What's up with the bumpy ride?

Ladley · Post by **Ladley** » 25 Jun 2004, 21:38

I recently bought a 1995 850 GLT wagon. I Love the car but the ride is increibly bumpy. I asked the guy I bought it from about this and he brushed me off and said he had been driving the car for a year and there was nothing wrong with it... Also, a number of people say that's just the way Volvos feel. How can I tell if I need suspension work?

potroast · Post by **potroast** » 25 Jun 2004, 22:05

check the ball joints and various other suspension elements... they often need replacing on older cars.

Volvos in general are "european-tuned" which means you will get more road-feedback than an american car. However, it should not be overly-bumpy. Fwiw, I have found the GLT models to provide more feedback than non-GLT models.

Post by **matthew1** » 26 Jun 2004, 00:50

From what I've read, turbo 850s had the Bilstein HD shocks, non-turbos had the Bilstein regulars. All of them had a suspension that was far from perfect. This suspension was redesigned for the 1998 model year, when the names changed to S70 and V70. It was again changed, as was the entire chassis/body, in 2001 model year, when the S70 was dropped and only the V70 remained. The V70 adopted the S80 chassis in this year.

Ladley · Post by **Ladley** » 26 Jun 2004, 14:56

Thanks for replies. I will check items mentioned. They must have better European roads.

potroast · Post by **potroast** » 26 Jun 2004, 16:19

Ladley wrote:Thanks for replies. I will check items mentioned. They must have better European roads.

the autobahn is kept in prestine condition. There is not one slight imperfection on that road -- and crews work 24/7 to keep it that way. American roads are quite sub-par in that respect.