Hi, have a 1999 Volvo S70 T5, and its time for new shocks and struts, what brand would everyone recommend?

 

It depends on how you want the car to feel and what you'll be using it for, daily driver (soft or firm), weekend racer, firm feedback (stiff), drive alone, carpool, ....
How much you want to spend ??

 

its my daily driver, looking for more of a soft ride, drive alone mostly, will to spend $500 to $600

 

I've done both Bilstein HDs and OEM (Boge Sachs) on my 850T wagon. My view is if you want a compliant ride, stick with OEM. Shop FCPEURO or EEUROPARTS for prices to compare. For Volvo label, shop TASCAPARTS or VOLVOPARTSWAREHOUSE. I'd probably avoid other brands (KYB, Monroe etc for no reason other than I think you can get OEM Sachs for a pretty fair price and you get a properly matched part - have not heard any pros/cons to Bilstein Touring but I suspect they are Boge Sachs clones). What's more important is what you do with the other strut components. You will want to replace the spring seat seat with OEM or heavy duty - that's the common point of failure in the strut's bushing set up. Also inspect the dust boots to make sure there are no tears etc. For the rears, inspect the top mount as well since they can crack/tear. For the cost, I just replaced when I did the rears. Finally, check your sway bar end links - you will need to remove from the strut while changing out and if you suspect the part is worn, its a good time to go fresh (again go OEM since this is a common fail item) - I actually have IPD HD sway bar end links to match the IPD HD sway bars in my 850 and found that was the single best investment for better handling without compromising the ride.