Technical Features
Project 245: Suspension
By By: George Achorn
Apr 19, 2002, 22:23

Our 245 has been motoring along happily since its purchase back in September. It burns no oil, starts every time and turns fairly good gas mileage to boot. But, however reliable she is, it doesn't change the fact that some of her components are getting old. The suspension, which might as well be original with 208,000 miles on it, has more lean and sway than a day deep-sea fishing. Something needed to be done.

Pushing down on the car, and watching it bounce back up to resting point was more than enough to indicate that the shocks were worn out. In finding a replacement, we contacted the folks at IPD. They recently began carrying the Bilstein Touring "TC" shocks as an entry level and stock replacement shock. This twin tube gas pressure shock and strut design use much of the same technology as Bilstein's bulletproof monotube products. However, they do so at a more affordable price and the ride was explained to be more of a compliant OE feel.

Since the 245 serves many purposes in its roll as daily driver, a more aggressive setup was desired without going too hardcore. The new "TC" shocks sounded intriguing, so we figured we'd give them a try.

Along with the new shocks, we also decided to upgrade and replace the springs as well. IPD also offers sport springs for the 240 range sourced from TME. These springs offer a stiffer progressive spring rate (20-30%) and lower the car about 1" to 1 ¼". The more aggressive lower ride height we felt would add to the looks of the car and also help handling performance by lowering the center of gravity and tightening up the spring rate.

While improving the major suspension components was critical, we also wanted to increase the car's rigidity in the form of sway bars and braces. Larger sway bars typically bestow the car with flatter cornering and offer quicker turn-in. In higher performance situations, or on a twisty back road, this improved performance is a very welcome addition to the ride characteristics of a car.

To further increase the rigidity and lessen the sway of the car's body, we also sourced an upper and lower strut brace through IPD and made by a company called Cherry Turbo. Both bars are manufactured of cold rolled steel in a handsome black powdercoat finish.

The upper bar, attached at the top of each strut tower, crosses the center line of the struts, effectively bracing and thus minimizing inward flex, outward flex and torque flex. These braces are great for augmenting the rigidity of the car, helping improve handling performance and even helping older sagging frames.

Typically, cars with larger diameter sway bars and increased rigidity are also more likely to corner flatly and in a more composed fashion up until the car's break away point. The downside is that this means less warning to the driver under those extreme situations, so make sure to reacquaint yourself to your car once your new setup is installed.

We installed all the components at European Auto Service, Inc. in Silver Spring, MD. Installation of all pieces was straightforward, though drilling was required for the Cherry Turbo lower brace. However, the brace came with comprehensive instructions, and Rob from European Auto Service made quick work of the install.

With all of the pieces on the car, we rolled it out into the light. At first glance, you can tell that the car has been lowered. The look is more aggressive and makes the car visibly yearn for some alloy wheels to augment the look. The rear does look just slightly lower than the front, but so little that we're trying to figure whether it is an optical illusion based on the cut of the wheel well, or just that it's simply lower.

Out on the road, the car handles much better. While the 240 is still no featherweight, the car's agility is significantly increased. It'll take corners much more quickly and quite flatly thanks to the swaybars and the Cherry Turbo braces.

We had been concerned that this new Bilstein design may not be aggressive enough for use with the TME lowering springs. If that were the case, an easy characteristic one would feel on the road would be bounciness over bumps, rather than soaking it in.

Bounciness is generally attributable to a shock being set below its designed effective range. In a situation such as that, the shock still operates, but dampening is compromised and passengers tend to be bounced around.

We are happy to report that this is not the case. These new Bilstein Touring units have mated well to the springs. They dampen bumps effectively, though it is clear that you are driving a car with a more aggressive setup than stock. There is a small element of harshness that is apparent in any setup this aggressive, but it's not too harsh. Were we to rate this particular component group, we'd say it's more of an aggressive "daily driver" setup, that'd also serve as adequate for occasional use on the track.

Although, with the big league suspension, the tires are now the glaring weak point in our handling system. We have a mix of cheap all season radials that came on the car, and even with good tires, the small 14-inch wheels make for plenty of sidewall to roll in a turn.

With the suspension now up to snuff, our old Volvo seems to have learned new tricks. We've caught more than one owner of lowered late model import sedans making a double take in the rearview mirror on a particularly fun nearby offramp. While this 245 automatic may not be the quickest car in the bunch, it'll now handle better than many of the other cars on the road, which increases both the performance and the safety aspects of the car.

Parts Installed
SKU Number	Description	Current MSRP
CS6K5012	ipd Anti-Sway Bars (25mm front, 22mm rear)	$258.00
CS6K0104	ipd/ TME Sport Springs	$280.00
CS2483	Cherry Turbo Upper Brace	$148.00
CS1353	Cherry Turbo Lower Brace	$68.00
CSBT3031	Bilstein Touring "TC" Shocks (Front)	$81.00
CSBT1952	Bilstein Touring "TC" Shocks (Rear)	$60.00

All information Copyright © 1999-2003 Swedespeed. All rights reserved.

No photos, news stories, graphics, or Swedespeed logos may be used or reproduced without written permission.
Volvo is a registered trademark of Volvo Car Corporation and Ford Motor Company. Swedespeed is an independent media publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Volvo Car Corporation