Front strut recommendations
 

Bought my daughter a 1999 S70. Nice car, one owner, well maintained. Cheap. Need new struts. Seems like a wide range in price available. Bilsteins are harsh if my memory serves from my VW Rabbit way back when. Monroes seem perhaps too cheap? Boge? There must be a sweet spot in the price/value equation. I would appreciate any input.

Thanks!

I'm always confused when people talk about brand names on shocks and how they ride.
If you like the original ride, look for OE type shocks.
I used the Sachs OE style on my '98 S70, and they act a lot like the ones that came from Volvo (at least when they were newer).
When I try to look them up, I get terms like "touring" or "sport", which don't tell me whether they damp more or less than the factory setting.

Most of your cost is going to be in quality of materials, since damping is pretty much orifice sizing.

Monroes are pretty much for the "cost conscious" consumer. I was under the impression that the Sachs were quite like the OE Volvo - good middle of the road shock. I can't tell if Bilstein is a high quality shock or a premium, or just OE replacement. Maybe somebody with better knowledge of the European parts can chime in here.

Installed some used Bilsteins on my daughter's S70 and she/we love them. Firm but not harsh. You can also get some touring style struts and they may be a little softer.

Thanks for the input. I will figure something out, I am sure!

rspi: Where did you find used Bilsteins?

I purchased a S70 GLT with a bad head gasket, which locked up the motor. I purchased it for the tires and turned out it had Volan wheels. When I pulled the wheels off I seen the Bilsteins and said "wow" my daughter needs those (it was next on our list). So I took them. Left the steel brake lines, didn't have the strength to take them off. Then sold the car for what I paid for it with NO WHEELS. :)

rspi; those Bilsteins you got, were they TCs (black) or the HDs (yellow)? Huge difference in ride; HDs are much firmer, harsh IMO.

I like the Bilstein TCs; slightly firmer than OE stock and better quality; lifetime warranty. Got em on both rides..

They were yellow. Maybe they were older and not has harsh. But they go over those speed bumps like a spider.

Sachs/ Boge are the same company now. They are OEM on these cars, which is why they ride like OEM. These are usually what I put on customer cars on Volvos and VWs. Bilstein for an upgrade, as mentioned above. Monroe struts are cheap because they're... cheap. They tend to be really soft, and they tend to fade quickly on really bumpy roads/ heavy cornering. They're great on big old American land yachts like Buick Park Avenues or Ford Crown Victorias, but they won't really be satisfactory on anything else, especially not a European car, if you want to retain OEM handling.

Carrots,

Thanks very much for your input. That is exactly the answer I was looking for. Boge/Sachs it is!

When I was much younger (1980), I put yellow Bilsteins on my VW Rabbit. Thought I was hot! All they did was amplify every rattle in that rattly car. It did go around a corner pretty well, though.

Chris, funny that you had a 1980 VW Rabbit with Bilsteins I had a 1978 Rabbit with Bilsteins and the ride was very hard. At this time of my life I do not want to drive a car with such a harsh ride. My VW had a rear sway bar added by drilling into the uni-body. So many electrical gremlins in that car I would have to change the battery every year. Don't forget to buy the spring seats for the top of the struts since those always wear out and you have to take them off anyway when you replace the strut.

I rode around in the S70 today, my daughter come in town. You guys are right, I feel more bumps and hear more rattles. Feels a lot better than those worn out struts that was on there but I may have to figure out where to sqealch the rattles.

tr_car_nut,

My Rabbit was a 1978 but the struts were gone by around 80. Given what I was making back then, the Bilsteins were incredibly expensive. The Rabbit wasn't a bad car and I never had any electrical problems. My issue with it was how poorly it was made. I think back and remember that it only had a 1.5l engine that turned out 71 hp! Even on the highway at 55 (remember the gas crisis?) I was lucky to see much more than 32 mpg. My 525i does better than that at 80 mph. We have come a long way.

Sold it to a friend of mine for his kid brother. This would have been in 89. Had 130K on it. Think I let him have it for $300.

Chris, odd that you say it was under powered. The one I had was a stick shift and I thought it was decent given the type of car (cheap). I do remember that VW had some sort of recall that had to do with the valves wearing prematurely and many of the cars were given valve jobs at about 80K but mine was run on Mobil 1 and had no such problems. I sold that car for $3000 in 1982 with 86K and it was in great shape.

As far as power goes, I wasn't thinking so much that it was underpowered as how far we have come. It didn't weigh very much - 2,500 lbs??

I had the valves done, though I was moving around so much that I never heard about a recall. I just had them done. It was a fun car and it took me to some very interesting places.

ive just installed monroe sensatracs heavy duty. they work beautifully and absorb well also. sachs are the original brand of struts put on the car.

A lot of folks have been using Monroe sensatracs and they like them, price/ lifetime warranty combination, if you can change them yourself, you can swap them every year, no matter the condition.
OEM are Sachs/Boge, I went with those for my S70 and I got them off Ebay for a very good price, less than the price of one in the pair.

Next is Bilstein TCs, a git more money, better feel, harsher, but great shocks for a more performamce oriented guy
Top of the line they say is Konis..

Im puttimg Monroes on my 850, its an everyday car and I can change the shocks anytime, so no big deal ( lets see how it rides..) then again with the kind of roads we have right now, a ride like a town car is the ticket..