Steering: turning circle v70

[tingy]

Originally Posted by jackthehat.co.uk

3. Completely bird brained main beam/headlight stalk operation. Something so simple shouldn't be made so damn stupid.

get what u mean with the rest but what do u mean about the main beam stalk?????

and turning circle wouldnt be the right phrase perhaps turning.........oh god ive blocked the whole road quick reverse............full lock o god the wheels rubbing again..................ok forward forward go go grrrr why are the wheels spining GRIP DAM YOU, dstc kicks in and away we go

[jackthehat.co.uk]

Originally Posted by tingymagig

get what u mean with the rest but what do u mean about the main beam stalk?????

It just seems to defy logic. It's made worse with the daytime running lights. You're driving along at night on a country road and pull the stalk back to change to main beam but you just end up flashing your lights, it won't go into main beam because the headlamp switch is set to OFF (daytime running mode). So you have to turn the switch to ON, which first switches off the headlamps as it goes through the sidelight position and then back on again when the switch reaches the headlamp ON position. You can then swap between main and dipped at leisure.

Sure, I can hear you all saying, so why not leave the headlamp switch set to ON all the time because when you turn off the ignition all lights are extinguished anyway? Simple, because then you end up driving around during the day with the main beam inadvertently left on and have loads of folk flashing their lights at you. Each time you go to flash your lights you run the risk of switching on the main beam if you pull the stalk back a little too far.

The whole setup is just madness and defies belief. Of course, if you have your wits about you then it isn't a problem. But, cars shouldn't be like that. They should be laid out sensibly and be fool proof especially with important things like headlamps. If you have daytime running lights then what the hell is the point of having sidelights? Sheer craziness!

What's wrong with the common headlamp setup on the likes of Fords? So simple, so easy and foolproof. Switch the lights on. Pull the spring loaded stalk back to flash the lights and click it forward to engage main beam. Hardly rocket science. That way you can't accidentally leave main beam on when you've flashed the lights.

Jeez, it makes me angry just thinking about it. My car is even worse because the blue dash light to indicate main beam doesn't work (and it's not a blown instrument panel bulb).... yet another fault with this crap car of mine.

It really is a shame because there's so much I love about the V70 D5. Just a handful of extremely annoying glitches really puts me off buying a Volvo again. The really sad fact is that almost all of these flaws would be so easy to avoid at the design stage. They're not complicated.

My old Ford Granada Scorpio 2.9 V6 is back on the road now after sailing through it's MOT yet again. 190,000 miles and I've owned it for 8 years. The reason I bought the V70 is because my old Granada was showing it's age and I was worried about it eventually becoming unreliable. I decided to use the V70 as our main car and the Granada as a back up vehicle for occasional use. Now, after a year of this V70, I am back to using the Granada full time and have demoted the V70 to the banger position, a scrap heap for occasional use only. I get in the Granada and it just does it, know what I mean? No knocking noises from the suspension, beautifully light steering with a really tight turning circle, superb performance, economical (LPG), no tyre scrubbing, no stupid headlight controls, absolutely BAGS of rear legroom that puts Volvo to shame and mechanics that virtually anyone can work on with a £10 socket set. Parts prices are also about 70% cheaper than Volvo.

Sorry folks, but as you can tell, my Volvo is driving me nuts. I was REALLY on the verge of trading it in for something else this week.

[apollogary]

Couldn't agree more with everything you have said there mate. I have only ever owned Fords previous to my V70 as well as a couple of Vauxhall vans and currently a Renault Megane as a second car. My Scorpio was the best car I have ever owned. Not without its faults... track control arm bushes spring to mind, but incredibly comfortable and reliable. And it had a heated windscreen... God I miss that.
For some bizarre reason new Fords don't have the old main beam flash back/on forward type switch, they have gone over to the same system as Volvo and lots of other manufacturers.
I too find the whole light set up incredibly annoying. What is the point having a light switch at all? I just want a conventional set up. One of the first things I did was to get the day running lights turned off... yes I know it will be compulsary soon.. but I don't like them. And I was getting fed up with the headlamp washers running everytime I washed the screen and emptying the bottle after only a few days. (and who's bright idea was it to make the headlamp washers do a second squirt just as the windscreen wipers do their last sweep, and soak the screen again?)
So I got the DRLs switched off. Couldn't believe that the headlamp washers still run without the lights on and the interior dashboard still illuminates when it gets dark without the lights on.
I have now made a modification so the headlamp washers only run when the lights are on.
But its stupid things like this that really spoil it for me. It is a really lovely car in a lot of respects but so many things about it really wind me up.. silly things really, like why put the clock in the cluster so no one else in the car can see it? All I ever get is "Dad whats the time?". Whats wrong with having the clock in the middle?
The volume for the reverse sensor beeps is pathetically quiet and can't be turned up, and also the volume for the sat nav is ridiculous. You have to go into the settings menu to alter it and then its fixed. So at the start of a journey it's fine but once on the motorway you have to go into the menu to turn it up, and once off the motorway you have to go back in to turn it down again. I have factory sat nav in my Vauxhall Vivaro van. You alter the sat nav volume with the radio volume control... easy.
I have spent the last few months really wanting to like this car and thinking "just get used to these silly niggles, forget about them, enjoy what it does do"
But I don't think I can . The turning circle and wheels rubbing is what really does it for me.
I have to say though aside from the turning circle, the steering i find superb. My car has the speed dependant steering. It's wonderfully light at low speeds but really firms up at higher speeds.

Don't know what to do. I just wish Ford still made a Granada size car

Gary

[jackthehat.co.uk]

Hi Gary

Wow, someone who feels the same as me. I laughed about the clock. Yes, that is also downright stupid. I also really really wish that Ford made a big cruiser again like the Granada. There's no real alternative these days without going to BMW or Mercedes. The Vauxhall Omega was it's only real competitor but was notoriously troublesome so I avoided it. Somehow, running a Mondeo just doesn't cut the mustard. I guess I'll live in hope and keep the old Granada on the road.

[Nunchukhamster]

Originally Posted by apollogary

Don't know what to do. I just wish Ford still made a Granada size car

Gary

The new Mondeo is HUGE, much bigger than the previous versions. Having driven both the "normal" shape Scorpio and a "Bug-eye" version (hmmm, 24v Cosworth engine ) as well as a new Mondeo, they are of comparable size (and certainly more so than a new Mondeo is to an old Mondeo).

[dave1965]

What i dont understand is how the tuning circle in my 1998 v70 is spot on.
Volvo then seemed to have buggered the whole thing up Really does make you think.!

[Bernard333]

yes we have a fiesta ( 1996 and 98 models ) as well , I really enjoy the contrast driving the fiestas around town and then doing a long journey in the Volvo . The V70 turning circle is bad , wouldnt like to be doing my driving test in it and trying a three point turn , but I wonder if this lack of turning circle and steering geometry helps at all with stability at 80 mph on a motorway , the fiesta goes all over the place at this speed and my V70 stays in a straight line or maybe thats just because the fiestas are knackered . The old fiesta is certainly a lot easier to work on than the newer V70 , the front suspension bushes are diabolical and even with my limited mechanical understanding I can see it would have been easy to make them better , was advised by a good Volvo indi last week that you can no longer buy single replacement bushes direct from Volvo , its only the aftermarket bushes that you can get so settled for QH complete radius arms . I bought a sump off ebay last week and realised the design of this makes doing a diy oil change on a D5 very difficult to do properly unless you suck the oil out the same way some garages do it through the dip stick hole , will do a separate post on this but its bad if you think that draining the old oil out using the sump plug works ok , it dosnt and it would have been so easy for Volvo to make it properly .

[Berbatops]

Originally Posted by toolbah

Best car I ever owned with amazing turning circle was Triumph Heraled.....Happy days, who said we have advanced in enginerring/technology

Toolbah, my first ever car was a Herald 13/60. As you say, what a turning circle! Working on the engine was a dream - bonnet pulled forward, sit down on the front tyre and away you went. But back to the present my 2002 V70 D5 SE is my first ever Volvo - a fantastic car in all respects apart from its turning circle. Three-point turns are a dim and distant memory - more like a 10-point turn, but you get used to it.

[xco]

High chaps

The turning circle of the V70 is 11mtrs (the s60 is the same)

Source of information Parkers.-hope this helps

[S60D5NI]

Problem with turning circle is due to mounting a straight 5 cylinder engine transversley in a front wheel drive car!

- Straight 5 is obviously longer than a 4, but also longer than a v6- therefore when mounted transversly there is less room for wheels to turn unless you make the car wider.
- The wheels on a front wheel drive have greater off-set towards the centre of the car (distance between centre line of hub and centre line of the rim). For rear wheel drive the off-set is the oposite way. You'll notice how wheels on a BMW have a deep dish look whereas wide rims on FWD cars don't - the extra 'width' is on the inside of the rim. Therefore, with wide rims (like the 18" x 8" Nebulas) there is even less room between the inside edge of the wheel and the bodywork.

Hence turning angle of the wheels is limited and resultant turning circle leaves a lot to be desired. Also the working angle of CV joints limits the angle the wheels can turn. Hence RWD cars (like the Herald, old Granada, Merc's etc.) will always have an advantage.

For all you Ford fans - go try a Focus ST. It got the 'Volvo' straight 5 transversly mounted in a wide rimmed family hatch. Believe me, you'll never complain about your Volvo turning circle again!!