Suspension: Ride quality after 14 years

[Moose Test]

I've owned and run a number of Volvos over the last 20 years but by far the most polarising is my current, a 2007 XC90 V8 Sport.

I love the big Yamaha engine. For me at least, it is without doubt the best match to a vehicle of any of my previous purchases (at under 5k miles per year, fuel economy isn't a primary concern). The interior build quality is more disappointing but there's nothing to be done there, it is what it is (which isn't, what my 2003 V70 was, nor the XC70 which followed it).

What does grate on me is the harsh and 'crashy' nature of the suspension. To be fair, the rural roads around my home are generally in pretty poor condition and would try any vehicle. But the Sport (Volvo's badge designation for the R-Design, before it was R-Design) is without doubt awful even in absolute terms, let alone compared to any of my other Volvos (including a 2003 XC90 D5 SE).

My general question is; Does anyone else with a Sport/R-Design experience this? And the related question; is this symptomatic of the suspension design of these models, or is it more likely to be down to aging and wear and tear on my particular vehicle?

My thoughts include:

1) Tyres. The SE Sport was equipped with 255/50 R19. As compared to the 235/60 R18 on my previous XC90, this doesn't seem to be a huge difference in diameter, or in side wall height (~11%, or 15mm). Does the difference in tyre width make any significant difference to ride quality? Has anyone any experience of putting R18 on instead?

2) Suspension design: Does anyone know with certainty what the differences were between the regular and R-design suspension? Was it limited to, say, springs and shocks, or were there more fundamental changes? Is it viable (and safe) to "downgrade"?

3) Suspension wear: Is it likely that such poor quality is actually just a reflection of 14 years of use? Whilst the car has a FVSH, that clearly doesn't guarantee things like bushings and wishbones have been replaced and I've no receipts to show otherwise. Has anyone here replaced all the major suspension components on their vehicle and had it make a significant difference?

Two years ago I switched from customary XC90 all-season tyres, to the much softer compounded Uniroyal RainSport 3, and this made some small improvement.

With apologies for the long, non-specific post but does anyone have any experience and/or ideas for improvement?

Thanks.

[SwissXC90]

I have MY2009 R-Design and notice a HUGE difference in handling and comfort between my Summer wheels (20") and my Winter wheels (17").
17" is much more comfortable and absorbs much more of the road surface unevenness than my 20" wheels.

I would recommend you get a set of 17" wheels and set them to a comfortable pressure - definitely not at the "eco" level.

That's the easiest and cheapest option.

Otherwise, yes, the R-Design does indeed have a stiffer suspension.
I'm not sure exactly what components are different to a non-R-Design.
I believe the anti sway bars are stiffer for a start.

But 17" wheels will make the biggest difference regardless.

As an aside: I was watching a 4x4 video the other day on wheels and tyres, and they say the biggest mistake you can do with offroading is to go for large rims and small sidewalls. The sidewalls are really important for comfort and also wheel protection.

And your local roads sound like 4x4 off-road territory

[AB-UK]

Re ride comfort and wheel size.
My Exec has the 19" wheels.
My previous XC90 had 18" Atlantis wheels.
I use 18" Atlantis wheels with winter tyres on my Exec.
I can honestly tell you that ride comfort is definitely better on the 18" wheels.

[Moose Test]

Originally Posted by SwissXC90

And your local roads sound like 4x4 off-road territory

You are not wrong. Without hyperbole, many of the local rural routes aren't anything more than cart tracks and bridleways which were tarmac'ed over at the turn of the last century. Very strong camber to the sides, which themselves are frequently breaking apart at the margin and have deep pot holes. Much of the year they're covered in either mud or standing water. They present a challenge and a hard life to any vehicle.

4x4 vehicles, particularly Ford Rangers and the Nissan Navara are indeed very popular around here.

I'm already thinking that next purchase, air suspension is where it's at ('at' including new ways of spending the maintenance budget).

[Moose Test]

So, two votes for decreasing the rim size. If I were to drop to 18" (or even 17"), I'm assuming that would also mean downsizing width from the current 255, to 235 or smaller.

Would that present any issues for the V8? Or were the larger wheels mostly a cosmetic addition?

[Harley Dave]

Larger wheels are almost always "cosmetic" if the brakes are standard size.

Just look at the boy racers with huge wheels (with rubber band tyres) and tiny little drums on the back that look completely out of place...

That said - big wheels that fill the arches do look good - if it suits the car.

Cheers

Dave

[Moose Test]

I've bitten the bullet and purchased a set of used 17" Neptune wheels.

They're currently fitted with 235/65 R17 Michelin's, which appear to have some useful life left in them. At least, sufficient for me to get a feel for them and determine whether the wheels become a permanent fixture, or not.

I think I've also determined that the differences between the R-Design and the regular suspension are limited to a different roll bar setup (thicker bar and bar ends) and stiffer coils at the front. I'm more reluctant to change those, as I quite like the improved handling they give. Hopefully the greater tyre wall size (1" up) will be enough of a compromise.

I'll update the thread with my findings, when I have them. There might be a set of good condition 19" Vulcanis wheels without tyres becoming available. I'd already purchased a second set a couple of years ago, with plans for running a winter set. Seeing as we don't have winter in Norfolk anymore, there's possibly even more reason to let them go now.

[SwissXC90]

Neptune 17x7s are good wheels, that's what I have, easy to clean.

[Moose Test]

I took delivery of the new-to-me wheels this morning. I'm now running Neptune 7x17" with 235/65 R17 Michelin Sport 3 (part worn, as supplied), rather than the 255/50 R19 it was built with.

With the caveat that driving experiences are very subjective, I find that there is a noticeable change in the ride and handling. Whilst it's not quite what that of my 54 plate SE D5 was, some of the "wafting" nature of the ride is back. And whilst potholes and irregularities in the road surface are still more noticeable, it is appreciably smoothed. The car seems to have had its manners improved but at the expense of a feeling of a loss of preciseness in the steering (it feels as if it wanders a little more and is less "planted") and certainly it has taken on considerably more roll when cornering under speed.

I'm pleased with the results, it feels like a good compromise. I'll now consider having the wheels refurbished and new tyres fitted. Thanks to all for your advice.

I may also consider the replacement of some of the suspension components, provided the pending MOT goes through without any unexpected nasties. It's had 14 years' of wear and tear on local roads and that must also be factor.

[V8XCV]

Hello!

I am always intrigued when someone else has the rare V8 Sport edition, that was mine (V8XCV) and I also found the ride rather crashy compared to the standard non sport XC90.

A friend of mine got a 2010 R design and swapped from 19" to 18" wheels for better comfort and minimal loss of performance.

I do regret selling the V8, I never really got the full potential out of it, but doing 14k miles a year meant spending more time at Asda filling up than at my house....

I still have the spare wheel, winch and bits here if you were interested (needs to be one side exhaust pipes, won't fit under with the twin sided pipes) and dog net.