I have a '97 T-5 with completely stock springs, shocks, struts etc. I want to improve the handling of the car and am looking for the low hanging fruit of upgrades. I'd appreciate any thoughts on what changes will yield the most bang for the buck in terms of handling. I'd like the cars to be flatter and more stable through the corners.

Thanks for the help,

 

Well if by low hanging fruit you mean cheap... NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

Nothing for Volvo is cheap, so expect to pay a lot.

However the best suspension upgrade you could do to your ride is to get IPD USA sway bars.

 

Get those and the IPD sport springs, they'll drop your car like an inch and a quarter.

 

Another thing would be good would be the V2 OBX Strut bar. My V1 was way too short, so I'm about to get the new one soon.

 

Do it in this order.

1) IPD bars
2) Lowering Springs and Billy HDs
3) Strut bar

You may also want to upgrade your swaybar endlinks and the spring seats.

 

fcp has a good order right there, the only problem is that you want bang for the buck, unfortunately, when it comes to suspension, there is no bang for your buck. Suspension is very costly, but that list right there will give you the greatest gains.

 

Also I suggest looking for a OMP strut brace if you can find one and or he Volvo OEM that was and possibly is still available.

With a strut brace you want as little movement as possible. Meaning if there are two hinge points that just creates more movement in the strut brace. Thusly a strut brace that has one hinge point would be better. This is why I suggest the OMP.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Any one of the upgrades mentioned isn't all that expensive, but doing them all is hard to fly under my wife's radar. I guess I'll have to spread it out over awhile.

 

Strut bar can cost cheap. The OBX one is about 70 bucks.

 

Just remember cheap doesn't always mean the best and it certainly doesn't mean quality.

I'd spend the $174 it costs for the OMP for a superior product.

http://www.motorspotstore.com/volvostrutbars.html


As you can see it has one hinge point. The other side is welded to the mounting point.

The one for the 850 obviously is the one you want.