740 Shocks

[aardvarkash10]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

If the original shocks were Nivos Ash and the replacements were standard shocks, the tail end will sag relatively quickly for the simple reason normal shocks don't have the load carrying capability designed into the Nivos.

This is true - I understood the OP had a "standard" set-up, not Nivos

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by aardvarkash10

This is true - I understood the OP had a "standard" set-up, not Nivos

Difficult to be certain one way or the other, from several phrases he's used it would seem that way but then a couple of other things made me not so sure.

I've had many cars with Nivos and one that had a new pair just over a month before i bought it, none of them gave the ride quality i would have expected from a supposed "premium self-leveling unit".

Even tired standard shocks on tired standard springs were better than the new Nivos, funniest thing i saw was a more or less stripped shell with knackered Nivos (but good Nivo type springs) being dragged onto the scrapmans truck - the back end was bouncing lke Zebedee on a pogo stick!

[360beast]

I think we are all forgetting one important fact here... they are dampers not shocks! The spring absorbs the shocks and the dampers do as the name suggests and dampen the movement.

Just my pet hate, I'll get my coat now

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by 360beast

I think we are all forgetting one important fact here... they are dampers not shocks! The spring absorbs the shocks and the dampers do as the name suggests and dampen the movement.

Just my pet hate, I'll get my coat now

You're spot-on Luke and despite my use of the words "shocks/shock absorbers", it's one of my pet hates as well.

That probably sounds a bit hypocritical and to be fair, it is. Here's why though. Many moons ago on a different forum, i tried using the word dampers instead and i had so many questions such as "What are dampers/i can't find dampers listed on ebay/where are the dampers on my car" and so on i just gave up.

It's a bit like when people drive to somewhere like Fik-Wit and ask for "Four new wheels" on their car when what they really want is 4 new tyres.

In reality the springs are the shock absorbers (as i'm sure you know) as they absorb the impact of the bumps in the road and the dampers simply damp their movement. Try explaining that to a non-car-minded customer that doesn't understand and you'll soon find yourself using shock absorbers in place of dampers and so on, just to get the point across.

They just want their car fixed, they don't really care what the bits are called but THEY KNOW a spring and a shock absorber.

[john.wigley]

Spot on 'L.S.'!

And then there are colloquialisms! When I was building aero engines, we used to fit a 'Donkey's Di@k' (Don't ask(!)) and a 'Mandarin's Hat'.

And then there are Americanisms. What should I ask for if I required a new soft-top for my 9-3 convertible over there? Requesting a new hood to be fitted would almost certainly get me a new bonnet!

It can get awful complicated, and, as you say, sometimes it is easier just to give up.

Apropos 740 shocks, the most frequent ones on one of mine were of the static variety - caused by the lovely plush velour seats!

Regards, John.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Spot on 'L.S.'!

And then there are colloquialisms! When I was building aero engines, we used to fit a 'Donkey's Di@k' (Don't ask(!)) and a 'Mandarin's Hat'.

And then there are Americanisms. What should I ask for if I required a new soft-top for my 9-3 convertible over there? Requesting a new hood to be fitted would almost certainly get me a new bonnet!

It can get awful complicated, and, as you say, sometimes it is easier just to give up.

Apropos 740 shocks, the most frequent ones on one of mine were of the static variety - caused by the lovely plush velour seats!

Regards, John.

At a rough guess, you'd need a new convertible top for your 9-3 John but they have some strange names for stuff - sway bar means anti-roll bar for example!
The rocker panel is the sill, a stumble is a misfire and a header can either be an exhaust manifold or a coolant expansion tank!

I remember in the 80s and late 70s, there was a big trend for fitting anti-static strips to the car to earth out the static electricity to prevent those sort of shocks. Never seemed to work and the boy racer brigade adopted them as a place to fit extra lights - the aftermarket repeater lights fitted on them nicely so many cars could be seen with a pair of anti-static strips on the back end with an extra light hung on each.

[aardvarkash10]

I never got used to the "near-side" "off-side" thing so beloved by you euro-isolationists. Its driver left or right, and that way it doesn't change when you cross the channel for your duty-frees.

From a physics perspective, the spring does not absorb anything - that is the job of the correctly named shock absorber. The spring merely does a temporary tranfer of energy from kinetic to potential and then back again.

The shock converts kinetic energy into heat and so "absorbs" it. By doing this it damps the movement, so ok, technically we are all correct.

/pedantry

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by aardvarkash10

I never got used to the "near-side" "off-side" thing so beloved by you euro-isolationists. Its driver left or right, and that way it doesn't change when you cross the channel for your duty-frees.

From a physics perspective, the spring does not absorb anything - that is the job of the correctly named shock absorber. The spring merely does a temporary tranfer of energy from kinetic to potential and then back again.

The shock converts kinetic energy into heat and so "absorbs" it. By doing this it damps the movement, so ok, technically we are all correct.

/pedantry

Near-side is the side nearest the kerb when driving on the correct side of the road - it goes back to the days of horse and cart, , the horse was always led on the nearside.

Got to disagree with you on the spring, it absorbs the kinetic energy from a bump and then releases most of it as a rebound dissipating the rest in heat and friction. The damper aka "shock absorber" damps the rebound effect by restricting the movement of the spring by the principles of hydraulics and pneumatics and restriction of flow etc. Too late for a detailed explanation, got a pillow with my name on it!

[Forrest]

I’m not sure if it is the same on the 740 but on the 940 the chassis number tells you what shocks and springs were originally fitted to the car. See post 12 on this link for more details.

https://volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?p=1081758

[aardvarkash10]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Near-side is the side nearest the kerb when driving on the correct side of the road - it goes back to the days of horse and cart, , the horse was always led on the nearside.

Got to disagree with you on the spring,...

Where would the world be without a couple of old technicians arguing over inane technical points that have exactly zero interest to anyone else in the entire world?