Hey guys, What can be done to improve the smootheness of the ride?
I have 98 S70 T5. Its a jittery....and something always rattles, as soon as I'm on a road that is a little bumpy.

I'm tired of all the jittering and shakiness....

Any ideas?

Thank you in advance!!

Get used to it. Consumer Reports rated the S70 suspension as "stiff and jiggly" and that's just the way I find it. However, I love the car and the other features it brings so I compromise the ride by: mounting oversized tires (in the cross-section diameter), using lower-speed rated tires (fewer tread belts and sidewall plies) and then slightly underflating them. But it's still much too harsh for a car of its other qualities and I'm simply disappointed in Volvo engineering regarding the ride.

Wow...that's a bummer... In a way that's reassuring... I thought it was my car specifically. But its also a bit of a dissapointment. So, different struts/shocks won't do the trick huh?

Don't know. I have casually checked on struts and shocks but have never seen such advertised as providing a softer ride that OE equipment. I find it less expensive and easier to rectify (in case of a mistake) by compromising on the tires. Still, I would like to have some better alternative. My car doesn't ride as well as my daughter's Honda Civic and that is ridiculous for any car of Volvo's class.

dont know..but my 850 na with t5 wheels and tyres (came with the car so dont flame me!) rides like that too.....

I have 185/65/15 snow tires on the car right now and the cacophony of rattles and squeaks seem just a bit quieter. Obviously, this won't work during the other 3 seasons. Still have the annoying rattle coming from the glovebox lid, though.

Turn up the stereo? This seems to be "one of those things": birds sing, dogs bark and Volvos rattle and squeak.

-Punx

'98 V70T5M, 135k mi.

I have the glove box ratte as well! I guess that's common...? Anyone else?

What about suspension....struts, shocks, and so on. Would that help?

I had that rattle too. I stuck some foam weather strip around the outer perimer of the glove box and the rattle is gone. I had to do something it was driving me crazy! I am about to try the Bilstein touring struts and see what kind of ride I get.

Even here in Singapore my S70 T5 2.0's glove compartment lid rattles too! Plus the dash, not to mention the suspension noises! It is somehow quieter on a raining day.

Guess only way is to rev up the engine more often to have the nice turbo whine covering up the other noises....