Very Happy :)

[S60]

I'm very happy cos today i got poly bushes fitted to both top engine mounts,and the strut brace tensioner,and the lower engine mount
to say i was shocked by how the car performed was an understatement
it's quicker,sounds louder and handles really well.

I even got the chance to see how it would compare against a Vauxhall Astra VXR on the way back i was surprised to find he couldn't get away from me i was actually catching him lol so a very worthwhile investment got the whole kit for 101 quid powerflex ones aswell so not cheap crap got a few more mod's that i'm getting done so i'll keep u all posted :bounce:

[RobbieH]

I'm very happy cos today i got poly bushes fitted to both top engine mounts,and the strut brace tensioner,and the lower engine mount
to say i was shocked by how the car performed was an understatement
it's quicker,sounds louder and handles really well.

I even got the chance to see how it would compare against a Vauxhall Astra VXR on the way back i was surprised to find he couldn't get away from me i was actually catching him lol so a very worthwhile investment got the whole kit for 101 quid powerflex ones aswell so not cheap crap got a few more mod's that i'm getting done so i'll keep u all posted :bounce:


Was that the kit for 101 squid that's advertisde on the Powerflex website? Thinking of the same myself at that price.

[flyingbrick]

Made up for ya bud. Thers nothing better than burning off car cars the cost 4 x as much lol.........:sheep:

[S60]

i never got it off of powerflexes website i just went onto e-bay got it off of somebodies shop free delivery but i would definetly recommend u getting it done makes a big difference

[thebadger]

www.larkspeed.com do a discounted set.... may be as cheap, or cheaperthan ebay.

In fact I think they sell on ebay!

Who knows!

I will get round to the bushes, but I'm gonna wait till I get my new shocks!

I'll do that, the top mounts & the wishbone bushes.

I also want a QBM strut bar convertor. Changes the bar to a proper strut brace! Dear tho & they don't seem to answer a simple email!

Keep the mod's rolling in! Just make them subtle, small & keep the car sleeper! :biggrin:

[andrew_s46]

Hi,

I have been looking to do this for some time now. The only thing that is putting me off are the reports of increased noise.

How bad is the increased noise?

I don't want it to be too loud.

Thanks,
Andrew

[thebadger]

Nothing too bad, get a bit more vibration in the cabin whilst sitting at idle.

Tho the engine won't jerk as much once it's been done. The OEM part has big gaps in it!

The best idea is to replace the top & lower mounts at the same time! Powerflex now do all 3 bushes that are required! (took their time!)

Very worthwhile, cheap & painless mod that will make the car feel better almost instantly!

The vibration will die down as the bush "sets" into the mount. Takes a week or so, so be patient!

[andrew_s46]

Nothing too bad, get a bit more vibration in the cabin whilst sitting at idle.

Tho the engine won't jerk as much once it's been done. The OEM part has big gaps in it!

The best idea is to replace the top & lower mounts at the same time! Powerflex now do all 3 bushes that are required! (took their time!)

Very worthwhile, cheap & painless mod that will make the car feel better almost instantly!

The vibration will die down as the bush "sets" into the mount. Takes a week or so, so be patient!

I think I will go for it then.

I will report back - hopefully I will be as pleased as everyone else!

[straight5]

Hi andrew_s46. Let me know what difference you notice.

Question for thebadger: If you do the the qbm strut bar conversion but leave the standard bushes, do you get most of the improvement without the same level of added vibration?

[thebadger]

By bushes, do you mean bush? The big bush at the top of the engine is the biggest change...

The QBM conversion removes the bushes at both ends of the support bar.

This means vibration from the engine will be stronger, however the likleyhood of the big bush being toast already is very high, so if anything it would be better (less vibration) by replacing the top mount (big bush) but you will have a massive increase in handling/power down from the conversion, so.......

Yes & no... Yes, less vibration off the engine, but No, as the engine will flail about like a wounded horse in the engine bay.

Fix it all in one go! You'll most likley find the need to lift out the support bar anyways... so do the very ££££ed bush while the bolt is out!

P.s. as per my previous posts about this, you need a 14mm, 15mm, 17mm & 18mm sockets! You have been warned! Remember that most long (extender) wheel brace bars have a 1/2" plug on them & usually carry a 17mm socket....

btw straight5, there would be little point in fitting a new oem bush as the price is almost the same & the oem will fail first.

Common sense dude!

[straight5]

Appreciate your comments badger, hopefully its not common sense Im lacking....just knowledge. Im very new to all this, and still trying to get my head around modifiying. I only bought my T5 in December and the most I have managed to date is to put on new number plates. For good reason too; Im useless at this stuff. So when I can eventually afford to make any modifications, I will not be doing it myself. In the meantime I am trying to glean from these threads, and from folks like yourself, what mods are the most useful, and also what order to do them.
I like to drive fast and push on round bends. I do find the handling is remote, and the car struggles for traction. Now I know this is largely to do with the weight of the car and it being FWD, but obviously there is stuff you can do about this. Primarily I guess its sorting my springs and shocks (expensive) and next its sorting the wobbly stuff holding the engine. (cheaper)
When I mentioned "bushes" I had got the impression that there are some at the top and some at the bottom, as well as the "wobbly" bar across the top. Now if I've got this right, for handling I want to make the bar into a solid "strut brace" and change the soft standard rubber bushes with much harder poly ones. I can understand how this helps keep everything more stable and improve traction etc. Just wondering just how much difference to comfort it will make. Particularly when I need to take the wife and kids down to Devon on a regular basis. It wont be worth improving the handling if the ride is too harsh. No doubt I will need to see some modified cars in the flesh to get a true idea. PS Sorry to be ignorant, but I am truly grateful for any advice and knowledge.

[thebadger]

Not at all dude, you don't ask, you don't know!

The lower bar (two small bushes) should be sorted out at the same time to help the feel of things.

Replacing the big top bush does little to the handling, its the conversion of the bar.

The ride will stay the the same, but the handling improves! I have felt a definite change to the car.

[S60]

badger just likes showing off with all the knowledge in his big brain lol :biggrin:

[thebadger]

My brain hurts tonight... just got an X1.... curve ball! Windows mobile media & back to MSD cards?

Oh well, 16GB for <£50... not all bad, but still an auwful lot of buttons, pages & options!

Cars may be on the back burner this weekend!

[straight5]

My brain hurts tonight... just got an X1.... curve ball! Windows mobile media & back to MSD cards?

Oh well, 16GB for <£50... not all bad, but still an auwful lot of buttons, pages & options!

Cars may be on the back burner this weekend!

You will soon get bored of the X1. Novelty doesnt last long, unlike driving a T5
Nothing these phones does is that exciting. I like gadgets but looking at videos or music on my phone or writing emails with a tiny screen just doesnt do it for me. YOU WILL BE BACK.

[thebadger]

It's a sound phone, means I did this post using it! At work... :biggrin:

[MileMuncher]

H Folks, not hijacking the thread but i changed the Top engine mount for a Powerflex one (same as the big yellow thing in the picture at the top of the page).

The vibrations were absolutely terrible on idle. It was vibrating that much my rear door card was rattling and it started to play games with my ears after so long. I whipped it off again and removed the big washers that are provided, this helped the vibrations slightly, but it still vibrates.

I have since been to a breakers and got a 2nd hand (ok condition) upper mount and ive put that back on - sweet as a nut now.

Honestly, i cant see how anyone could live with those type of vibrations. Its fine once off idle, but when your sat at lights etc, your having to rev it to stop the vibrations, it really p*ssed me off.

Do you think afer using this top mount for a few hundered miles it will 'bed in'.

It cost me like £30 so i dont really want to waste it, but i certainly won't be happy with those vibrations for the rest of my days.:frown:

[dave stew]

It's a sound phone, means I did this post using it! At work... :biggrin:

Just bit the bullet and got an iphone. I've had it two days and am getting used to it. The biggest thing is that it just works.

You set it up and it synchs first time with your Outlook (unlike Palm Pilots). It sets the time and date automatically (unlike most phones). It just works.

Excellent.

[S60]

i know what your talkin about with the vibration i've got the big bush the small one at the back of it plus the strut bar ones but to me the vibration is worth it after they were fitted it transformed the car so i'm quite happy with it but then again not everybody will be the same its just down to personal preference i suppose

[MileMuncher]

i know what your talkin about with the vibration i've got the big bush the small one at the back of it plus the strut bar ones but to me the vibration is worth it after they were fitted it transformed the car so i'm quite happy with it but then again not everybody will be the same its just down to personal preference i suppose

i can deal with a little extra vibration, but when the whole car is juddering, it sounded like a tractor!!??

this was not just some small annoying rattle, these vibrations played with your head after a minute or 2, yet once on the open road and off idle, it was fine???

[S60]

exactly the same as what i get but to be honest i wanted to get poly bushes done so i was expecting some vibration. to me as soon as i drove the car after they were fitted the whole front end felt tighter and it handled alot better but as i said everybodies diferent i can put up with it but obviously some cant its a good upgrade to do but comes with some drawbacks

[thebadger]

^
Agreed, some may not like the overall feedback into the cab, but hey, for a better drive & feel.... I'm sold!

[straight5]

I can't help wondering how much difference it would make if I did nothing other than renew my Volvo shock absorbers. I think they are the originals so 8 yrs old and 142k miles done on them. I notice the ride is harder than my father in laws V70 D5 so I guess a S60 T5 has different suspension to that.
I also find the ride a bit rattley on rougher roads. What does a new set of shocks cost as opposed to Koni, Bilstein etc?
Also is it possible to lower the car a little but still maintain some comfort?
How much can you lower without having any problems. 3-4cm ?

[wegal]

After market shocks will be cheaper than original parts from volvo. However you could get new shocks from any autostore for less, dont have to be big brand names for them to work. Yes changing the shocks should give you the best increase in handling...

Do the bounce test, push down hard on the front wing and get the car bouncing ( dont dent your wing like wobbly dave lol), then stop bouncing it and it should come back up, drop a little and then stop. If it keeps bouincing then your shocks are goosed. Basically as soon as you let go of the car it should stop moving.

[thebadger]

The D5 has slightly different springs... I know this as plod fit them as a "mod" to the T5 in their posession. They also use the wishbones off a D5 & I'm told that a couple of other minor bits.

They expect that a D5 weighs more, has more torque & generally will roll more. The springs & "bones" have a tiny bit more tollerance & weigh a touch more!

Good quality aftermarkets are near to the price of a replacement set! Also replacing nivomats is a bit dearer! I recently priced Koni FSD's (set of four) at £469 delivered!

Regular Konis run at about £100 each for the rear & £120 for the fronts (each btw!) so... why not just get the top stuff?

Koni report lowering of aproxx 35mm on a set, so 3.5cm would be a good start!

I personally want some new shocks, then a remap & possibly new discs... money & time are all that are stopping me! :( But the money will come! :)

Come may/june I hope to have it all clicking just right!