s40 t4 suspension

[bones717lee]

hiya everyone, im new to vpc and could do with a bit of advice. i have a s40 t4 with lowered suspension on standard shocks with 18 inch wheels and the ride is awful, front shocks are past it. im on a really tight budget so cant afford coilovers or a whole kit but really need it sorted so i can enjoy driving it. not sure what kind front shocks to go for. thanks for any help. martin

[Al115]

What's your budget for sorting it out? Lots of options for the 40s.

[t5_monkey]

hiya everyone, im new to vpc and could do with a bit of advice. i have a s40 t4 with lowered suspension on standard shocks with 18 inch wheels and the ride is awful, front shocks are past it. im on a really tight budget so cant afford coilovers or a whole kit but really need it sorted so i can enjoy driving it. not sure what kind front shocks to go for. thanks for any help. martin

Not the same S40 but I've got Bilstein B8's on mine, and they are light years ahead of stock (esp after 50,000 miles)

Changing to 17" rims will make your ride a lot better too - When mine was on 18's the ride was painful, now it's fine, you wouldn't believe what a difference it'll make.

[bones717lee]

thanks. was hoping to get sorted for less than £200, will do all the labour my self. i dont really want to change the wheels, was thinking of a bigger profile tyre.

[volvoboy2009]

dont no if this is any good but you can get a set of coilovers of ebay new for £250 Item number: 220609183777 dont no what there like but seem to be 1/2 price of other brands

[bones717lee]

yeah i found them, thanks bet there for 03-04 models and mine a 98. i emailed them to see if they did any for a 98 t4 and they are out of stock.

[volvoboy2009]

one of the guys on here has them fitted to his phase 1(a blue v40 sorry forget his user name ) car you just have to put phase 2 linkrods on

[bones717lee]

ok thanks. was going to just buy two standard front shocks but not sure how it would be with the lowering springs.

[lozccw]

I have the FK's fitted to my phase 1 v40.

The reason I opted for coilovers is because the shocks on the T4's (or any '40 with the sports chassis) are NOT standard springs or shocks!

the 'standard' springs on the T4 are actually nearer to a -30mm aftermarket kit (just not as progressive), and the shocks are tailored specifically for the springs (shorter rods, and stiffer)
the problem is the only place to get the correct shocks is from the stealers (£130 ish each i think!!) When I had to replace mine I tried all of the usual aftermarket places (PFS parts etc), but nowhere had them!

(Not that I'm an expert, but I would imagine you would have very dodgy handling if you fitted 'standard' aftermarket shocks - unless you changed the rear shocks to aftermarkets too)

The 03-04 FK AK street coilovers (as with ANY phase 2 suspension) are a direct fit-but require the front roll bar links, AND front strut top mounts switching to phase 2 parts - the rears are IDENTICAL between phases
.
I've just had a look on FK's online shop and they will ship these to the uk for about £205!!!

I have them fitted with OEM 16's, and lowered approx 100mm front and rear (the front is at its lowest, but the rears still have another 40mm to go!!!)
The ride is good, and very responsive (but I have them fitted with all new bushes and front/rear strut braces)


Anybody please feel free to correct me if i'm talking tripe!

[bones717lee]

sounds good, thanks. are they easy enough to fit? which site did you find them on?

[lozccw]

I bought them direct from FK in Germany:

http://www.fk-automotive.org.uk/websale7/FK-AK-Street-coilover-kit---fit-for.htm?Ctx={ver%2f7%2fver}{st%2f3eb%2fst}{cmd%2f0 %2fcmd}{m%2fwebsale%2fm}{s%2ffk-automotive%2fs}{l%2fEnglish%2fl}{mi%2f11-4325%2fmi}{pi%2f6407457%2fpi}{type%2fabhsuche%2fty pe}{po%2f2%2fpo}{sf%2f%3Cs11%3EVolvo%3C%2fs11%3E%3 Cs12%3EV40%20%28Typ%20V%29%3C%2fs12%3E%2fsf}{p1%2f e14656763d66a1ea3066b0d39e99e10f%2fp1}{md5%2f6582a c480ce9ffa3a5cb83ad8de0f29c%2fmd5}

The kit you are after is part number SMVO9001, they are 239.92 euros + 10.99 euros shipping which works out roughly £205 total.
(they will ask which car you have - just tell them its for a phase 2 or they will question if you have ordered the right kit which will slow things down)

mine arrived within the week (the weight difference is unreal! I thought the box felt heavy until I weighed the standard setup to compare!)

as long as you have the phase 2 front top mounts (http://www.partsforvolvosonline.com/...oducts_id=5287) (with the bearing rings!! http://www.partsforvolvosonline.com/...oducts_id=4696 - very important!) and roll bar links the kit will be a direct fit (just un-bolt the old ones and bolt the new ones in with the new top mounts and roll bar links, then set your height)
You might be able to find these parts cheap at a breakers??
The rears use all of the original mounting hardware!

Many people have different opinions on the best way to set the height, I adjusted them all to equal settings by measuring the threads using a digital vernier caliper, checked the ride height - then re-adjusted them to how I wanted the car to 'sit'

If you need any further help or photos of the kit fitted just let me know!

[bones717lee]

thanks very much for that. photos would be a massive help if you could, thanks

[bones717lee]

so all i need is phase 2 front top mounts and anti roll bar links then it will bolt straight on?

[lozccw]

I have attached the schematics for the front and rear suspension on the phase 2 s40.

On the schematic for the front you will need to purchase/source:

2x No8 (30616825) bearing rings
2x No10 (30652259) front strut top mounts
2x No14 (30884179) front anti-roll bar links
(the numbers in brackets are the genuine part numbers)

You will need to retain the 3 bolts No12 from each side your car, and the two bolts securing the bottom of each strut leg.
Everything else from your front can be discarded (you will not need to disassemble your old front struts)
(the part No9 is just a plastic dust cover-and not required)


You will not need to purchase anything for the rear.
When you disassemble your rear strut you will need to retain:

The top dust covers (part No3)
The top washers (part No5)
The top rubber bushes (part No6+7)
The metal dowel (part No8)
The rear strut top mount (part No9)
The rear top mount bolts (part No12)
The lower strut bolts (part No16+17)

the rest of your old rear struts can be discarded.


When your new coilovers arrive they should be assembled in the following order:

FRONT
First you take the strut body with the adjustment ring threaded onto it, and the bump stop on the main shaft - with the dust boot on top
(don't worry about the height of the bump stop-it will adjust when the car is dropped)
Then slide on the small helper spring
Followed by the plastic spacer disc
Then the top main spring
Next the aluminium ring goes on with the wider end down over the top coil of the main spring
Then your new bearing rings with the black side down to the aluminium ring
Finally the new top mounts secured with the new main bold included in the kit.
Then fit to the car as the original came off (remembering to change the anti-roll bar links)
(you will find it easier if you disconnect both front roll bar links first as the new ones are longer)

REAR
Basically the same as the front,
strut leg
helper spring
plastic washer
main spring
THEN...
the small aluminium washer fits onto the main damper shaft with the wider end facing down, followed by the aluminium cone which needs to engage against the main spring
Followed by the strut top mount and bushes etc that you removed from the old strut (just put them on the same way they came off the old one)

(on the rears I usually find it easier to disconnect both of the rear roll bar links from the control arms before removing anything else-this will enable you to lower the rear control arm out of the way once the rest of the bolts are removed,to make removing the rear strut easier)

As with anything suspension related you WILL need to have your geometry checked- but ONLY do it once you are happy with the ride height, as adjusting the ride height after WILL affect geometry/tracking again.

I'll try to get out to take some pics this weekend!!
Hope this helps!

(what part of the country are you?)

[bones717lee]

thats a massive help, thank you very much. ive change a lot of suspension in the past so it should be fine now i no what i need. im in cumbria, little place called alston on the famous hartside road, a road everyone should drive.