Failed, XC90 Spring seat installed less than 2 years ago...

[tryingbe]

A couple of years ago, we put XC90 spring seats in my wife's V70. Drove it a couple of days ago and I swear, they're toast.
Please, someone find us a better option. I have used IPD's but they don't seem to hold up any better either!!

I have the BEST parts for you, and I don't think you will EVER have to replace them, there is no rubber there. They look to be a drop in upgrade spring seat. They replaced both strut bearings and spring seats.




https://www.kaplhenke.com/collections/8 ... trut-mount

The other options are, Ksport Coilover, which I had and front struts only lasted 60k and the entire coilover costed over $1100.


Or DIY Koni Coilover with ebay camber plate as my previous post.

[MadeInJapan]

I would be interested in going as simple as possible...use our current Touring struts and springs in the front. What option would you choose on the Kaplenke? Btw, I need these more for our P2 wagon which is an '04, so I suppose my post should be in a different forum asking this. Sorry about that!

[AKJeeper]

Sheesh... I can't wait to see what my Gabriel Readymount spring seats look like... So are you thinking about spraying them down with silicone spray before you install them?

The previous owner of my '96 850 used what I believe were Gabriel Readymount struts. I was actually considering dumping them and getting some OE springs from the junkyard, then building up good Bilstein struts using new OE spring seats, bearing plates, etc. I was thinking of using XC90 spring seats but now I'm starting to second guess that. I don't mind spending good money if it means I won't have to deal with struts for many years.

AK, is there really that big difference between the (20+yr old) springs and the Gabriel springs? Are they really that bad? I actually gave mine up when the shop I took my old springs to tried to remove them by drilling, grinding, and trying to zip off bolts. Autozone took them off my hands. ( I really didn't want to stick them anywhere because they felt like a ticking time bomb!) I'm going to try to warranty these things if they are indeed in poor condition.

I thought everyone was saying to upgrade to the XC90. But in all honesty, I don't know where that narrative is coming from. Or where it started. I'd go with the Sachs spring seats if I had to do it all over again. (Again, I'm just speaking from what I'm reading on here from trusted voices.) I'm going to rub silicone into my spring seats before I install them. Rubber is rubber.

I'm more concerned about whether the springs that come with the Gabriel ready mount struts will actually fit on other struts (like the Bilsteins). If they are the correct size and compatible with other struts, I'll keep them.

As it sits, I'm very unimpressed with the ride quality of these Gabriels - the front end of my 850 rides more stiff than my 2006 Ram 1500 4x4 with 20" wheels. My step daughter's 2000 V70XC and my 2000 V70 FWD both have a much smoother ride.

[clifford06]

Greetings. Did any of you guys get a feeling that your car was " following the grooves in the road". ? Mine feels that way sometimes.

[erikv11]

Greetings. Did any of you guys get a feeling that your car was " following the grooves in the road". ? Mine feels that way sometimes.

"Following the grooves" is a classic symptom of floppy or worn out ball joints on the control arm(s). I'd get the front end up in the air and use a pry bar to check for any play. Similarly, are the boots still intact on the ball joints?

Failed spring seats give almost no symptoms beyond squeaky noises.

[MadeInJapan]

Greetings. Did any of you guys get a feeling that your car was " following the grooves in the road". ? Mine feels that way sometimes.

"Following the grooves" is a classic symptom of floppy or worn out ball joints on the control arm(s). I'd get the front end up in the air and use a pry bar to check for any play. Similarly, are the boots still intact on the ball joints?

Failed spring seats give almost no symptoms beyond squeaky noises.

Mine are "thud-like" noises going over bumpy roads... if it's "clangy" I know I'm probably in for end-links... Stuts are good as there is no real bounce-back and forth when I push down on the front of the car and let go.

[tryingbe]

I would be interested in going as simple as possible...use our current Touring struts and springs in the front. What option would you choose on the Kaplenke? Btw, I need these more for our P2 wagon which is an '04, so I suppose my post should be in a different forum asking this. Sorry about that!

You REALLY need to read everything. Literally, all the information you asked is answered right there on the page.
https://www.kaplhenke.com/collections/8 ... trut-mount

These will fit p80 and p2 cars made from 1993 – 2008, including the S60R/v70R.

for the adjustable strut mounts & Luxe Steer™ for Stock Geometry Springs, (use this option if you are using stock springs, sport springs like IPD or TME, or KW coilovers)

Any more questions,

Contact Us
Street Address:
Kaplhenke Racing LLC
601 Dover Rd Ste 9
Rockville MD 20850

Phone:
1 (352) 234 4797

Email:
[email protected]

[precopster]

Part of the spring seat's purpose is to absorb some of the road shock. Yes you lose a degree of control with ANY rubber fitted to front suspensions however I'd rather change a failing component every so often than have my cartilage wear away between my bones.

I tried setups like the above on a project car. Yes it handled like a go-cart on billiard table smooth surfaces however the sound and feel of hitting a bump crashed through the cabin. Any thoughts?

[rspi]

I wonder if they dry out prematurely and therefore some silicone / 303 / armor-all would help.
Watch this video, I recently sprayed my belts including my timing belt. As an audiophile, I've used it on my rubber speaker surrounds over the years with great results.

I'm going to soak my undies in that stuff.

[rspi]

Pulled the spring seats today.. this is how it looks. There is like a 'ring' on the rubber near the sleeve on both sides, but it's not a crack (yet). About 7000 miles on them

Dude, those are cracked. The best way to see how bad is to slide a rod or something through them and put a little stress on them.