I have been enjoying my V90CC but felt the front end could be tighter. I first started to notice it when the wheel would hit man hole covers or in corners on mtn roads. The suspension would shudder, skip or roll more than I'd like. In the past I've contributed this to either poorly tuned OEM struts (compression too stiff on initial impact), low profile tires, and/or strut towers that flexed too much (chassis not being stiff enough). Not to get into a long debate (the placebo effect) but in my past vehicles I've found that a strut tower brace solves some of the suspension issues while keeping the stock suspension intact.
The results were immediately positive. Here are my impressions:
1. Front chassis stiffened significantly which was a complete surprise. I had not expected to make any difference in general feel.
2. Steering feel increased. More positive and feels more connected to the road.
3. Car is definitely more planted in spirited driving. Feels more solid and inspires more confidence in the corners. Losses that float feeling and being pulled in mid-corner.
4. Small bumps transfers more evenly. You loose the shudder when one wheel hits a bumps. DEFINITELY more solid.
I could not be more pleased what an actual difference it has made in day-to-day driving. The steering feels stiffer and there is less chassis flex with suspension movement. The ladder was the main goal to install the brace.
I am sure the strut brace may cause some bushings to wear quicker (as a result of a stiffened chassis) but I'd rather have a tight chassis allowing the suspension to bare the load.
It was an easy fix and affordable solution to tighten the feel, plus it only took 15 minutes to install. I see that the new 2019 S60 T8 Polestar come with a strut tower brace from the factory....which tells me there was room for improvement in the SPA Chassis.
I am now going to install a rear sway bar from KC-Designs...a 24MM (solid) versus OEM 22MM (hollow) while keeping the stock air-suspension and 4C.
The results were immediately positive. Here are my impressions:
1. Front chassis stiffened significantly which was a complete surprise. I had not expected to make any difference in general feel.
2. Steering feel increased. More positive and feels more connected to the road.
3. Car is definitely more planted in spirited driving. Feels more solid and inspires more confidence in the corners. Losses that float feeling and being pulled in mid-corner.
4. Small bumps transfers more evenly. You loose the shudder when one wheel hits a bumps. DEFINITELY more solid.
I could not be more pleased what an actual difference it has made in day-to-day driving. The steering feels stiffer and there is less chassis flex with suspension movement. The ladder was the main goal to install the brace.
I am sure the strut brace may cause some bushings to wear quicker (as a result of a stiffened chassis) but I'd rather have a tight chassis allowing the suspension to bare the load.
It was an easy fix and affordable solution to tighten the feel, plus it only took 15 minutes to install. I see that the new 2019 S60 T8 Polestar come with a strut tower brace from the factory....which tells me there was room for improvement in the SPA Chassis.
I am now going to install a rear sway bar from KC-Designs...a 24MM (solid) versus OEM 22MM (hollow) while keeping the stock air-suspension and 4C.
