One lucky chap!!!!!!!!!!

[Al115]

Only put it on two weeks ago and roads have been wet since, so haven't tested properly. But wouldn't expect much of a difference over and above the (very hard) suspension setup I now have. I just fitted it "for completeness".

Volvo DO fit them as std to new T5s and up.

Think I paid less than £70 for the part - from Volvo. Cheaper than a set of brake pads (well nearly)!


Alastair

[foggyjames]

>Strut braces... some people rave about them, some say they
>make little difference. The Volvo is pretty stiff already at
>the front I think, since the strut tops are quite near the
>bulkhead.

We fitted a strut brace to a car (you'll laugh if I tell you what!) with its struts immediately next to the bulkhead, and it made an appriciable difference. For the money, I'd say you can't go wrong. Unlike almost any other suspension mod, its one that stands on its own for me.

cheers

James

[Al115]

Go on, tell us what!!!

Agreed that for the price even a small improvement would be worthwhile.


Alastair

[foggyjames]

Ok...you talked me into it! My housemates Nissan Micra (K10 - the original boxy one)...now RIP. It was home-made! Made an amazing difference. The 360 is certainly getting one when I get around to it.

cheers

James

[sholtby]

Jon,

As the car and engine is like new it would be a good idea to get a few thousand miles on the clock before chipping the engine. This will allow the engine run in and show up any problems of which hopefully there are none.
I really would recommend chipping the car though at some later stage when you have got used to its current performance. The difference is very substantial and the car will be on a par with much more exotic machinery costing many times what you have paid for your ride.
I found the strut brace made a marginal difference, others say it is much more noticable. I'll have to try removing it sometime to try and make a better judgement. The brace costs about £70 from a Volvo dealer and is better than aftermarket items which aren't much cheaper. I have to admit the engine bay looked like it was missing something in those picture Nigel posted of the car.
Another relatively cheap mod is to upgrade the current front brakes from 280mm to the 'Police spec' 302mm items. You just need to buy a pair of calliper braces which are about £110 from the Volvo dealer. You'll also need a set of disks and pads from Eurocarparts which will be about £80. This could be worth considering when your current discs are worn. I found this to be a good upgrade but others will disagree. If money is no object AP do a brake kit for about £1400.
The following link is to pic of my car with the strut brace fitted. I painted mine black, it comes in silver.

http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/photopos...cat=513&page=4

Simon

[mitch850]

thanks for that simon - its certainly food for thought. Will definitely do something to the brakes when these discs and pads are worn, however, as they are new that may be some time yet! Can't get my head round this chipping business. I guess I'll need to have a go in a chipped car to fully appreciate the difference. Somehow it reminds me of one of my old saab 99 turbos onto which I put a water injection kit. This turned a relatively quick car (especially in its day) into a brute for not a great deal of money. However, all that power fairly quickly showed up what was wrong with the car or created problems. I'm not comparing the saab to the volvo, but that is my experience of a big hike in power for little readies. I should be interested to hear more from people with chipped cars or chipping experience
Jon

[foggyjames]

Basically, with a car like an 850 where almost every engine parameter is computer controlled, you need to alter those parameters in order to enhance the performance. Up to a point (which seems to be enough for most people...the lightweights!!), you can get the desired performance gains just by replacing the 'brain', and continue using the stock ancillaries.

Naturally, beyond a point (seemingly around 300bhp for a T5), you run out of options, and more major surgery is required. Certain bolt-ons will help, and water injection is one of them. For what it's worth, the boost pressure would probably have been turned up on your Saab at the same time, as water injection alone wouldn't do that much for you - but it allows you to run higher boost levels safely.

I'm still waiting for a UK T5 to push 500bhp...the Swedish RWD crowd got that out of the 4cyl motor years ago...1500bhp is now the hottest one I believe!

cheers

James