hey guys im in the market for some new shocks on my wagon and im using ipd.com, i want to buy the bilstein hds but only the rear shocks are available, does anyone know if the front hds dont fit on 240 wagons?

 

Bilstein HD's are made for both the front and rear. Stut inserts up front, shocks in the rear. Check out eshocks.com for the lowest prices. They are generally lower than IPD or FCP.

 

Bilstein Shocks: 90-93 240; Non ABS; Front & Rear Disc Brakes - eShocks.com:

this is all i need right?

 

Yup. Highly recommended that you examine the strut mount rubbers from under the hood. Now is the time to replace them when the inserts are replaced. Don't cheap out; accept nothing but genuine Volvo inserts. The aftermarket crap fails all too often.

 

when I did my struts and shocks on my 200,000 mile 745T, I also did most of the bushings, the steering tie rod (inner and outers), the balljoints, a new strut mount and bearing, and while I was at it, installed IPD anti-sway bars front and rear. and the IPD lower suspension brace for the 740/940. car drives 100X better all the way around.

our 400K mile 240 definitely needs the front control arm bushings, as the camber or caster (I forget) is off and incnsistent. it already got rear bushings to solve the tail sagging problem it had about 100k miles ago.

I opted fro Bilstein TC/Touring shocks as I wanted a mostly stock ride. the HD are pretty stiff, you'll feel rough roads more. the stock boge/sachs are actually pretty good shocks, and give that cushy stock ride these cars had new.

 

Always good to check those tie rods...

 

thanks for the advice everyone, any more advice for where i can get some solid rims for the wagon?

 

'solid' ?

if you mean good alloy rims, my personal preference on a sporty 240 is the Volvo Draco or Virgo 15" rims, these can be found on craigslist from time to time.

draco:

virgo:


you can in theory use any 14-16" alloy with a 5x108 bolt mattern and a 20 or 25mm offset. The stock tire size of P195/75R14 is a very good match to these cars, and going over 16" gives you a really harsh ride without any actual benefits, the 'pimp daddy' ultra-low-profile look just looks silly on these cars. If you do go +1, +2, or more, try and find a tire size with an outside diameter around 25.5" as thats the 'right' size. 15" rims would use P205/65R15 and 16" P215/55-16.

 

Here in Texas, when a fellow says rims (pronounced rimps) he is referring to other than stock steelies. So, there are a variety of Volvo alloys out there. Aftermarket has pretty much dried up as the cars age out of the market.
Newbie Factory Wheel Guide...OMG its huge SORRY! nf56k!!!!!! - Turbobricks Forums

 

that turbobricks guide is heavily loaded with rims for newer FWD cars, which don't fit the personality of a 240 very well. its also poorly organized, most of the rims don't say what size they are, etc. FWD volvos use a different offset (+40mm), so if you did put those on a RWD classic, you'd need spacer blocks or the wheels would be too far inside the car.

I like this guide
Volvo 200/700/900 Alloy Wheels
these are most all the factory wheels for 2xx/7xx/9xx

 

p.s. if you're in the SFBA, here's a nice set of Virgos...
Volvo "Virgo" Alloy wheels w/tires

 

i want something like the peagusus or titan, so for those i would have to get spacers right?

 

meh, on a 240? the titan rims would look all wrong.

pegasus, maybe, they are a 15x6 with the right 25mm offset, so at least it would be a sane tire size, if you mean this pegasus


but those are pretty darn rare, they were used on V6 780 Bertones, probably only a couple 1000 total cars ever built.

if you mean THIS pegasus,

that was a special edition wheel for the 850R, and is a 18x8", so you'd pretty much have to paint your tires on. a 240 running around on 18's would have a brutally harsh ride.

 

IPD makes a Pegasus 17" replica in RWD offset...no spacers needed. "Pegasus" Replica Wheel 17 Inch Hyper Silver Finish with RWD Offs
As for harshness of ride, there are as many varying opinions as there are Volvos on the road. Stick around long enough and you will find that some of us prefer stock or near stock ride height, firmness and wheel configuration while others prefer sport springs, sway bars, larger wheels, HD shocks and modified engines. It's always best to have a goal when altering these cars. IMO, your 245, in factory trim, is a wonderful snow car. Narrow tires to cut through the snow to reach firm pavement, narrower track in the rear so the rear tires roll on fresh snow rather than compacted snow, great power to weight distribution and of course, good ground clearance. Decent cargo area, good visibility and average handling round out the mix. I loved my 89 245. I had lowered it, added HD's and sway bars, swapped in an M46 and a turbo motor, added 17" VOXX MGR's and 215/45/17's. I loved how it handled BUT, although I am in Texas, it SNOWED! This is typical Texas snow...not really a bother.

But, when one gets the beginning or real snow...one realizes thar perhaps a lowered suspension is not the smartest thing. My 245 was literally snow plowing with the chin spoiler!


So...make certain of your goals. If you only have one car, my advice is to be very subtle in your mods. Makes little sense to have a summer car only, or dry roads only, etc. if the car is a daily driver.

 

Wait! That's wrong to to weld the tie rod to the outer toe rod end? JK of course, I bet you see many "iterations" of "repairs" at you shop.
Fred

 

That is what I call maintenance free for the life of the car. You never have to align the front end of the car.

 

Yeah, it saves hunting down all those different sized wrenches! Actually, the car drove decently...pretty much aligned. The customer drove it like that for a month or so. He knew he needed the entire rack replaced but had to wait until the money was right for him to pull the pin. Definitely cringe worthy.