I came here mainly for advice. I want my 1989 Volvo 240 to ride as close to a Buick as I can get: A very soft, floaty ride. Any ideas on particular shocks I should look at? So far I've heard good things about Monroe Sensa-tracs.

 

I just don't understand?

 

If you want the Buick ride, go to the junkyard, find the oldest, highest mileage, beat up 240 you can, pull the shocks off it and fit them to your car.
Now put 1000 lbs of sandbags in it and you're done.

Regards, Andrew.

 

That sounds like the cheapest route.

 

If a soft floaty ride were easy to get then soft floaty rides probably wouldn't be the reign of Buicks and Cadillacs. The best you can do is get your Volvo to ride like it did when it was new, which may be closer to your goal than how it rides now.

There is one thing though, Bilstein makes shocks for Volvos that claim to provide a smoother ride, but I imagine not quite "Buick-style" smooth as they're also meant to be significantly more responsive.

 

+1! Why not just get a buick?

 

Thank you! Very true. That may be the route to go, appreciate it.

Why not get a Buick? I've had this car for years and I love the Volvo 240. If you ever look close enough at the detail, it really is a beautiful car. Much more so than any Buick I've ever seen, with longevity rivaled by few American cars. However, Buicks and Volvo 240s are both big tanks, and I love that soft ride that Buicks tend to have...I want the best of both rides, so I will look into the Bilsteins.

-Jordan

 

Big luxury cars ride well because they have a very high sprung to unsprung weight. The body weighs so much more than the same suspension components on a lighter car that the bumps on the road affect the vehicle less.
You can easily prove this by loading your car up wit ha lot of weight, I guarantee it'll ride better.

Regards, Andrew.

 

Dang, I was about to get all technical like that and say the same thing, but yeah, that's how it works. Once you load it up you may need tighter springs and a bidder budget for worn out parts and not to mention gas.

 

Seriously, the Bilsteins, even the Touring Class, will give a significantly firmer ride than OEM shocks; if you get the HDs it will ride like a truck!

http://www.ipdusa.com/product.asp?st...hStartRecord=1

That being said, the Bilstien TCs are probably the best all around aftermarket shock for any car!

But like others have said, if you really just want a soft ride, pack the trunk with sand bags...

 

I've never actually ridden in a car with Bilstiens I was just reading off the IPD website. Honestly I don't really think there are any suspension mods for sale anywhere that provide a smoother ride. Almost all of the people willing to modify their ride are interested in making it handle better rather than ride better. I think your best bet is replacing your likely rather worn-out suspension components with OEM parts, which will at least make it ride like it did when it was new. That'll probably make it much better.

I've got an idea though. Sandbags in the back will make it ride smoother, but it's a bit of a waste of fuel and space. Why not kill two birds with one stone, upgrade your stereo system and install all the heavy amplifiers and speakers in the back, adding a couple hundred pounds of weight in the process. You'll have a nice stereo and a smooth ride.