240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

We haven't really had any proper snow during your ownershp of the RB Alan so of course you must test the handling, it's essential in case you get caught out by an unexpected blizzard like i did!

Thinking about it, it's the first proper snow we've had since i've had my 760 so saturday provided me that test, albeit a baptism of fire in a blizzard!

Odd mix of metaphors there but they work in a contorted way!

When i had my second 740GLE, we had some fairly bad snow and i trundled down to the local leasure centre car park which nobody else had been too and gave it the beans. I could just about get it to break traction being extremely brutal and then only for a split second - a sideways drift on the back end for about 4' then the back tyres gripped again and oooooo-errrrrrrrrrrr, who put that hedge there!

Plenty of grip on the front to stop and i wasn't going at any great speed anyway but it showed me how the car handled in the white stuff!

You were absolutely right about the RB in the snow Dave: it is very sure footed and I’m entirely happy with the winter tyres, they were a good investment.

I drove to Morrison’s to fill up with its very cheapest gas (180 miles on 7 1/2 gallons) and came back by a slightly longer route on some uncleared roads. I’m also pleased to report that the RB has a very good heater indeed :-)

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

You were absolutely right about the RB in the snow Dave: it is very sure footed and I’m entirely happy with the winter tyres, they were a good investment.

I drove to Morrison’s to fill up with its very cheapest gas (180 miles on 7 1/2 gallons) and came back by a slightly longer route on some uncleared roads. I’m also pleased to report that the RB has a very good heater indeed :-)

Alan

More of a snow leopard than a barge really Alan?

If i have my moths right, that's 24mpg?

Yes, they do have good heaters thankfully!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

More of a snow leopard than a barge really Alan?

If i have my moths right, that's 24mpg?

Yes, they do have good heaters thankfully!

Yes, the RB is quite nimble in the snow and ice. The auto box in particular is well suited.

The fuel consumption is pretty regular, The last time I checked (in the warmer weather) it was 25 MPG, and a little less in the winter when the choke is on a bit longer after cold starts is okay I think.

The heater is very good indeed - by the time I get to Morrisons (just a mile away) the windscreen vents are already tarting to blow a little warm, so the motor is getting up to temperature pretty smartly. Usually the temperature gauge is at its normal (middle) position by the time I get to the Aldi store (3 miles away) and the heater has made the cabin pretty comfortable.

The only fault I’ve noticed in this cold weather is that the top two lines of the heated rear screen don’t seem to work. It looks like it was bonded in the factory, so I don’t think it is worth worrying about as the lower elements work fine.

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Yes, the RB is quite nimble in the snow and ice. The auto box in particular is well suited.

The fuel consumption is pretty regular, The last time I checked (in the warmer weather) it was 25 MPG, and a little less in the winter when the choke is on a bit longer after cold starts is okay I think.

The heater is very good indeed - by the time I get to Morrisons (just a mile away) the windscreen vents are already tarting to blow a little warm, so the motor is getting up to temperature pretty smartly. Usually the temperature gauge is at its normal (middle) position by the time I get to the Aldi store (3 miles away) and the heater has made the cabin pretty comfortable.

The only fault I’ve noticed in this cold weather is that the top two lines of the heated rear screen don’t seem to work. It looks like it was bonded in the factory, so I don’t think it is worth worrying about as the lower elements work fine.

Alan

That's how i've always found RWD Volvos, except perhaps the 360 i had which was a bit tail-happy in the ice. That said all my other RWD Volvos have been auto and the combination works very well in the cold weather.

The heater sounds on a par with mine, about a mile and it's just starting to blow warm, 2 miles and the gauge is halfway between cold and normal and the 3rd mile sees it up to normal temperature. My Rover is similar but is usually up to normal temperature by 2 miles and blows hotter and harder than the Volvo.

I like to be very warm especially this weather but don't like using the Rover as being FWD doesn't have as much grip on the slippy stuff. Also hampered this year as it's still at the MoT garage awaiting collection due to lockdown.

My Volvo has a similar fault with the HRW but in reverse to yours - the only two elements that work are the top two! I think Sasha had a hand (or should i say paw) in defeating some of the others, i just have to find where her claws have damaged the wires on the screen!
That said i rarely suffer a misted rear screen, probably because the cabin is so warm!

[Dippydog]

I found the 144 auto saloon and 245 auto were pretty poor in snow unless some extra weight was thrown in the back to help weigh it down a bit.One of the best I've had on snow was a Hillman Imp van.

[john.wigley]

With it's rear engine, my Sunbeam Imp Sport certainly did not lack traction, 'D.D.', but both directional stability and braking left a lot to be desired. A small paving slab in the (front) boot improved both greatly! Conversely, I always found my RWD Volvos very sure-footed in adverse conditions, much more so than many contemporary cars. I'm pleased that Alan did not find the R.B. wanting when put to the test, but expected no less!

Regards, John.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Dippydog

I found the 144 auto saloon and 245 auto were pretty poor in snow unless some extra weight was thrown in the back to help weigh it down a bit.One of the best I've had on snow was a Hillman Imp van.

I recall my father having a Hillman Imp estate, it must have been in the early 70s I should think. He quite liked it - but if I remember correctly it was written off in a fairly low speed crash - there was not much metal in front of the driver.

:-)

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

With it's rear engine, my Sunbeam Imp Sport certainly did not lack traction, 'D.D.', but both directional stability and braking left a lot to be desired. A small paving slab in the (front) boot improved both greatly! Conversely, I always found my RWD Volvos very sure-footed in adverse conditions, much more so than many contemporary cars. I'm pleased that Alan did not find the R.B. wanting when put to the test, but expected no less!

Regards, John.

Yes, I was really pleased with RB's test in the snow yesterday John, it was much better than I'd expected. In many ways it was more sure footed than the Skoda Superb estate - although I do think the torque of a diesel engine suits low traction situations well, the RB's auto box made up for that (I'm coming to like the 3 speed auto box).

There really isn't much I don't like about the RB the way it is :-)

Alan

[Othen]

I am rather pleased to say: I have nothing to report from the RB. My lovely 40 year old car continues to start easily, run well, not drop any fluids and not make any more noises than normal (for a 40 year old). I've been using the RB as my more or less daily driver during the recent wintry weather (the Porsche would not be a sensible car at all in snow and ice) - and it has performed remarkably well.

I'll be able to register the RB as an historic car in 2 month's time - which to an extent was the point of the project (not saving £25/month on the tax, but owning and running an historic car at a sensible price) - so another of the aims will have been achieved.

It is fair to say the RB was just the right car for me.

:-)

PS. I almost forgot: I did make a tiny improvement to the RB - I removed the tint films from the two front windows. I did this mostly for safety - they did make sideways visibility at junctions a little difficult at night, but actually I think the motor car looks smarter without them:



I suppose it look about 20 minutes per side with a hot air gun, some soapy water, a soft scraper and lots of patience, perhaps this photo shows the difference better:



I'll keep the privacy tints in the back - I think they look cool and would not want to risk damaging the 40 year old HRW element.

:-)

[Laird Scooby]

Definitely looks better with the front side windows as standard Alan, i take it they have a factory tint on them anyway?

I'm seriously considering tinting the back windows on my beast but nothing as dark as yours, just a light-green tint film and as they're already green tinted from the factory, the idea/hope is to make them a bit darker green while removing a lot of UV into the car.