V70 AWD Ride height

befarrer · Post by **befarrer** » 13 Feb 2020, 23:23

Does anybody know the standard ride height for a 98 V70 AWD (non XC or R), with the Nivomat rear suspension? Preferably from center of wheel to fender. My rear suspension seems really stiff in the back, I had 2 adults in the back and they claimed they can feel every pebble in the road as I drove. Unloaded, measuring from the bottom of the side skirt to the ground just in front of the rear wheel and just behind the front wheel after driving was the same measurements front and rear, which tells me that the car is sitting level, but I am not sure if the Nivomats are self leveling, or just squatting down with weight in the car. They are not leaking.

Post by **misha** » 14 Feb 2020, 02:07

Nivomats are self leveling.
When you load the car....it sags just like any other car...but as soon as you start to drive,road imperfections pumps them up and they restore the riding height...which is a bit lower than when the car is unloaded(up to 3 cm).

When you unload the car...the suspension needs some time to restore the height...also when it sits long...it can go lower than standard untill you start to drive.

Nivomats are available in 3 variants....black-comfort,blue-sport and AWD which i don't know what color they are.

Nivomats are not that soft and comfort like they are advertised to be....in fact they feels sporty in both....black and blue variant.
Awd ones are unknown to me.

I bought the car from new and i always had a sporty feel ride with nivomats.

Unless they don't leak they are ok.
A bit of oil on the shaft is normal as it moves in and out...but should not leak beyond that.

Post by **scot850** » 14 Feb 2020, 11:00

V70 XC usually have a Yellow band on them and 'R' a Green band. Don't know about the standard V70 AWD.

Shocks don't need to leak to go bad. They can seize internally or valves stick making them really hard. If they are really old/original maybe time to retire them?

As to the height I will try to find the info. I had difficulty finding info for the 'R' when I re-built the rear-sub-frame when it cracked and had to be replaced. I will try to find it later as the 'boss' is hogging the main computer where that info is during the day.

Neil.

Post by **scot850** » 14 Feb 2020, 16:08

If you PM me your e-mail, I'll forward you an e-mail from local dealer foreman with rear end info for a V70 AWD.

The measurement you are looking for is 15" from center of rear axle to lip of wheel arch on an AWD or 'R'. Not sure if it is the same for a V70 XC.

Neil.

befarrer · Post by **befarrer** » 14 Feb 2020, 17:38

My original rear nivomats where shot when I got this car, there was no dampening left, and it was obviously bottoming out, then bouncing up over any bump. I lucked out and got a pair of 2000 V70R nivomats that were not and still are not leaking from an auto wreckers. I also later replaced the rear springs with replacement Lesjofords springs for a V70 with self leveling suspension, my right rear one had a broken coil at the top. Now instead of being bouncy, its just really stiff, seems ok with just people up front, but with passengers in the back, it was noticeably worse. I'll measure my ride height after a drive a see what its at.

Post by **misha** » 15 Feb 2020, 04:08

R nivomats are pretty stiff.

Post by **Clemens** » 15 Feb 2020, 05:29

misha wrote: ↑15 Feb 2020, 04:08 R nivomats are pretty stiff.

they are, i deed.
My 96R is way stiffer than my 94, both with nivomats

diplomaticm3 · Post by **diplomaticm3** » 15 Feb 2020, 07:51

I replaced my R nivomats (green) and to be honest?...they feel almost the same as the 195k mile nivo’s. I replaced to front Sachs as well, as well as the control arms, sway bar end links, and all shock components...and it’s still a stiff ride and you feel every pebble.

...I can’t imagine what this car rode like off the showroom floor lol.

Post by **misha** » 15 Feb 2020, 08:45

I bought mine almost brand new back in 2000...always had the stiff sporty ride.
Nivomats on the rear.

Post by **scot850** » 15 Feb 2020, 17:45

What tires and rims are on the car? I find the larger the diameter the harder these cars feel. My old V70XC (98 MY) had 15" rims and it and my 850 both ran really nice and comfortable on the road but still had pretty good handling.

Did you say you replaced the front shocks with Sachs? They are the OE supplier but again there are several stiffness's supplied by Volvo just as with the springs. Fitting the wrong ones or even an OE supplier 'generic' may change the way the car feels.

Neil.