Mediocre Turning Radius
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Narrow tires on the S70 + shorter wheelbase and more room in the engine compartment over the newer S60 could help turning radius.
2012 S60 FWD/AWD - 39.0 ft
2007 S60R AWD - 42.7 ft
2007 S60 FWD/AWD - 38.7 ft
1999 S70 T5 FWD - 34.5 ft
1999 S70 AWD - 37.0 ft
To be honest they aren't that off from what was offered +10yrs ago, except the S70 FWD had tighter radi.
2012 S60 FWD/AWD - 39.0 ft
2007 S60R AWD - 42.7 ft
2007 S60 FWD/AWD - 38.7 ft
1999 S70 T5 FWD - 34.5 ft
1999 S70 AWD - 37.0 ft
To be honest they aren't that off from what was offered +10yrs ago, except the S70 FWD had tighter radi.
Really a very good question. I never really thought much about it. It was my wife that pointed out how much she didn't like Volvo's turning radius on our XC90.
It would be nice to see Volvo figure out whatever it is they've changed and improve on this.
It would be nice to see Volvo figure out whatever it is they've changed and improve on this.
I've been researching cars in this class of late, and the Volvo S60. has one of the worst turning radii in it's class. I think it has to do with the transverse engine layout, as the t6 is worse than the t5. The best cars are the RWD longitudinal engine mouunted models like the IS, G or C class. They all have sub 35 ft turning radius. Even most FWD boats like the Buick Regal have a smaller turning radius.
The trick with cars with crappy turning radius is to learn how to park them in reverse. I had a 2002 Sentra with a 39 foot radius and it was a bitch in underground parkings.
The trick with cars with crappy turning radius is to learn how to park them in reverse. I had a 2002 Sentra with a 39 foot radius and it was a bitch in underground parkings.
That's what I read. Transverse engine = bad turning radius. But the S70 proved us wrong lol. And looking at the engine compartment, there's certainly quite a bit of room in there. Well for the T5 models anyways. Slightly smaller engine than the T6, but still tightly packed.
I think the turning radius of our S70 decreased even further because the steering stops broke off.... lol...
The S70/850s would really groan and clunk at full lock, but they got the job done 
Volvo once had a tradition of tight turning circles. The old RWD cars were probably
the best in their day (I learned to drive on a 142):
http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/turn-circles.shtml
The S70 T5s came with plastic spacers on the steering rack that limited the turning circle
a bit compared to the GLT/Base modelss (this was a 16" vs 15" wheel thing). So wheel width is a factor.
They still indicate the "deflection limiter" is needed if you go with a larger wheel on the current
models (based on the Volvo Accessory Catalog for wheels). So I expect a car (t5) delivered
with 17" wheels will have a slightly smaller turning circle then those with 18" (t6) wheels.
Volvo once had a tradition of tight turning circles. The old RWD cars were probably
the best in their day (I learned to drive on a 142):
http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/turn-circles.shtml
The S70 T5s came with plastic spacers on the steering rack that limited the turning circle
a bit compared to the GLT/Base modelss (this was a 16" vs 15" wheel thing). So wheel width is a factor.
They still indicate the "deflection limiter" is needed if you go with a larger wheel on the current
models (based on the Volvo Accessory Catalog for wheels). So I expect a car (t5) delivered
with 17" wheels will have a slightly smaller turning circle then those with 18" (t6) wheels.
Oh my god, more nonsensical complaints from this clown.
Based on the info provided earlier, the turning radius essentially remained the same from the old S60 to the new S60. What's your problem? Sure, you can compare different models' turning radii with one another, but what's the point? I'm sure all the 240 owners will also think your S70 has a piss poor turning radius. You don't see them complaining about the Volvo engineers.
Please just sell your S60 and leave this forum.
geokilla's been on here awhile and ain't going nowhere!
On topic tho: I can't confirm the data posted above comparing old/new S60 turning radius. But having owned the old gen S60 2.4 FWD for 10 years and now a 2012 T5 FWD, I CAN tell you it is MUCH improved now than it was.
It's an interesting thing to wonder about (in my opinion)... Why the hate man?
So any engineers know why the turning radius isn't tighter? Like simple explanation on how it works or something? Just a thing that I'm wondering about, considering Volvo's been able to make a tight turning radius before.
So any engineers know why the turning radius isn't tighter? Like simple explanation on how it works or something? Just a thing that I'm wondering about, considering Volvo's been able to make a tight turning radius before.
The turning radius a Volvo s60 can be reduced
As I discovered, if a volvo S60 was shipped with 17 inch rims, the impulse limiters in the steering gear assembly are one centimeter longer than in other models. That is apparently why some people bitterly complain about the steering circle of their s60 while others just don't get why they are whining. My S60 came with 17 inch rims and 235/45 tires. I measured the turning circle and it was like 40-42 feet depending on how hard you let the tires rub on the inner fender when turned to the max. The car turned like a battleship and my wife basically said if I can't fix it we should sell the car. It really was "terrible".
The solution was to buy a set of 16 inch volvo rims off or ebay, put 205/55 on them and then replace the impulse limiters in the steering gear. Volvo sells a kit to do it (part number 274494). The kit consists of a boot, clamps and reduced impulse limiter (the correct size for the 16 inch rims) for each side. It is pretty easy to install - just remove the tie rod on each side, pull off the boots, unscrew the tie rod end, remove the old impulse limiters and slip on the new ones. This reduced the turning circle of my car to 33.5 feet (a very noticeable reduction of over 6.5 feet). It now makes U-turns like a "normal" car.
If I did it again, I wouldn't even buy the kit. The impulse limiters are made of a hard plastic and I don't think it would be that hard to reduce their length by 1 cm (on a lathe, perhaps). Assuming your boots are in good shape, you would only need to buy 2 oetiker clamps to re-attach the large side of the boots as you can't reuse them. I believe they were 56 mm clamps (the number 56 was stamped on the clamps).
Finally, the wheel stops (black color) were made larger for the 17 inch rims so they would not rub the inner fender as much. The ones made for the rims with 205/55 tires are blue and thinner. They don't cost much and simply bolt on with two bolts. The part number is 31212189. I replaced those also.
The car is now a "keeper" Hopefully, others will find this information useful. I have a few pictures, but don't know how to post them.
Here is a solution that works:
As I discovered, if a volvo S60 was shipped with 17 inch rims, the impulse limiters in the steering gear assembly are one centimeter longer than in other models. That is apparently why some people bitterly complain about the steering circle of their s60 while others just don't get why they are whining. My S60 came with 17 inch rims and 235/45 tires. I measured the turning circle and it was like 40-42 feet depending on how hard you let the tires rub on the inner fender when turned to the max. The car turned like a battleship and my wife basically said if I can't fix it we should sell the car. It really was "terrible".
The solution was to buy a set of 16 inch volvo rims off or ebay, put 205/55 on them and then replace the impulse limiters in the steering gear. Volvo sells a kit to do it (part number 274494). The kit consists of a boot, clamps and reduced impulse limiter (the correct size for the 16 inch rims) for each side. It is pretty easy to install - just remove the tie rod on each side, pull off the boots, unscrew the tie rod end, remove the old impulse limiters and slip on the new ones. This reduced the turning circle of my car to 33.5 feet (a very noticeable reduction of over 6.5 feet). It now makes U-turns like a "normal" car.
If I did it again, I wouldn't even buy the kit. The impulse limiters are made of a hard plastic and I don't think it would be that hard to reduce their length by 1 cm (on a lathe, perhaps). Assuming your boots are in good shape, you would only need to buy 2 oetiker clamps to re-attach the large side of the boots as you can't reuse them. I believe they were 56 mm clamps (the number 56 was stamped on the clamps).
Finally, the wheel stops (black color) were made larger for the 17 inch rims so they would not rub the inner fender as much. The ones made for the rims with 205/55 tires are blue and thinner. They don't cost much and simply bolt on with two bolts. The part number is 31212189. I replaced those also.
The car is now a "keeper"
Hopefully, others will find this information useful. I have a few pictures, but don't know how to post them.
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597 Posts
As noted, turning radius depends on the space left for the front end suspension after the area taken up between the wheels by the engine and transmission. Many cars with transversely mounted engines and transmissions for FWD/AWD have wide turning radii; my 2008 Mazda6 was worse than my S60. So much moreso that I don't even notice a problem with my S60.
At the end of the day, it's a pretty big car (and AWD in many cases) so if turning radius is really important, you're probably barking up the wrong tree.
When I go into the City or know I'm otherwise going to face small parking spots or narrow streets, I take my wife's Prius C!
When I go into the City or know I'm otherwise going to face small parking spots or narrow streets, I take my wife's Prius C!
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91 Posts
Looks like if your car came fitted w/235mm tires, then they also have a "steering deflection limiter"., I'm curious if this was removed if the tires would rub at low spee- or only to avoid a rub at high speed...either way- there must be a reason why they were installed...
http://accessories.volvocars.com/Ac...wDocument/ShowIiDocument/VCC-461164-3/NOTHING
http://accessories.volvocars.com/Ac...wDocument/ShowIiDocument/VCC-461164-3/NOTHING
I read an article in a car magazine about 4-wheel steering making a comeback in some of the higher-end car brands like Porsche and Acura. I wonder if Volvo is working on it for any of their models? I knew a guy with a GMC pickup about ten years ago that had the Quadrasteer system. That truck had an incredibly tight turning radius.
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