03 V70 Ride Height Questions

[Botbasher]

Now that some of the bigger problems I was facing (Trans... ABS... DSTC...) are a fading memory, I am turning my focus onto more aesthetic issues.

I was walking up to Sven (GF named him) the other day and noticed that he looks like a throwback to 70s muscle cars with a severe nose down rake.

I realize that the perspective in that pic is a little skewed, but you can see that the rear is a whole lot higher than the front. It is not this way on my 98 v70, but I do not know if it has been molested. I have looked at user photos but it's hard to gauge with the context of the cars condition. There are not too many OEM photos to look at either.

So is this rake normal? H&R (an most other suppliers of sport springs) state a 1.2" drop FRONT & REAR. If I do that, my front will rub and the back will look about normal?

Is there something going on with this car that I need to correct 1st or is this just a 03 V70 dilemma? Nothing looks out of place in the rear, but I've only just had the tires off... no detailed inspection.

K "lifted A.." S

[zoli_m13]

Don't worry - you are not alone! My '01 S60 has the same low front suspension. Somebody commented it's sagged springs.

[JRL]

They ALL have a slight rake to them
Here's a nice 04 I sold last year

[Botbasher]

OK, if those are typical examples, then a set of new springs (lowered or not) should put me back on a level playing field, correct?

Thanks for the pics (and sanity check) guys!

K "even keeled" S

[JRL]

No
They're supposed to have a slight rake unless you play with aftermarket springs and adjust the rear lower
(Looks a bit odd when done that way)

[Botbasher]

No
They're supposed to have a slight rake unless you play with aftermarket springs and adjust the rear lower
(Looks a bit odd when done that way)

It looks a bit odd what way?? With a bit of rake or without a rake??

My friends 06 V70 is fairly level and it looks pretty good.. more like what I'm after. Now granted it's an R with Nivomat, so I can't copy his setup, but I can go for the look.

I've been seeing that the S60 springs are a good alternative, but at the cost of reduced load capability. Has any tried adding airbags to them to augment the capability for those brief times you need to carry additional weight??

I had a set in a Isuzu Rodeo to help with towing a huge boat. They worked awesome and really helped the ride even when not loaded. I can't remember what PSI they worked at, but It was low and most of us have a built in compressor!!!

More good for thought!!

Cheers!!

K "bagged" S

[Tonyx]

Just wanted to add some food for thought: keeping the front low is beneficial for your fuel economy. OEM's go to great lengths to keep front low to claw back some aero advantage. So if you are okay with how it looks, I would keep the front rake.

Anecdotal story - I routinely get 30mpg on highway as long as I do not exceed 70mph. I had one of front coil springs fail and replaced both with an aftermarket coils which resulted in the front rake nearly 0(flat). Best I can mustard on highway afterwards is around 27-28mpg keeping speeds same.

I'm keeping lookout for used OEM springs to get the rake back.

[Botbasher]

Oh... I want the front right where it's at... that's why I am hesitant to replace the springs with a stock "set" as they will surely raise the front!

My co-workers 70R has about the same front height and nearly level rear, so I know the look I want... I just have to figure out how best to get it without a lot of wasted $$

I want a little aggressive nose down look... just not 3" worth!! Basically the pic JRL supplied above... just evenly lower all the way around.

Cheers!

K "Sprung" S