V50 General : V50 T5 AWD Front and rear shocks

[dovado3gn]

Hello. My V50 T5 AWD has 140k KM and still running with stock shocks, but they all 4 need to be changed since they have lost their properties.
Ive been looking online and cant seem to find any shocks that match OEM number 31277592 and 31277591. My question is that if i can buy the shocks from a FWD V50 and install them on my AWD V50. I have compared the shocks on pictures and they look identical. Is that the reason that i cant find the OEM for AWD because they are identical to the FWD but with different OEM number? The same goes for the shock mount and bearing. Look the same but different OEM number.
Thanks

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by dovado3gn

Hello. My V50 T5 AWD has 140k KM and still running with stock shocks, but they all 4 need to be changed since they have lost their properties.
Ive been looking online and cant seem to find any shocks that match OEM number 31277592 and 31277591. My question is that if i can buy the shocks from a FWD V50 and install them on my AWD V50. I have compared the shocks on pictures and they look identical. Is that the reason that i cant find the OEM for AWD because they are identical to the FWD but with different OEM number? The same goes for the shock mount and bearing. Look the same but different OEM number.
Thanks

Hi
I can help a bit maybe with this as I went trough full shocks+springs change some time ago. AWD is a b**ch and replacement parts for shocks/springs are rare and limited. Dont judge "just by looks" as I know for fact that the 2 supposedly identical shocks will have 2 different lenghts of travel and will affect the whole setup.
What you need to do is:
- check what type of suspension you have by looking at your build plate. That will tell you what shocks/springs/arb you have and how the car is set up. Also that if you are unfortunate to have Nivomats, you are doomed

see pic below:



13 = Country Code
14 = Interior Code
15 = Paint Code

17 = Front Suspension Spring
18 = Front Suspension Strut
19 = Front Anti-Sway Bar
20 = Rear Suspension Spring
21 = Rear Suspension Shock
22 = Rear Anti-Sway Bar
23 = Front Suspension Bump Stop
24 = Rear Suspension Bump Stop

Once you know the correct numbers you can compare the options available for shocks (in Vida) and it will return correct part numbers. You can also always call the dealership and give them your VIN and just ask to check (although last time I did that I was told I have different shocks that I actually do so some parts people have no clue about AWD). Even with AWD setup you can have 2 or 3 different shocks and even more springs so it is really a tough one to crack properly.

If you decide to go aftermarket way, it is possible (and MUCH cheaper) but again - being AWD - options are limited. Front shocks are easier to source (I think Bilsteins and KYAB's fits perfectly) but with rears there is really NO direct alternatives for AWD! Plus FWD S40 parts differ from FWD V50 aswell so you can easily get swamped in options... I ended up getting rear gas KYABs that are desgned for FWD car (V50) and they do fit, but their travel lenght is different so car is much stiffer in the back. I actually like it but you feel the difference between softness front/rear.
Front - I have OEM's, just because were fitted new when I bought car. Otherwise I would go for replacement.

Springs - again - what a pain in.... I ended up with 4x OEM ones as I just couldnt get aftermarket ones (2 of mine broke so I had to replace them). It is easier when you are replacing whole lot (shocks+springs) to lowered ones for example, but to match OEM shocks and
ride height - OEM springs is your best choice.

shock bearings - again - AWD spec only...

bottom line - PITA ! and very expensive if OEM route, as replacement parts for FWD are half the price and much better and widely available.

If you have no Vida access Im happy to help, just lemme know your VIN and build plate. I will have a look what PN's are recommended for your car and give you the list, then you can decide what to do.

[Welton]

I don't mean to be critical here but surely as far the the dampers are concerned it's just a car with the wheels going up and down as normal over bumps etc sure I know the 4WD system needs all four wheels in contact with the surface but there are electronic controls dealing with traction etc. The dampers should just do their own job regardless of 2WD/4WD and if you went for standard Bilstein B4's then they do a better job of controlling compression and rebound than the standard ones.

Of course please correct me if I'm over-simplifying this?

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by Welton

I don't mean to be critical here but surely as far the the dampers are concerned it's just a car with the wheels going up and down as normal over bumps etc sure I know the 4WD system needs all four wheels in contact with the surface but there are electronic controls dealing with traction etc. The dampers should just do their own job regardless of 2WD/4WD and if you went for standard Bilstein B4's then they do a better job of controlling compression and rebound than the standard ones.

Of course please correct me if I'm over-simplifying this?

Technically you are right, practically - its more confusing. Shocks for AWD are physically different than FWD, especially the rear ones that have to deal with more weight. Plus, V50 and S40 AWD rear shocks differs, obviously, creating more permutations. Some shock will look like perfect fit (like my KYABs) externally, but its not only about fitting them in place but their lenght of travel and damping power. From what I noticed the whole Volvo setup (something like 3 different shocks + 6 different types of springs + 3 different ARBs per engine version for example) is pretty complicated and delicately balanced so any deviation from it will make it worse or wrong. For example - notice the ride height on AWD models? Stock ones like mine look more like XC70 or Allroad Quattro cars, making most of standard FWD shocks immediately NOT suitable - those may physically fit, but their damping strenght and most importantly start-end travel point will differ. So if you are trying to use standard springs and aftermarket shocks - you are in trouble, as there is very little/none parts that will match EXACTLY. The ONLY aftermarket rear shocks that I found matching closely AWD V50 were the KYABs that I bought. Those were not listed as AWD compatible (in fact - there is no AWD compatible rear ones listed anywhere) and were from FWD T5 V50 but I knew those would fit and look almost identical. But because those are for FWD that is 100kg lighter, they damping start point is different so my car compresses them a bit on "default position" and ultimately their start point is now for example 15% compression. That causes them to be stiffer that OEM ones and actually make the car feels sportier. But losing extra travel also makes it hitting the stop-bumps on full load. Also create a uneven feel of comfy front and sporty rear when going over speedbump for example.
Now, if you are replacing the whole suspension, you are in better position as you may f.e. use Bilsteins and lowering springs and basically fine-tune the setup, but you will again find that rear ones that look "identical" will not work as good as would in FWD car (not extend enough or compress too much).

All in all, from what I learned - there is no 100% compatible aftermarket parts for rear AWD setup, as those are simply not popular enough to produce. The only options I learned from our US friends, where this car is much more popular is:
- go OEM
- use KYABs and just "live with" imbalanced setup
- go full custom-made setup (shocks or coilovers)
- try to source original HEICO suspension (no longer in stock though)

Front of the car is a little more "forgiving" and IIRC Bilstein B4's would fit and work pretty much providing you have stiffer version of springs (I think Dynamic setup? honestly dont remember) otherwise its recommended to use matching aftermarket springs to - again - keep the balance.

I may be wrong on some of this, ofcourse, its only from my experience but when I was doing my research before going trough all suspension change
in various stages within last year, thats the conclusion I came to.
I also learned that AWD and all possible permutations of our car's suspension, is a real PITA and any problem (i.e. broken spring like on mine) - you can literally forget of "quick popping in local motor shop and getting spurious one" as its a good week of waiting for custom order from Sweden

hope that clears it a bit

[Welton]

I see, bit of a mine field then.

I've yet to have this confirmed for sure but I understand all/most? S40/V50's could be ordered by the first buyer with 'custom' suspension depending on preference?

There would have been a choice of Soft/Medium/Sports and the springs were marked as such.

My VIN search confirmed my car has the 'Dynamic Chassis' but that might be a T5 thing anyway? mine's an SE model not a Sport.

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by Welton

I see, bit of a mine field then.

I've yet to have this confirmed for sure but I understand all/most? S40/V50's could be ordered by the first buyer with 'custom' suspension depending on preference?

There would have been a choice of Soft/Medium/Sports and the springs were marked as such.

My VIN search confirmed my car has the 'Dynamic Chassis' but that might be a T5 thing anyway? mine's an SE model not a Sport.

From my research I found that, almost any engine spec could have been customised with on-demand suspension type, so my car for example was available in:
- COMFORT / DYNAMIC / SPORT suspension to choose from. The trim model (SE, SE SPORT) has little to do with it as it only specify the equipment type. My car for example is SE SPORT but has COMFORT suspension setup. From build plate it also says that whether shocks = comfort, the front anti sway bar is sport/AWD version where rear one is Comfort w/o Nivomat and rear springs no 31 (out of 5 or 6 possible types just for AWD model!). Bump stops on the other hand are AWD spec and does not correspond with C/D/S suspension type at all. Its like a giant jigsaw puzzle so as you can imagine - most aftermarket manufacturers just wouldnt bother creating some of the oddballed parts. Im kinda happy that this is behid me as the whole process was really confusing and a bit annoying

[dovado3gn]

Originally Posted by LizardOfBodom

Hi
I can help a bit maybe with this as I went trough full shocks+springs change some time ago. AWD is a b**ch and replacement parts for shocks/springs are rare and limited. Dont judge "just by looks" as I know for fact that the 2 supposedly identical shocks will have 2 different lenghts of travel and will affect the whole setup.
What you need to do is:
- check what type of suspension you have by looking at your build plate. That will tell you what shocks/springs/arb you have and how the car is set up. Also that if you are unfortunate to have Nivomats, you are doomed

see pic below:



13 = Country Code
14 = Interior Code
15 = Paint Code

17 = Front Suspension Spring
18 = Front Suspension Strut
19 = Front Anti-Sway Bar
20 = Rear Suspension Spring
21 = Rear Suspension Shock
22 = Rear Anti-Sway Bar
23 = Front Suspension Bump Stop
24 = Rear Suspension Bump Stop

Once you know the correct numbers you can compare the options available for shocks (in Vida) and it will return correct part numbers. You can also always call the dealership and give them your VIN and just ask to check (although last time I did that I was told I have different shocks that I actually do so some parts people have no clue about AWD). Even with AWD setup you can have 2 or 3 different shocks and even more springs so it is really a tough one to crack properly.

If you decide to go aftermarket way, it is possible (and MUCH cheaper) but again - being AWD - options are limited. Front shocks are easier to source (I think Bilsteins and KYAB's fits perfectly) but with rears there is really NO direct alternatives for AWD! Plus FWD S40 parts differ from FWD V50 aswell so you can easily get swamped in options... I ended up getting rear gas KYABs that are desgned for FWD car (V50) and they do fit, but their travel lenght is different so car is much stiffer in the back. I actually like it but you feel the difference between softness front/rear.
Front - I have OEM's, just because were fitted new when I bought car. Otherwise I would go for replacement.

Springs - again - what a pain in.... I ended up with 4x OEM ones as I just couldnt get aftermarket ones (2 of mine broke so I had to replace them). It is easier when you are replacing whole lot (shocks+springs) to lowered ones for example, but to match OEM shocks and
ride height - OEM springs is your best choice.

shock bearings - again - AWD spec only...

bottom line - PITA ! and very expensive if OEM route, as replacement parts for FWD are half the price and much better and widely available.

If you have no Vida access Im happy to help, just lemme know your VIN and build plate. I will have a look what PN's are recommended for your car and give you the list, then you can decide what to do.

Hello. i tried to send u PM but cant seem to since i dont have 30 posts. please contact me in one of these ways:
Whatsapp: 00 34 685 53 33 56
Line: dovado3gn
Facebook: Oliver Egea (from La Nucia, Spain) picture of me with sky as background.

[dovado3gn]

Originally Posted by LizardOfBodom

Technically you are right, practically - its more confusing. Shocks for AWD are physically different than FWD, especially the rear ones that have to deal with more weight. Plus, V50 and S40 AWD rear shocks differs, obviously, creating more permutations. Some shock will look like perfect fit (like my KYABs) externally, but its not only about fitting them in place but their lenght of travel and damping power. From what I noticed the whole Volvo setup (something like 3 different shocks + 6 different types of springs + 3 different ARBs per engine version for example) is pretty complicated and delicately balanced so any deviation from it will make it worse or wrong. For example - notice the ride height on AWD models? Stock ones like mine look more like XC70 or Allroad Quattro cars, making most of standard FWD shocks immediately NOT suitable - those may physically fit, but their damping strenght and most importantly start-end travel point will differ. So if you are trying to use standard springs and aftermarket shocks - you are in trouble, as there is very little/none parts that will match EXACTLY. The ONLY aftermarket rear shocks that I found matching closely AWD V50 were the KYABs that I bought. Those were not listed as AWD compatible (in fact - there is no AWD compatible rear ones listed anywhere) and were from FWD T5 V50 but I knew those would fit and look almost identical. But because those are for FWD that is 100kg lighter, they damping start point is different so my car compresses them a bit on "default position" and ultimately their start point is now for example 15% compression. That causes them to be stiffer that OEM ones and actually make the car feels sportier. But losing extra travel also makes it hitting the stop-bumps on full load. Also create a uneven feel of comfy front and sporty rear when going over speedbump for example.
Now, if you are replacing the whole suspension, you are in better position as you may f.e. use Bilsteins and lowering springs and basically fine-tune the setup, but you will again find that rear ones that look "identical" will not work as good as would in FWD car (not extend enough or compress too much).

All in all, from what I learned - there is no 100% compatible aftermarket parts for rear AWD setup, as those are simply not popular enough to produce. The only options I learned from our US friends, where this car is much more popular is:
- go OEM
- use KYABs and just "live with" imbalanced setup
- go full custom-made setup (shocks or coilovers)
- try to source original HEICO suspension (no longer in stock though)

Front of the car is a little more "forgiving" and IIRC Bilstein B4's would fit and work pretty much providing you have stiffer version of springs (I think Dynamic setup? honestly dont remember) otherwise its recommended to use matching aftermarket springs to - again - keep the balance.

I may be wrong on some of this, ofcourse, its only from my experience but when I was doing my research before going trough all suspension change
in various stages within last year, thats the conclusion I came to.
I also learned that AWD and all possible permutations of our car's suspension, is a real PITA and any problem (i.e. broken spring like on mine) - you can literally forget of "quick popping in local motor shop and getting spurious one" as its a good week of waiting for custom order from Sweden

hope that clears it a bit

I saw this on Autodoc, they claim that it fits V50 AWD
(FRONT)
https://www.autodoc.co.uk/magnum-technology/176859
https://www.autodoc.co.uk/magnum-technology/176860
(REAR)
https://www.autodoc.co.uk/magnum-technology/3329652

What you guys think?

[dovado3gn]

okay, so after alot of researching and comparing numbers, i have found a solution for both front and rear shocks. The links i provided previously in my last post, fits the T5 AWD perfectly. OEM number on that little plate indicated me i have comfort shocks which was a breeze because the only aftermarket to suit AWD are comfort. Im not looking for sport or anything. Car is already heavy and sticks nice to the ground so no need for sport shocks.

Regarding the front shock mount and bearing, found SACHS for 17 euro a set, so 34 euro for both shocks. And for bump stop and cover, i found some KYB set that matches with OEM number.

Will order the shocks later this month and will let you guys know how everything goes.

Another question i have. I have thought of replacing my front lower control arm since the bushings could be replaced. They dont have any play yet, but look like they would need to be replaced soon.

http://www.catcar.info/volvo/?lang=e...ODEzMzVjYTk%3D

This website where i found all OEm numbers for shocks etc, tell me there is two tipe or control arm. One with 18mm ball joint and another with 21mm. How do i know which one fits my car? Also it say on the aditional notes something with CH -24.... or CH 24.... which one is for my vehicle?

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by dovado3gn

...
This website where i found all OEm numbers for shocks etc, tell me there is two tipe or control arm. One with 18mm ball joint and another with 21mm. How do i know which one fits my car? Also it say on the aditional notes something with CH -24.... or CH 24.... which one is for my vehicle?

Hi

That "ch" part tells you is that earlier or later chassis version, so for example if it says
CHASSIS: - 245000
or
CHASSIS: 245000 -
means that if your chassis no is from 10000 - 245000 you needd this p no, if you have chassis no 245000 or later - you need another. In practice it usually means that certain part was changed some stage during the production process of the car (for example Volvo introduced upgraded bushings) and only modernised part is available (old one was superceeded by new one). But its better to always double check.

As for your shocks - cant say I have ever heard of this brand, it doesnt mean those would be bad. For that price you are certainly not risking much (4 OEM shocks are over 600Eur!). I would still be very dubious about rear shocks matching PERFECTLY (again - from experience - if you see the compatibility list for my 'KYB 343419 Excel-G' it WILL say those fits, which is true, but it doesnt mean those work perfectly). So bear in mind that if those are FWD rear's and only "fits" AWD, you will get much stiffer rear end! I certainly hope you will have no problems with them, interesting to hear your thoughts after fitting.