Volvo 850 Rally/Off Road Discussion

will3947 · Post by **will3947** » 21 May 2016, 20:13

Hello all, I was looking to make my volvo 850 turbo sedan look a little more "rally" like, except the type of off-road rally racing, with lights, good tires, and maybe a grille of some kind.

Essentially, I am looking for a few things.
-Rally Lights (Most important)
-Brush Guard/Bullbar (Not very)
-Offroad tires
This is a build type I'm kind of interested in, so if anyone has any thoughts, advice, opinions, and tips I am more then happy to listen. Thanks all!

Sommerfeldt · Post by **Sommerfeldt** » 22 May 2016, 04:57

Hey!

I think that could be a cool look. I don't think the 850s are off-road rally car material - they can be fast as lightning, but the size, the FWD, suspension and weight just isn't much good against AWD or RWD cars with better distribution and prerequisites. That said, if you just want it to look like a rally car, there's lots of fun stuff you can do - if nothing else, 850s are very modification friendly.

Hella makes a lot of good rally lights, favorites around here and in Sweden for rally people at least, and not necessarily very expensive. Rallye 4000 with grilles is a classic.
Bull bars aren't easy to find for 850s. Your best bet would be to build one yourself, if you've got the skillz, or call up a school with a good metal working class and see if they're interested in a project for a small fee.
As for tires, these cars can be a little picky, and I have no idea, so I'll let someone else chime in on it.

I remember seeing a 240 somewhere with a custom bull bar and matching grilles for the rear lights, and that looked pretty cool, actually. Some forum somewhere, a long time ago.

- S

Sommerfeldt · Post by **Sommerfeldt** » 22 May 2016, 05:14

BTW, Volvo has a few extras that you may be able to find still - they accessories catalog for 850s and X70s has some options that are bolt on, and which might get you closer to what you're looking for.

Catalog: http://accessories.volvocars.com/Legacy ... _NL_DE.pdf (8mb PDF)

Check out p311 for some lights, p320 for an under the seat style fire extinguisher, stripe/foil stuff from p399, sill protector on p405, and the protective cage/skid plate on p450. There's no bull bar available as original accessory, but there's lots of rim- and tire suggestions in there, so you've got the numbers in there to go by, at least.

- S

Post by **abscate** » 22 May 2016, 05:26

You can help the road clearance by removing the emergency brake components....

(Troll ducks back under the bridge)

Sommerfeldt · Post by **Sommerfeldt** » 22 May 2016, 05:40

abscate wrote:You can help the road clearance by removing the emergency brake components....

(Troll ducks back under the bridge)

I'm just never gonna live that down, am I?

- S

will3947 · Post by **will3947** » 22 May 2016, 14:00

Hey all! Thanks for the info I appreciate all of it!!! Luckily, I've gathered a ton of money and a lot of free time, and I think I will post a completed result once I finished. My ideas are

2-Rally lights on the front

Skid plate, probably iPd or homemade

Volvo wind visor sticker

Prancing moose logo on both sides, above the Volvo logo on the front quarter panel

Racing stripe down the hood on the passenger side (maybe)

Post by **dyn blin** » 22 May 2016, 19:38

Living in deer country, I've wished for a P80 brush guard for a long time. I did see one once, outside Boise. The driver said he only slightly modified a Subaru after- market, but he couldn't stick around long enough to inspect attachment points.

You'd think they would have made really strong OEM guards for those moose, at least for the drivers that couldn't steer around them like the commercial.

Sommerfeldt · Post by **Sommerfeldt** » 23 May 2016, 02:57

dyn blin wrote:You'd think they would have made really strong OEM guards for those moose, at least for the drivers that couldn't steer around them like the commercial.

Moose are so big that you usually hit them in the legs, their mass doesn't move and hit you right in the windshield, crushing it, you and whatever else is in there. Depending on speed, at least... but any reinforcement to the front is pretty useless against moose.

- S

Post by **850 LPT** » 23 May 2016, 06:51

So you really need a windshield guard

But that accessory catalog is awesome, I found a bunch of stuff I would like to get, like the trans oil cooler, motor block heater etc.
Not sure how much of this is available here in the US.

The installation kit for aux. lights is what I would really like to have, sigh.

Post by **dyn blin** » 23 May 2016, 16:59

Sommerfeldt wrote:Moose are so big....
- S

Whoa, rough pic. That was a bad day for all involved.

My post was a bit tongue in cheek - there is a very good Mythbusters episode outlining the peril. I also had the experience of being chased by a cow moose once, and found out as part of the pursuit they are excellent swimmers as I tried to dissuade her by jumping into a lake.

Still, it would be nice to have a brush guard like the Subaru's after-market offerings. I may do a little research into fitment hacks and post back if i find anything of merit.