06 V70 front strut components: which to replace?

[ogatrulle]

New question: after installing new struts, how long should I wait before getting an alignment?

1. The new struts cause the strut assembly to be slightly longer than before. I assume this will settle over time.

2. Just eyeballing it with the car sitting on the ground, it seems to have negative toe.

3. I measured the original distance from the top of the knuckle at the upper bolt over to the inboard edge of the strut before removal, per the VIDA procedure. My dial caliper has .01mm precision. However, the new struts have a slightly different diameter than the originals (several mm), so I am sure the camber is incorrect.

Will the (expected) settling affect alignment?

Thanks for your input.

[Rattnalle]

It will take many thousands of miles to wear down the new struts to the same lower height as the old ones. Get the alignment now. It's much cheaper than buying new good tyres.

[oragex]

The new car height won't settle, unfortunately. For some hard to understand reason, many of the aftermarket struts will cause the front of the car to be higher by 1-2 cm. In fact, there were several Volvo part numbers for the struts, perhaps not all had the same length, and the aftermarket parts providers copied the wrong specifications.

How is the steering wheel when driving on the highway, does it stay centered? Replacing only the struts won't cause the toe alignment to go crazy out of specs, but it's wise to have it checked in the next 500 miles or so.

[Rattnalle]

Struts that have been in place for 11-12 years and driven 120 k miles will have been worn down and lost some height. Regaining that height seems quite normal to me. My car went from a bit low to as shown in sales photos with new struts all around.

[Georgeandkira]

I would guess any "settling in" is probably already done.
Take the car about less-than-perfect roads and listen for any loose parts. You didn't mention ball joints, tie rod ends or sway bar links.
It's not as if these parts directly effect changes in steering geometry but disassembly to change 'em can.
Get it all refreshed (as need be) then get your alignment.

[ogatrulle]

I had an "interesting" morning with my favorite mechanic working on the alignment. The closest he could get camber was about 2 degrees too far out of range (tops of wheels too far out) on each wheel. I am suspecting incorrect parts.

If I can find the expected strut dimensions, I can work out the trigonometry and compare with what we're seeing.

Anyone know whom I can contact at Volvo to find dimensions on 8667250 and 31200413 struts? My initial request to "Volvo Customer Care Team" via the company web site yielded a response along the lines of "sorry," they were not technically trained. Sheesh.