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How much money do I have to spend before my 240 handles well.

Your problem is springs and dampers that do not match. Just changing the dampers would make a massive improvement.

A 240 on a set of 40mm lowering springs and gaz adjustable dampers (or any other at least half decent dampers) will handle suprisingly well
 
Rear is very touchy in my experience

I had rear bilstein tourings + ipd overloads and it was terrible

With stock rate rears and some different shocks, its perfect for my uses.

Check out mikeP's thread on spring rates. I think volvo purposefully engineered the rear to have a harmonic frequency double that of the front...

~100lb front X 0.95 motion ratio ~= 95# equivalent
~126 lb rear X 1.5 motion ratio ~= 190# equivalent

notice that they're harmonically related (hint: one natural fequency is about half the other, and stock front & rear weights pretty even)... in other words, I think one should try to maintain that fundamental relationship between front & back rates, provided you keep your corner front & rear weight distribution about stock

or put simply,

front rate divided by rear rate should be about 0.7-0.8 for stock comfort

that's my personal conclusion but YMMV

edit: just realized you'd get ridiculous rear rates with that formula if you upped the front springs to 200s.
In that case I'd aim for harmonically similar spring rates, with front/rear rate = 1.4-1.6

so that'd leave you with rears right about stock levels, maybe a hair stiffer with fronts at 200
 
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https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-coil-spring-lesjofors-1229337

These are the modern option. The 14.5mm springs. Which you seem to already have.


That's great news!


So I have the stiffer springs with the softer dampers. It feels good, but I wonder if it's worth experimenting with firmer dampers.


My front dampers are volvo # 274235
My rear dampers are volvo # 1206641


I'm seeing multiple numbers show up as alternatives, but it's not clear which ones are which.


I'm guessing the bilstein touring dampers are a somewhat direct replacement for the volvo "turbo" dampers which are designed with my springs in mind
 
That's great news!


So I have the stiffer springs with the softer dampers. It feels good, but I wonder if it's worth experimenting with firmer dampers.


My front dampers are volvo # 274235
My rear dampers are volvo # 1206641


I'm seeing multiple numbers show up as alternatives, but it's not clear which ones are which.


I'm guessing the bilstein touring dampers are a somewhat direct replacement for the volvo "turbo" dampers which are designed with my springs in mind

From what I can tell they are similar in stiffness.
 
I kept my rear end a bit squishier cause of a lot of this type feedback.
Bilstein HDs all around, IPD lowering sedan springs on a wagon, poly bushings up front, rubber in the back, Kalphenke torque rods panhard bars,QSRCs. Stock sways. 205/55 pirrelli p7s on hydras and I haven't heard my tires chirp since.

Car doesn't bounce like a pogo stick.

I think the conical metal bushings on the torque rods and panhard bars combine with the rubber TABs let's the back end conform to the road a bit more.

I've got 25mm sways I'm hesitant to put on, because as of now I don't have the rear end issues usually described.
Can take any turn at any speed.
Swerved around a pallet a few weeks back at over a hundred mph and although I felt the back unload a bit, it never unstuck, only one bounce and it was very predictable.

I'm a few thousand dollars into the suspension, but aside from coil overs not much more can be done.
 
Glad I wandered into this thread. I am in a similar situation planning to upgrade the suspension on my recently acquired 92 sedan. Overall car is in great condition, but I'd like a bit firmer handling/feel. It looks like stock swaybars are appropriate for street use. I've had a few other 240s with full IPD setup (sways, springs, Bilstein HDs) and never really liked the way the rear end bounced. I don't think the HDs are valved for lowering (all other Bilstein "yellow" shocks/struts for lowering application are labelled Sport), but IPD seems to have been selling them this way for years. Yeah the look is decent, but I don't think the overall package works that well. Don't get me started on the IPD torque rods, but I did have a set of the hybrid torque rods from Ben on my wagon and they were a great addition. When your torque rod bushings wear out, just get these from Ben.

Would my best bet be to purchase new factory height Lesjofor springs and pair them with a set of Bilstein HDs and new Volvo OEM strut mounts? That's about $800 from FCP. Would it be sacrilegious to trim brand new springs a teeny, weeny bit (maybe 1 1/2 coils in front, 1 in back) to reduce the wheel gap? I know...for looks only. But would it mess up the characteristics of the Billies?

Just refinished a nice set of Virgos in gunmetal and they complement the graphite metallic paint / blacked out 92 trim nicely. A subtle lowering and improved handling and she'll be perfect.
 
I got Lesj?fors lowering springs at front and rears are wagon load springs, I cut 1,5 coil.

Billy HD in front and rear shocks are Red Konis at stiffed setting. Rear works nicely but front is a different story. I like it inly on a flat surface. Feels that HD's are way too soft.
 
On my 82 turbo I have front coil overs, rear adjustable perches with 250 front and 200 rear springs. The shocks are Bilstein HD setup with the Rsport shock values from Dave Bartons web site. Using 25/25 bars. The rear of the car feels great and is very predictable. The front feels bad sometimes pogo sticking on various bumps. Although the damping feels ok. Next up is the basic version of Bne upper strut mounts and some 325lb front springs. According to the motion ratio that should be a more balanced setup.
 
Hi Dave,

I guess it all comes down to the damping.

I see people on here running 450 or 500lb front springs and others 200 and it seems like there's no rhyme or reason to it. So one way to think of this is if I gave bilstein the current specs of my car (including wheel weights) they could choose the right valving that won't make my back end bounce around.... at least that's how I'm understanding this.

Does bilstein still do the shock revalving? How does it work? Mail them your shocks and struts along with data from the car?
 
Hi Dave,

I guess it all comes down to the damping.

I see people on here running 450 or 500lb front springs and others 200 and it seems like there's no rhyme or reason to it. So one way to think of this is if I gave bilstein the current specs of my car (including wheel weights) they could choose the right valving that won't make my back end bounce around.... at least that's how I'm understanding this.

Does bilstein still do the shock revalving? How does it work? Mail them your shocks and struts along with data from the car?

There is both rhyme and reason for both. You have to figure out what you want the car to do. Road racers running on very smooth tracks want springs more on the order of 500 lb/in. Those would be very difficult to drive with on the street. reeferman ran his 242 road racing for many years. Kyle142 has done the same. See if you can get them to weigh in. The 740 Greg Ervin set up is running 600 lb/in in the front and 300 lb/in in the rear, as per Yeah Right's recommendation. On smooth surfaces it handles great.
 
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Hi Dave,

I guess it all comes down to the damping.

I see people on here running 450 or 500lb front springs and others 200 and it seems like there's no rhyme or reason to it. So one way to think of this is if I gave bilstein the current specs of my car (including wheel weights) they could choose the right valving that won't make my back end bounce around.... at least that's how I'm understanding this.

Does bilstein still do the shock revalving? How does it work? Mail them your shocks and struts along with data from the car?

Set aside some time and give JVL a call to discuss revalving and spring rate.
 
245 "B6284T" has 600lbs front springs and some shortened rear lowering springs. IPD 25mm front and 22mm rear, had 24mm front and 21mm rear and it's better with stiffer bars. Handling is pretty neutral towards slight oversteer. 215/45 front, 225/45/17 rear. It's stiff but I don't consider it too stiff or uncomfortable. I've driven several times 350-450 miles a day(plus a trackday) and its fine. It's also a heavy thing, around 3480lbs no driver.

-92 245 with NA 6-cyl is much lighter, 2711lbs no driver. It has 400lbs front and 224lbs rear, IPD 25mm front and stock 19mm rear. I consider it to be more on the comfortable side but drives nicely on track too. 205/50/16" front and rear.

Both cars have same BC Racing front and Gaz rear shocks, Truetrac, polybushings on front control arm and panhard. Rear upper control arm bushings have a poly on other end and stiffer stuff on the other(different on both), etc. "B6284T has a full cage too, -92 only a half cage.

But it all comes down to what you want and suits the best. Wouldn't choose a 600lbs front spring if I would have to drive a dirt road daily. Proper stock replacement springs and good shocks take a long way with stiffer sway bars.
 
Gabriel ultras and the skinniest rear bar I could find seemed to do the trick. I never thought the skinny bar would fit over the dual exhaust.
 
EDIT... after day 2... I can’t say enough about how much more planted and confident this thing feels in the corners. I don’t know if I’m feeling the car correctly, but with the thinner rear bar, it almost feels like I can feel the rear of the car rolling a tad....with the turn..

I feel like you get stuck in the modification process and it gets a bit tunnelvisiony and every “upgrade” has to be better because it’s labeled “performance “.

The car is so different I'm considering entering an autocross.

Thanks all for the suggestions.


When I do pick up the QSRC, what will I notice first? ( the car is lowered more than 1”)
 
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