Have a couple questions about a '96 Turbo Wagon and the suspension. First off, it (suspension) seems to be in good working condition, its not bouncing, or overly stiff/soft, and the ride height seems good. But its feels like the freaking doors and windows are gonna rattle off when going over minor bumps, like the ones found on freewaysas lane dividers. What could this be??!! I plan on doing a suspension upgrade soon and want to handle this "problem" then, but what should i be looking for? Also, will 850R wagon suspension fit my Turbo wagon? If so how much lower will it go? Any help would be appreciated.

 

Not sure about the rattling...
But I belive that R suspension would work...It is a lower setup but not sure how much lower. wait and see what (Moderator) Tech says.
If you are going for preformance...Get some lower/sport springs and some Bilstein touring or HD's or KONI struts.
The HD's and KONI'swill be a bit stiffer than the Touring verison or the "R" setup.

 

Alot of people say the R suspension is lower but IMO it is exactly the same. If I put the 16's from the wifes car in they are exactly the same as far as ground clearance.

 

Did you sort the problem with the rattling?

If so do you know what the cause was?

I bought my first Volvo a few days ago and it has a similar problem.

It's had a fair bit of work on the suspension including new steering rack, sway bar bushes, rear shocks and new dunlop sp sport maxx tyres all round (and associated balancing and alignment).
It's the only 850R I've ever driven and handles very well, roadholding is excellent, there is no evidence of wheel balancing issues, as when driving on a very smooth piece of road there is no feedback through steering wheel at any speed. However as soon as you drive on a road surface that has very minor undulations (which is pretty much everywhere in this country except the newest motorways) it has what I would describe as a continual shuddering throughout the entire chassis. I realise that the suspension is very firm and have driven cars with the like before, but have never experienced anything like this.

I had it in the shop today for some investigation but they say that there doesn't seem to be anything untoward as far as they can see with the suspension.

In my unqualified opinion it feels as though the chassis is not stiff enough and is twisting very slightly with each "bump" from the very firm suspension.

Otherwise the car is great. It's done 250K kilometers and has the expected upholstery squeaks and rattles which I will fix. Auto, engine and body seem to be good though.

Appreciate any help that you or other members my be able to offer.
Regards
Steve

 

You mentioned the rear shocks were replaced but you didn't mention the front struts; are they due for replacement?

Also many aftermarket shocks are stiffer than original. Unless you're going for all out cornering performance, i like either OEM or Bilstein TC shocks.

One more thing; have you checked the motor mounts? Especially the one on right (driver seat perspective) front of engine; very common failure.

 

I agree, I don't see any difference. And why go through all the work of changing your suspension with used stuff?

 

i saw a huge difference when i put R front springs/struts... i seem to be the only one...

 

Like you have said, the AWD and normal wagon's have a different suspension setup

 

Thanks gdog, this is just what I was hoping for (somewhere to start).
Will look into all of the suggested.

Have noticed since that the right front wheel is catching the top inside of the wheel arch slightly on full left lock, is this indicative of a particular problem?

I don't believe that the car has been modified in any way whatsoever. Although perhaps that is a bit much to hope for after 14 years in existance.