i'm new on here and have a 94 850 turbo and am thinking about lowering it. anybody have any suggestions? what kind of springs and struts/shocks should i buy?

 

I would wait until a gentleman by the name of Moderator S70Driver replies. S70driver is the master of MOD.


JPN

 

i will do that, i also was wondering if by lowering it with springs only, do you sacrafice the quality of the ride at all? does it become more bouncy?

 

I don't know too much about Volvo lowering in particular but it looks like eibach makes springs for the 850 and i don't think you can go wrong with some of those on a set of bilstein sports

 

as with ANY car, you have to define what kind of ride quality you expect out of a lowering kit/setup. for example, on my 02 Acura TLS, I first went with H&R sport springs all around, but didnt like that the back sagged and bottomed out cause of the sound system in the trunk. so I went with GC coilovers but found out that the ride was too harsh cause the front end springs would compress completely while the rear was dialed in perfectly. I ended up going with the H&Rs in the front and the GC coilovers in the rear. I got exactly what I wanted, especially when I got the tokico adjustables!

I know there are limited selections for the 850, but if you dont mind a harsher(sportier) ride, and are doing other fine things, such as slotted/cross drilled rotors and larger rims, i'd find a way to drop it!

 

yeah, that's what i want is a sportier ride, i like the stiffer suspension. now, if i just add the springs, i'm thinking H&R springs, will i still have the stiffer ride, or will it become bouncier.

 

yes, indeed

 

so, it will become bouncier? so if that's the case, do i need to do a complete shock/strut makeover then?

 

hahaha, no no no, it shouldn't get bouncier just stiffer

 

oooh, ok, haha, good, that's what i like to hear.

 

Alright, you need to think about shocks in addition to the springs or do coil overs if the cost is not too much. I currently have TME springs I got from IPD USA. The ride has settled somewhat over the past few months and become much stiffer. The car does not bounce at all, as I did it right with brand new struts in front and new shocks in rear. The ride is much more controlled and firm. The springs still have not settled completely, but they will after a few more thousand miles. H&R, Eibach, always a good choice. I talked to a guy at IPD that had a 97 850 R and he stated that he loved the ride quality of the TME springs. I will say, my 850 is not my daily driver, I do not mind stiff springs, but my Saab floats now compared.

 

That sounds good. Roughly how much did it cost you to put in the new shocks and struts?

I like your saab too by the way, 9-5 3.0v6, that's sweet. i really want a 9-3 Aero.

 

^A typical shop will charge you around $200 for all four shocks/springs removal and installation.

A word of advice:
Coming from the Honda world, and being used to seeing the infamous, "Honda-tech slam" where people slam their cars 3 inches just for show, it all depends on spring rates.
Soft springs usually will make the car bouncy, but that also depends on what type of shock you are mating it to.
If you live in a city area with bad roads like me, dont drop the car, you'd have to drive funny over bumps and ramps, lol!

My Prelude has Neuspeed sport springs(1.8 inch drop) mated to Tokico shocks.
The springs have settled to about 2 inches now and i bottom out in NYC roads. Just something to think about when choosing the correct drop height.

good luck!

 

yeah, the ones i'm looking at are h&r springs, and they lower the car about 1.3 inches i think, which would still give me a lot of room, i don't want to lower it too much, for the reason of bottoming out. and i'm not looking to lower my car 3 inches for show like some of those hondas, i don't really like that look at all, i want to lower it not just for look, but also for some better handling around corners.