98 S70, N/A Subframe bushings job

[zhenya]

I would under no circumstances go with the pro parts bushings for this job. Way too much work. It is not a job you want to do twice.

Original front left bushing had an ovalized hole. Current Volvo replacement parts do not.

Poly bushings definitely increase vibration at idle. Steering feedback improvement is huge though. One of the biggest changes you can make to the handling of the car.

[theWIFES_S70]

Thanks for your input. I looked at the Delrin bushings, they are nice, pricey but there is a huge downside for me which creates vibration at idle. I had the same issue when I changed my upper engine mount with one those IPD's blue engine mounts that you just replace the bushing inside, then I got rid of it because it was annoying.

I also looked at the other options like oem, meyle and pro parts. At FCP's website the Pro part bushings have good reviews and good price. 1/4th of OEM price but i am still not sure if I should go with the OEM or Pro Part because this is something you get to change once.

I noticed that the four bushings are not the same, three of them are the same and the the front left one is different. The hole inside on the different one looks like an elips. When I noticed this I looked at the Delrin bushings again, noticed that all four bushings are the same and I am almost 100% sure that this is causing the viabration. If they had the hole as an elipse on that one, the viabration problem wouldn't be there. In other words having a this type of hole on one of them provides the frame to play little bit. I know this because I design my structure's supports the same way when I need them.

So long story short, I won't be going for Delrin and am between the OEM or the Pro Parts. I am not considering the inserts at all since I will be putting a brand new one.

This is a LOT of work. Especially if you do it with the car on the ground... You will not, will not, will not want to redo this job. Trust zhenya. And trust me; I am someone who had to do this job twice...

Some thoughts on the job,
- It'll take longer than you think;
- I would make sure to use 4x of those short wooden ramps to give myself more clearance;
- I would NEVER have purchased Proparts and Proparts inserts to begin with;
- I would have purchased the XC90 bushings in the first place

The weird shaped center hole reflects the old OEM design of the bushing. That's no longer the case. The front right bushing mount (on the car) has some sort of protrusion that goes around that oval shape. (Which makes removal of that bushing absolute hell.) If you absolutely had to go Proparts, it doesn't make a difference if you buy the oval one or not. I will say this though, the Proparts OVAL is the ONLY one that fit an insert... But again, don't buy Proparts.

If you really want to try something out, you should check out the Dorman bushings that are available at Rockauto http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php ... 37&jsn=359 and report back to us on them... They're twice the price of Proparts... So maybe they're twice as good? I don't know, though. I got so many suggestions to go the OEM route but didn't listen. Fellas on here have been spot on about going OEM... At the end of the day, you're looking at a savings of about $45 if you go with the Dorman bushings...

I wouldn't try out the Dormans unless I had some sort of incentive to do so... Good luck figuring this all out.

[neworleans]

Hi guys,

After doing some research, I decided to go with aftermarket bushings from Napa. The brand is called Altrom. I read really good reviews so I ordered them. Cost me 86 buck for s all four.

Now I need another advice from you guys, since I will be dropping the subframe, do you think I should upgrade the sway bar? IPD is selling the kit for 450 bucks and FCP is selling them saperatly 250 each. I was thinking of getting the front one for now and maybe do the rear later or never. Would upgrading the front only cause any issues in stiffness or balance? What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance...

[zhenya]

Stiffer front bar will only increase understeer which this car already has too much of. The front bar is much more difficult though, so do both at the same time, IMO.

4 OEM bushings are $144 from FCP, with no tax. This is not a job to take a gamble on to save $50.

[theWIFES_S70]

Man, I missed the updates to this thread...

If I could do it over again (and if I had the extra money...) I would have replaced the sway bar with a new one. Perhaps even putting in the the OEM Turbo model one. (From what I read on here, all the stabilizer bars fit into all our cars interchangeably.) Shoot, even putting in the BASE model would probably improve driving by no less than 300%. These are the current prices at Tasca:

12 9173983 Stabilizer Bar S70, V70; MARKED 2 $143.65
12 9173471 Stabilizer Bar S70, V70; MARKED A $213.53
12 9173982 Stabilizer Bar S70, V70; MARKED 1 $121.55

[brunocerous]

Amazing write-up and advice! I'm tempted to try this at home, especially given the summer-in-October weather we're having on the East Coast. One thing for sure it won't be lured by my cheapskate tendencies here. (Proparts? More like NOparts.)