't find any documentation at the time. The STRTs had a pretty good reputation with a lot of other car makes and their respective internet forums so I took the plunge. For what I spent and the results I'm happy. I think if I had to do it again though, I'd try to talk myself into saving for the Koni FSDs, that's a pretty huge jump in price from the STRTs though, hence the "try" to talk myself into them.

I accomplished my goals, it's a firmer sportier suspension, funner in the corners, can drive the car noticeably harder, however when I was driving across Columbus, OH every day for work, there were times that I really wished for a softer ride. All of those potholes, road seams, bridge gaps, etc. were that much more unpleasant after a long day at work. That's where I believe the FSDs would have shined. STRTs are allegedly valved exactly like the softest settings on the Koni Sports, so I don't think the Sports would necessarily be an improvement in my case.

Boy I can get long winded. How about some pictures?

Eibach & STRT strut assembly vs the Stock "Equivalent" junk I was using.


On the car.


Rear Eibach spring & STRT shock.


Before.


After. Not quite an inch lower than stock.



- Lee

[erikv11]

... If these cheap 850 spring seats don't exist anymore, that's awesome! No one should have to suffer through those pieces of junk. ...

Oh they definitely exist. What I said was, Volvo now sells the XC90 seat for all applications. Volvo only sells the heavy duty one now. But aftermarket, all kinds of junk out there.

[hanzbe420]

i will be getting these struts for the front most likely. i also used the bosch timing belt kit same as ipd pretty much except the water pump is made in china looks real goo though. Time will tell on that lol. I was surprised it came with aisin tensioner both ina pulleys a regular looking belt and as mentions a well built looking made in china water pump:) Hopefully if i get these gabriel's they will hold up a while. it will be a race between struts and water-pump lol but i do have a good feeling about the pump.

[MoVolvos]

Hopefully if i get these gabriel's they will hold up a while. it will be a race between struts and water-pump lol but i do have a good feeling about the pump.

My Gabriel ReadyMount Front and Rear Ultra Shocks (March 2012) are doing fine. Hope the Amazon Water Pump will be just as good. Buy from FCP Euro if you can their Lifetime Warranty is excellent - well, I will see as I am about to send back a URO Motor Mount for a credit as it failed in about 20 months. They sent me a Fein at the price I paid for the URO Mount and then after receiving the URO they will credit me for the part but not shipping both ways. So Warranty for the part is about $10 shp to and fro.

I checked a bunch of Vendors and this pictured WP goes under a bunch of different Brand Names.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0066T ... os_product

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=60456


Blessings,

BKM

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