Steering feel on turns

537playing · Post by **537playing** » 19 Mar 2019, 07:58

2005 s60 2.5t FWD
I replaced every suspension part and tie rods. I purchased SACHS Assembly struts.

When on a highway and turning on an exit ramp that is 90 degrees bend the steering feels extremely uncontrollable. It seems the feel is one of looseness among the suspension parts.
I retorqued all nuts and bolts to no avail.

One idea I’m playing with is that the camber is off because the strut assembly replacement wasn’t for my model (S80). It seems I may have ordered them for an S80 and not my S60 but I’m thinking they are interchangeable on both models.

Or is it just the tires?

Thanks for any feedback.

Post by **oragex** » 19 Mar 2019, 08:58

My experience for playing in all ways with the strut bolts for camber adjustment, I could not feel any change in the steering

You don't mention, but I assume you've done the geometry already ? At a reputable place that is

looking from the side of the car, does the new suspension seem like it jacked up the car a little ? Does the gap between th top of the tire vs fender seem larger now ?

What brands were the other suspension parts ?

537playing · Post by **537playing** » 19 Mar 2019, 09:09

An alignment has been performed since installed. The part was SACHS Branded. But now I can’t find any distributors that carry them any longer. Seems odd to me.

dlundblad · Post by **dlundblad** » 19 Mar 2019, 10:01

Check FCP’s fitment list on the Sachs quick struts. Looks like the P2 S80 is on the list.

My guess is sub frame bushings. You’ve replaced everything else and now they are showing their signs of wear.

537playing · Post by **537playing** » 19 Mar 2019, 10:06

I bought them on FCP and they show that they’d aren’t the same. I can’t believe that they aren’t interchangeable. Everything else is.

dlundblad · Post by **dlundblad** » 20 Mar 2019, 08:54

537playing wrote: ↑19 Mar 2019, 10:06 I bought them on FCP and they show that they’d aren’t the same. I can’t believe that they aren’t interchangeable. Everything else is.

Had to recheck. The strut itself (no spring) is interchangeable between S60 and S80.

They don’t have the quick strut (with spring) in stock for my 02 S60 so I can’t confirm or deny.

Perhaps the coils are different?

Post by **oragex** » 20 Mar 2019, 09:45

dlundblad wrote: ↑20 Mar 2019, 08:54
537playing wrote: ↑19 Mar 2019, 10:06 I bought them on FCP and they show that they’d aren’t the same. I can’t believe that they aren’t interchangeable. Everything else is.
Had to recheck. The strut itself (no spring) is interchangeable between S60 and S80.

They don’t have the quick strut (with spring) in stock for my 02 S60 so I can’t confirm or deny.

Perhaps the coils are different?

Everywhere on the internet (including these main sites with parts) the aftermarket struts are mentioned as are interchangeable from 2001-2009. However - this is only my 2c as we say - I think this is wrong. If we look at the genuine parts fitted at the factory - and also at the genuine replacement parts sold with 'Volvo' stamped on them, we realize there were several part numbers in the Volvo catalog, for the struts.

From my experience and also from other members, some struts will 'jack' the front of some car years by a good half an inch or more, which will cause vague steering, in particular on the highway, but also in city driving. This happened on my 2003 on which I put several struts and kept the original springs. So it seems there is a risk this happens. I would also recommend the OP to maybe check again the geometry as it seems his repair was done a while ago, and things can happen meanwhile (such as hitting a pothole, installing a different size of tires, etc). Also, quite important, he said the struts were Sachs (which should be fine) but he doesn't mention the control arm brand. Cheaper ones are lucky to last 2 years and worn bushings in the control arm will surely affect the steering feeling and geometry. Same for the tie rods and ball joints. The good brands to buy are mostly Lemforder for all these parts (Sachs for the struts). Pretty much anything else is a gamble.

537playing · Post by **537playing** » 20 Mar 2019, 10:13

Thanks for the feedback. The entire suspension has been replaced within the past three months. The struts were the first to get done due to a bad mount. Looking back it’s hard to remember if the car handled this way prior to three months ago.
I did replace the front lower bumper spoiler and now it doesn’t hit any curbs so I’m guessing the car is sitting higher or it should be with new springs. But now is it sitting higher because of the new spring or because of an incorrect spring thereby causing this current issue.
I’m going to put on two new tires and explore if the handling will improve.

Post by **Rattnalle** » 20 Mar 2019, 10:17

Regarding height. Any car with fifteen year old struts will rise up to an inch when they're replaced with new ones. Especially estates in the rear of they've been hauling heavy loads or trailers. Compare to original marketing photos of the cars and you'll see they're supposed to be a bit higher than most old cars are today.

My car rose almost an inch all round with new struts and reenforced rear springs. Handling was much improved thanks to working shocks. Also nice not to have to worry about scraping speed bumps and the like.

537playing · Post by **537playing** » 20 Mar 2019, 19:24

“Had to recheck. The strut itself (no spring) is interchangeable between S60 and S80.”

After thinking about this if the struts are the same size then there would be no change to the camber angle. The only difference would be the spring and it’s tension to change how stiff the ride would feel. Agree?