Hi there. Looking for some answers about my 98 s70 t5 new suspension. I replaced the front and rear suspension on my car with koni yellows , h&r springs, new control arms, ipd hd end links, ipd spring cups and shock mounts. I did installed a new ipd sway bar, front and rear and tie rods. Of course I did an alignment. Everything was fine for a day or two. Car handled great. After that my suspension started to be more and more harsh and within a week the front end felt more like used than brand new. Everytime turning left or right on low speeds there were some noises and knocking. On very low speeds crosing over those tiny yellow speed bumps at my job there were some knocking. I check everything again and reinstalled front springs and shock absorbers and redo the alignment. Same thing. No changes. The only thing I found ot to be a little strange was the fact tha the spring was sliding on the bottom part of the shock absorber when steering wheel was turned. Even if I loved the handling on the car with the koni and not even 500 miles on then, I installed brand new bilstein touring on all 4 corners with oem springs. New alignment and the ride was smooth for about 2 days. Same issues. Knocking on front end when steering is turned. And very harsh on the road. Rear end was fine on both times. Is there any adjustment or leveling on sway bar that can make the ride hursh or instabile? Or did I missed something else? Big help needed here. Stuck with two suspension kits that do not work on my car.

 

Help me out in here guys

 

Sounds like something is installed incorrectly in the front struts or suspension.

I have Bilstein TCs and IPD sways on all my cars and love that combo; slightly firmer than stock but not harsh IMO. But I'm using stock springs though.

Find an exploded view diagram of suspension and make sure you didn't forget anything and/or leave something un-torqued.. sorry but w/o being there, not much more I can suggest..

 

You installed a complete performance suspension designed to do exactly what it is doing. Usually the high end Koni's are adjustable. With heavier springs, sway bar and struts your going to get a harsh ride. I'd have to agree that you may have isntalled something wrong. Since the change happened over days, maybe the KONI struts are not adjusted correctly or the componenet that is adjustable is loose and causing the dampening to change.

I'm always curious why someone would put that kind of suspension on a 15 yr old car. After 15 yrs stuff gets worn out and can't take those kinds of stresses/abusre. You should have considered the lower control arm in terms of the state of the ball joints and bushings - they will get beaten to death with that setup. You should also consider a supporting ring around the fenderwell mount. That is thin metal and will get beaten to death as well. A ring woudl add support to the metal. You'd probably have to fabricate something You'd put it on above the fender well, not between the fender well and strut - that would change the height some. Also, keep an eye on your rack and pinion for leaks and/or damage.

Not passing judgement, just curious.

 

If you have tried twice, maybe take it to a shop that does suspension work and let them tear it down and rebuild it. May cost a few hundred bucks but likely worth it.

 

Thanks for reply. It really sounds like I installed wrong. Somebody is gonna take a look at it this weekend. Still not sure which set up to use. Bilstein touring probably its gonna be little bit more comfy, koni yellows its gonna be more sporty and firmer steering. Any opinions on this? Thanks

 

Normally I would do just that, but not so much in this instance. This is my 2nd 240 and the first one I took to the same indy mechanic shop. One of the mechanics is from Palestine, and grew up working on now old Volvos. He knows them like the back of his hand. He's who I thought was going to be working on my front struts. However when I got the call about the brakes no longer working, I met the young mechanic who has never once worked on a 240, who did the struts. The other mechanic is back in Palestine. I was only charged $96 for the MBC replacement. I hesitate to go back because what else will he mess up while attempting to make the brakes right? I'll exhaust my efforts first, and then will seek out another mechanic as a last resort.