anyone try using monroe struts? they are about half the price of Bilstein. Are they half he quality? I see them on shockwarehouse.com and wouldn't mind saving the cash on this. I'm not looking for any special handling, just want my 98 S70 to be safe and stable.

I put Monroes on all four corners of my 245 and they seem to work fine. I'm not racing, but they keep the wheels pretty much where they aught to be. I suppose it could be different for V70...

Greg

I was gunshy of the Bilstein HDs on my 850 because of the notoriously firm ride on the 240s, but the more research I did, the more convinced I was of using them. What a difference! Even the (now) ex-wife commented on the improved ride firmness and improved damping over road "irregularities" (lots of those in New England). Well worth the extra bucks. Swapped them out at about 80K miles.

The only drawback - if you can call it that - is that the rear upper shock mounts failed within a couple of months after the new shocks went in. Inexpensive part and easy to change out.

Yep, they were pricey, but considering I dropped about $125 a corner for tires every 40-50K miles, $500 for a full set of shocks and struts was acceptable.
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In God We Trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them.

If you are concerned about the comfort of the ride of the vehicle, then I would be careful about selecting anything other than the OEM equipment. These Volvo suspensions are not very forgiving on this matter.

I've used Bilstein HD's in an early body 960 and it was a mistake. Great shock, but bad match for the Volvo suspension design. Only the engineers are going to be able to make the best call on achieving the optimal balance of comfort and handling. If you change the damping of the shock, then you move off on your own and it's hard to even know how far you're moving off the original design.

My philosophy on shocks and suspension rubbers is that unless you're into racing and thus insistent on doing your own thing, stick with the OEM stuff because the annoyance of degrading the riding comfort factor is something you will have to live with for some time. I also try to change the rubbers if at all possible. The change in the damping qualities of rubber is a thing that is almost impossible to gauge be inspection, and even if you bought a new car and put only 3000 miles on it in 15 years, the suspension rubber would STILL go bad from age.

Money, money, money . . .

For years, the internet chatter has warned away from Monroe shocks for Volvo. If you don't want to upgrade to Bilstein, look to the OEM Sach shocks. But remember, lifetime warranty on Bilstein makes them much cheaper if you hold on to the car long enough. Every one of mine has been replaced at least once under warranty.

Monroes are good shocks but not too familiar with them on volvo so can't give any info

Just replaced the struts, mounts, and spring seat rubber on my 99 S70. Like you I didn't want to pay the Bilstein HD ($165 each) price. Ended up going to FCP Groton and picked up the Bilstein touring struts($120 each) for slightly more than the Sachs OEM struts($105 each). With 25K on these struts now I have no complaints - they feel pretty firm and provide a confortable highway ride. Seem like a good strut overall.

Good luck,

Oliver
Over a million Volvo miles and still smiling:-)

I put Bilstein touring on my 740gl about a year ago. I have truly enjoyed driving my car this past year. Ramps on the interstate are much more fun and it tracks nice and smooth. I am considering putting them on my 2000 V70 soon.
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'89 745GL 216, 130 miles; '00 V70SE 155,000 miles and counting!