Which brand of cars has better ride quality than Volvo, if any?

dikidera · Post by **dikidera** » 28 Nov 2022, 15:02

So I went from a s40 03 from the Mitsubishi platform to an S60 p2 and the ride quality is incomparable. Ride quality is subjective, but for me it's feeling less of the road inside the cabin, less noise and less vibration from the engine.

Which cars within the same span as the P2 platform do you think have even better ride quality? Newer cars don't interest me as much because I mostly can't afford them so I am asking about cars around the 2005-2008 range.

Post by **volvolugnut** » 28 Nov 2022, 17:34

My 2001 Mercedes E320 rides nicer and quieter than my 2001 Volvo V70 T5. Both are about same miles and maintenance levels. But the Volvo can haul stuff and is more fun.
volvolugnut

Post by **scot850** » 28 Nov 2022, 19:08

I can understand the P2 comment. I don't like the P2 suspension on rough stuff. Front gets clunky (it is not worn out all replaced). Many decades ago (close to 3!) back in Scotland the boss and I had a S124 model (sedan 124 230E). That car rode really nicely on the road.
I would say overall though our 01 Suburban 1/2 ton (1500) with rear coil springs was by far the best riding vehicle in terms of overall comfort for longer trips. The 850 I drove to CA was also very comfortable. Still one of the best Volvo seats ever!

Neil.

Post by **June** » 28 Nov 2022, 20:34

Not all P2 cars drive/ride the same. Quite a few variants of steering and suspension exist. The only car I felt was comparable to my S80 in it's time was the Lexus LS. I felt back then the German offerings relied on gimmicks rather then quality engineering. I much preferred my 2004 S80 T6 to the same year BMW 7, or S Class. I had friends with both and both were garbage. It took my S80 12 years to need it's first real repairs. The BMW was completely unreliable. The BMW 7 self closing doors were the dumbest ideas I have seen to date. I would hate to own either as a 20 year old car. The S80 has been unreliable enough in her old age. Also note; use of anything other than the factory tires alters the ride quality significantly on my S80. I have run three sets of alternative tires with various levels of bad results. I conclude from my experience Volvo selected the Michelin Primacy series for their design to be it's best on my car. June

Post by **kallekula** » 28 Nov 2022, 21:00

Bentley, Rolls Royce etc etc etc

Post by **abscate** » 28 Nov 2022, 22:39

kallekula wrote: ↑28 Nov 2022, 21:00 Bentley, Rolls Royce etc etc etc

My neighbor prefers my S70....

Post by **kallekula** » 28 Nov 2022, 23:21

That’s one fine automobile!

dikidera · Post by **dikidera** » 29 Nov 2022, 04:00

kallekula wrote: ↑28 Nov 2022, 21:00 Bentley, Rolls Royce etc etc etc

Funny, my topic was mostly motivated by the Rolls Royce videos that said it's the quietest car in the world, looking at you Ghost. Around 30dB in idle and less than 50 when driving. Ridiculous. But they put a lot of engineering thought. All aluminum body, foam in tyres, active suspension with active engine mounts + 100kg of sound proofing material.
This started my goal of overhauling the car and putting sound dampening and sound proofing materials(work in progress).

As for the tyres, I am in the market for new Winter tyres and have been looking at reviews to find the quietest tyres. Unfortunately because this is subjective and also dependent on the car and how well it it's soundproofed, the reviews are mixed everywhere.

One site says the Continental WinterContact TS 870 is the quietest tyre on the market -> https://www.thetirelab.com/rankings/winter/quietest/
Now there seems to be a P variant which I have no idea what is different there, but this site says it's average noise -> https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre/Contin ... -870-P.htm

Unfortunately I am no cash cow to buy 5 different sets of tyres to test. I knew a few tyre manufacturers have some foam called:

Bridgestone – B-Silent
Dunlop – Noise Shield Technology
Continental – ContiSilent
Hankook – Sound Absorber
Michelin – Acoustic Technology

But the reviews are again...subjective and mixed that I myself cannot decide which would be best for my Volvo S60.

Post by **kallekula** » 29 Nov 2022, 05:28

I got Bridgestone QuietTrack on my BMW. Quiet but speed rating isn’t the best. I don’t drive that fast though. Also put Noico sound deadening inside all doors. Everything done before I installed a pretty nice sound system.

dikidera · Post by **dikidera** » 29 Nov 2022, 06:16

So for the sake of ride quality, you have to give up speed? Well, my S60 is for now only 140hp(I will unlock it to the full 170hp or more depending on the tune), but either way it can barely reach 200km/h so for me, any speed rating around there is good enough.

As for Noico, I don't think they are good for the money. Resonix sell some new and highly praised products, but they ship from the US and VAT and customs will raise the price by probably over 20% in Europe and they are already expensive, but the owner of the company has an S60 as well so he knows his Volvos. Dynamat feel overhyped. Then there is Second Skin Damplifier. I am still conflicted with which brand to go.

Finally I have to find glazed windows and replace the originals with these, as they are said to be thicker. Having worked on cars...it's difficult as the plastic retainer clips holding the window to the motorized frame become brittle and break easily. Some brands use a 10mm bolt which is much better But anything for Noise and Wind noise reduction.