So you don't have Nivomat?

Are you replacing the springs as well Kev? I'm tempted by the B4's just wondering what springs to combine them with

Hi,

No, I'm leaving the springs. They're in good condition.

If you put your model and year in on parts for Volvo's website, they'll likely list the right springs that you need.

Interesting thread, I'm glad I came across it as the rear shocks on my P3 S60 have corrosion though not leaking. The car is 13 years old now with 100,000 miles so probably overdue for shocks and springs including mounts.

Wrt poly bushes I had a P2 S60 D5,. The standard oil filled bushes combined with Pirelli P6000 tyres had the car tramlining horribly. I replaced the suspension bushes but left the engine mounts alone, I was advised the vibration would be a step too far if I changed those. With the new bushes and Good Year tyres really tightened up the steering and completely removed the tramlining. I ran that car up to 96,000 miles before swapping to the P3 car with no front suspension bush issues.

Nope. I buy cars done 100,000 miles and I didn't fancy the cost of replacing Nivomats, or swapping over to standard suspension with all the changes that would entail ...

So the new B4 shocks went on yesterday (2011 V70 D3 manual, 138k).

I've done about 40 miles of A roads and a bit of town driving since and they are roads I use regularly so I know how the car felt before the change.

Definite improvement, although I was surprised by the nature of the change:

I still know when I hit a bump in the road, but at faster speeds the car feels more stable and more secure, whilst at lower speeds it no longer wobbles side to side afterwards; for example at 5-10 mph in town.

On A roads the car doesn't react to an HGV passing in the opposite direction.

Turning into a corner is much crisper, with less roll, and accelerating out of a corner the car is much more planted and feels less "squirrelly".

The front end dives less under braking and the back end squats less under acceleration.

My original shocks would have passed an MOT and there were no visible signs of deterioration, so they weren't THAT bad, but having new ones has made a real difference to the handling.

It's often surprising how a small change can make quite a difference. Although appearing fine at an MOT - i.e. not weeping from the seals, or bouncing for ages when the car suspension is compressed - shocks are definitely worn out before they fail.

Whats the consensus on best brand shocks for a 2009 V70 then.
Not Volvo maindealer though as already have a mortgage,

have a look at kyb shocks and springs

Bilstein B4s or Sachs, whichever you can find at the best price. Use Autodoc or similar to get part numbers and then search. Just did a quick search on my car and found Bilstein B4s at £70 and Sachs at £88 each front left and right, plus Bilstein B4 rears at £62 each. All plus delivery. I have Bilsteins on my V70 and have just put Sachs OE on my V40. Both good. so far... Sachs are/may be the original suppliers of the shocks on your Volvo...