Acceptable turning circle now

[Gazdok]

Eventually our V70 does what I would describe as turn / steer o.k.

The turning circle is reduced by about 1m!!!

After putting 12mm spacers on the front axle and removing the steering stops a couple of years ago the turning circle improved a little. There was still quite a good gap to the wheel arch.

After doing some more research and going through VIDA I found that V70s with different wheel sizes were delivered with different "Deflection Limiters" in the boot on the steering arm.
My tyres are 225/45-17.
I decided to ask my local independant to order and fit the deflection limiters for tyre size 195/65, 205/55 - Part Number: 274494. There is a special tool mentioned on VIDA which I was not going to get.

What a difference!!!
Still NO wheel rubbing, NORMAL turning circles and I can even do 3-point turns in small spaces where I would have done something close to 10 points.....

... Drive so that people watching you do not think you are a complete beginner.

Cost £160 for the deflection limiters and fitting and £20 for spacers and longer wheel bolts.

[Jools99]

Thanks for posting - that's really interesting and solves the biggest problem I feel my 52 plate V70 D5 has (aside from $*%$£!!ing Volvo electricals......!).

Do you have any photos to help educate us that don't know much about steering / suspension to show where you made the the changes ?

ta

Julian

[Jim314]

Thanks for posting - that's really interesting and solves the biggest problem I feel my 52 plate V70 D5 has (aside from $*%$£!!ing Volvo electricals......!).

Do you have any photos to help educate us that don't know much about steering / suspension to show where you made the the changes ?

ta

Julian

The best way to get a good turning circle in a Volvo V70 is to use 15" or 16" wheels and use tyres in 195/65-15 or 205/55-16, respectively. These wheels/tyres are fully adequate to control this vehicle, which ain't a sports car and cannot be made into one by mounting low profile, wide tyres.

The obsession with low profile and excessively wide tyres is nuttiness.

If you have 17" wheels, try to trade them for the right 16" or even 15" wheels and use the thinnest control arm steering limiters.

[mikealder]

The only way to get a turning circle on a V70 shod with 225 45 17 tyres is to use the handbrake and swing the rear end around but most passengers will complain when you do this - I even avoid certain multi-story carparks in my home town as its impossible to get up or down the ramps without making a three point turn!

When I changed from the good old 740 TIC to the V70 on 15" rims I thought the available steering lock was bad, then I put the 17" Thors on and it just became easier to go around the block than try and turn around in the road! - mike

[Gazdok]

The best way to get a good turning circle in a Volvo V70 is to use 15" or 16" wheels and use tyres in 195/65-15 or 205/55-16, respectively. These wheels/tyres are fully adequate to control this vehicle, which ain't a sports car and cannot be made into one by mounting low profile, wide tyres.

The obsession with low profile and excessively wide tyres is nuttiness.

If you have 17" wheels, try to trade them for the right 16" or even 15" wheels and use the thinnest control arm steering limiters.

Jim,
This obsession is not something I share and I am quite happy to have more narrow tyres and none low profile wheels. I will be as fast and drive around with more comfy ride. This obsession is the car industry dictating. I bought most of my cars second hand. But I have noticed that tyre growth seems to have stopped and is even reverting.

Anyway I have the same deflection limiters on my car now that you have on yours with 15" wheels and it is amazing, from a road side car park I can actually turn in the road without having to wobble up the curb and use half the pavement.

Here are some pictures from VIDA - instruction if you want to fit yourself - and I took pictures of the deflection limiter kit that was removed.
I wanted to keep it in case a future buyer might want to put the car back into its original 225 tyre configuration.

The red circle is the kit I have on now and the blue circle is PN for the215/225 kit.

This actually a cheaper option than a trade down.

[Thanatos]

The only way to get a turning circle on a V70 shod with 225 45 17 tyres is to use the handbrake and swing the rear end around but most passengers will complain when you do this


Please do not try this the handbrake really isn't good enough I know I have tried on several occasions and it goes straight.

[mikealder]

The shoes tend to fall apart if you do this so its not recommended, these days I just take the car around the block rather than turn around and avoid multi story car parks - Mike

[Jim314]

Jim,
This obsession is not something I share and I am quite happy to have more narrow tyres and none low profile wheels. I will be as fast and drive around with more comfy ride. This obsession is the car industry dictating. I bought most of my cars second hand. But I have noticed that tyre growth seems to have stopped and is even reverting.

Anyway I have the same deflection limiters on my car now that you have on yours with 15" wheels and it is amazing, from a road side car park I can actually turn in the road without having to wobble up the curb and use half the pavement.

Here are some pictures from VIDA - instruction if you want to fit yourself - and I took pictures of the deflection limiter kit that was removed.
I wanted to keep it in case a future buyer might want to put the car back into its original 225 tyre configuration.

The red circle is the kit I have on now and the blue circle is PN for the215/225 kit.

This actually a cheaper option than a trade down.

I thought all one had to do was change the plastic pads on the control arms (aka wishbones), but it seems from your post that there is a complicated steering limiter apparatus, I gather on the steering gear. But could it be that all one has to do is change those pads?

This is all I thought had to be changed to go down from 17" or 18" wheels to 16" with 205/55-16. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=volvo+steering+stop

[Bill_56]

these days I just take the car around the block rather than turn around and avoid multi story car parks - Mike

Me too. But mistakes can happen, be grateful you never drove in here by mistake...

http://www.mk-news.co.uk/News/Too-tight-car-park-ramps-to-be-fixed.htm

I remember, at the time of that particular fiasco, reports of volvos getting stuck on the ramps.

Ok they had to fix that one, but it's scary they were ever allowed to build it. And if they built one, it's odds on that they built a few others too. It's ridiculous to say it, but I simply refuse to enter a multi-story in the volvo unless I can try it out in another car first.

[Jim314]

The Volvo accessories site* states that to increase wheel size from 195/65-15 or 205/55-16 to 225/45-17 for "Interceptor" 7 x 17" wheels one must fit Steering Limiters 274511. I had always assumed this p/n was just a plastic pad. Is it? What is the part corresponding to this number?

Is it the case that if a V70 is factory built for 15" or 16" wheels and no more than 205 mm wide tyres, then to change to 17" wheels and 225 mm wide tyres all one has to do is change the plastic pads on the control arm, but the reverse is not true? That is, it seems that going up in wheel/tyre size requires no parts change other than the plastic pads, but going down in wheel/tyre size requires a change in parts in the rubber boots on the steering gear. Is this right?


*http://accessories.volvocars.com/AccessoriesWeb/Accessories.mvc/en-GB/UK/V70(00-08)/2004/all/all/R.H.D/ShowDocument/VCC-425374

[Gazdok]

I thought all one had to do was change the plastic pads on the control arms (aka wishbones), but it seems from your post that there is a complicated steering limiter apparatus, I gather on the steering gear. But could it be that all one has to do is change those pads?

This is all I thought had to be changed to go down from 17" or 18" wheels to 16" with 205/55-16. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=volvo+steering+stop


I took those off - I first went down to blue from black and then off altogether - when I fitted spacers and it helped a little but the turning circle was still massive.

There is a steering limiter - your Ebay link - and a deflection limiter under the gaiters.

[mikealder]

If you are going down in wheel size then you could switch to the thinner lockstops (the plastic pads) to increase the available steering angle, main thing to watch for when reducing wheel diameter is the size of the brake disk fitted, if you have 280 disks you can fit anything down to 15" diameter, if you have 302MM then certain 16" Volvo Alloys won't fit and non of the 15" diameter wheels will be of any use - Mike

[Jim314]

Why is it necessary to have two separate mechanical systems to limit the steering angle?

[Bill_56]

Why is it necessary to have two separate mechanical systems to limit the steering angle?

I, too, find that an interesting question.

Plus, if the cheap plastic pads on the suspension arms are actually making contact, which would be evident from the wear marks (or absence thereof), then the modified rack should make no difference as the plastic pads would continue to make contact at the same point (and same steering angles) they did before.

To me, this begs the question of whether there are any configurations (sanctioned by Volvo), wherein the plastic pads can be removed altogether? That seems to be the only way that further mods to the rack would reap any benefit.

[Jim314]

The plastic pads are deformable under the force of turning the steering to the limit. I always thought this was necessary to prevent stress, strain, and wear in the rigid parts of the steering mechanism. I do not think it would be advisable to remove them.

[RM955I]

I knew the turning circle was not great when I bought my V70....it really doesn't bother me and TBH I can't understand all the fuss.

[chiptivo]

Right...

Mine are quite worn, and I have noticed they have already been turned.

Are these the cheapest, and the best colour.

They are currently black, and I have 17" wheels.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-Lock-Stops-For-S60-S80-V70-From-2001-2007-/190399771893?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2c54b5f4f5#ht_500wt_969

[Jim314]

Right...

Mine are quite worn, and I have noticed they have already been turned.

Are these the cheapest, and the best colour.

They are currently black, and I have 17" wheels.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-Lock-Stops-For-S60-S80-V70-From-2001-2007-/190399771893?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2c54b5f4f5#ht_500wt_969

Black indicates the thickest limiters and they are required for 225 or 235 mm wide tyres. Usually on a V70 or equivalent 225/45-17 tyres are on 17" wheels.

White is the middle size pad for 215 mm or maybe some 225 mm wide tyres.

Blue is the thinnest and is for 205 mm or 195 mm wide tyres on 16" or 15" wheels.

[auldain]

Gazdok: do I take it that after changing the deflection limiters you left the wheel spacers on? And did you also leave on the black steering limiters? I was just going to change the steering limiters on my V70 (2001) and get the thickest ones which I assume are the blacks at 27mm. There are others listed on parts sites which are 18.7mm and again I'm assuming these are the white or blue coloured ones. Can you advise. Thanks.

[jim annandale]

How thick am I? I just accepted the poor turning circle, I too have the 17' wheels and only the other day got caught out in a multi story. Thanks Gazdok for bringing this to my attention that there is a fix, page bookmarked for when I do it