Volvo 850 Suspension Options For NYC Roads

[Baptiste1106]

Thanx again. I will make my decision and report back with results

[mecheng]

I have the Bilstein Touring at the front of my S70. Great ride.

[erikv11]

I really like the Bilstein TC but the Sachs is only a bit of a compromise. I lived on Long Island for 6 years so I know what you are talking about with NYC roads and have driven the TC's there: I would go with Sachs.

[shaker_chi]

I have 2 s70's and an 850 and have used Bilstein HD, Koni Yellow Adjustable, Bilstein Touring and O/E. I live in Chicago and the roads are crap. My favorite combination for pothole ridden roads are the Bilstein Touring struts in the front and the Koni adjustable yellows in the back adjusted to the softest setting. The touring struts offer a very good balance if you are a spirited driver like myself, but have to deal with poor road conditions.

[RussB]

Shocks and struts are just one part of the equation. Take a good, hard look at the delta links and trailing arm bushings in the rear. Believe me when I say 20 years in the northeast have destroyed your delta links and bushings. You're wasting money if you replace shocks without replacing those key components first.

As suggested look at the spring seats along with the sway bar mounts. Make sure your control arms/ball joints are good, along with inner & outer tie rods. If there's looseness in any suspension components, no amount of money spent on struts will hide that. Also check all the engine mounts, as they have no doubt turned into jello by this time and allow the motor to flop around which contributes to a clunky ride...

...and then there are the sub frame bushings. Ain't old cars fun?

The Boge shocks and struts have a nice ride when all the other components are good

[Baptiste1106]

@ RussB all front end parts have been changed to meyle/meyle HD. I haven't touched the front struts or it's components as of yet. Rear trailing arm and link bushings have not been touched yet either. It's on my to do list. O trust I'm $2500k invested in parts from FCP already and best car investment ever

[850_olaf_nz]

forget KYB, I ran them on an A2 GTi and they were trashed in 18 mths, the Boge replacements were a revelation with better ride, less jarring, more control, firm without the harsh. I also ran them in an A32 Maxima - just not sophisticated. they are relatively cheap, though - false economy.

I'm running OEM Sachs in my 855-T5 and am really pleased with the results. I am running H&R sportsprings, though. Roads down here are not pretty; flashing my memories of visits to NYC you guys have better roads than us!

Good luck with your selection.