budget approach to increase stability and handling

[volvopilot]

hi All,

I'm still very happy with my 2006 Volvo S40 with about 150k miles on the clock. still going very strong engine/gearbox wise. I replaced quite a few suspension parts including both control arms, all 3 motor mounts and stabilizer links.

I still think that the car should be able to handle a little bit better than it does now. Even though it is already pretty good, but especially compared to the focus (same platform), the S40 does under perform in cornering and even high speed stability. I feel like I need to correct with cross winds and bumpy roads.

Since the baseline at the moment is good. All suspension parts are checked and replaced as necessary. What would be a good approach to increase the handling while not breaking the bank? (<500 on parts).

I don't want the suspension to necessarily get firmer, just the steering wheel handling an precision.

[marc]

Shocks and springs, you could easily get these and fitted for under £500. Have a look on Demon Tweeks, there are a few options there. Ebach/H&R springs and Bilstien shocks are a popular choice.

I went for just H&R springs on the C30 and it handles much better with only a slight decrease in ride quality.

The reality is that if you want better suspension performance, you’ll need to sacrifice a little bit of comfort.

[domhart10]

For handling mods with a budget under £500 I would get the below:

Eibach lowering coils (Reduces the arch gap a bit and ride is still comfy and reduces that body roll a bit)

Hardline rear anti roll bar (Stiffens up the rear abit not too much but it does help)

depending on the tires you have, I would get some wider ones. on 17s I ran some 225 proxies but on my current 18s I run 235 ps4 and the wider tire makes a massive difference in cornering over the standard.

when were your dampers last changed as well? if they are still on the original, could probably do with a change and you will notice a huge difference.

[volvopilot]

I am aware of those Eibach springs (25mm lowering).

Can you replace the stock springs with the Eibach springs without upgrading the shocks without problems? I guess the lowering will increase stability just because of the lowered CG.

Those springs seem to go for around 180 pounds or so. A complete set of bilstein springs + shocks is 600+ without fitting.

and what about the camber of the wheels when lowering the car? My car stock already has a 1.8 degree rear wheel camber. I don't really want to increase that.

[FunkyMelon]

I'd personally put a set of H&R springs on and some Bilstein B4 shocks.

You can buy the B4 kit online for about £250 for all 4 shocks.

There are several Bilstein kits that vary in ride quality and price but the B4 kit is what most put on when going for a suspension refresh.

[volvopilot]

thank you!

those H&R from what I read are a little bit harder compared to the Eibach (non linear). I prefer to keep the comfort level as high as possible since I mostly do motorways.

The car is now pretty hard to drive with severe cross winds, so I think it would benefit from being a little bit lowered and upgraded shocks.

B4 + Eibach 25mm seems like a good fit in that case? And do you know what I need to get to complete the entire front strut without re-using any parts from my old strut. So I don't have to disassemble the old strut.

strut mount + strut bearing?

[eternal optimist]

Have you got good tyres on?

[Welton]

I fitted an IPD rear ARB and a Volvo Strut Brace and it transformed the car in terms of stability, it used to kinda 'rock' from side to side after the suspension was loaded into a corner but that was fixed and turn-in was much more precise.

Side wind stability is still an issue for me even with new dampers, I guess some cars are susceptible to side winds no matter what you try.

[volvopilot]

Originally Posted by eternal optimist

Have you got good tyres on?

Dunlop 205 50 R17.

I think upgrading the strut brace and anti roll bar would be benificial after a shock+spring upgrade. The suspension is atleast 80k miles old, maybe even more.

I am just a little but cautious about lowering due to the increased rear camber. It is already on 2 degrees.

[Bigchewie]

from expericence between running eibach and H&r on cars a couple of friends and i own, (same model,) I would (will likely be when stock springs snap again) will be getting a set of H&R, you would certainly benefit from upratig the shocks though they will be fine with stock but existing shocks will wear quicker.

for stability a uprated roll bar will give better results than springs.