I drive a 90 745. My Girlfriend drives a 94 944. Why is the ride in her car so much smoother? We both have the same suspension right?
Is there anything that I can do to smooth up the ride in my wagon? Also, anyone have any experiences with IPD swaybars for a 745? They've got them on sale for $250 now and I'm really considering.


Thanks
- Nate
--
90 745 16v 155k 94 944 8v 155k 86 bmw 325e 163k

I'm still sorting out my "new" '88 and lucked into a set of IPD anti-swaybars on ebay. They were on the list of upgrades I wanted and they made a huge difference in cornering attitude. Much flatter. Just make sure the lower shock bolts on the rear are TIGHT or you'll have a clunk. Shocks and strut inserts are next for me.
--
Erwin in Memphis, '88 745t 183,000 miles, '95 855t For Sale

My '86 745T has Bilstien front and back, IPD overload springs in the rear, and IPD sways. I just put in poly radius rod bushings, which required a minor amount of modification. If you read the FAQ on these bushings, you'll find a thread detailing that some cars are equipped with smaller OE bushings than the poly replacements- so I simply shaved the polys and the new spacer tube to fit. What a difference- no clunking from the wheel when turning hard or braking hard.

The IPD sways are worth their weight in gold- car is much flatter in corners, and generally more responsive. My next repair will be the torque rod bushings at the rear of the wagon- these are worn, and shifts between gears result in a lot of movement of the axle. After that, I'm thinking the front end brace set is next if I decide to keep the car. With the suspension like it is, hard roads are noisy but worth it for the huge improvement in handling.

You *might* even like driving the 745 as much as your BMW. who knows.

-Dylan

Thanks.

I'm thinking I'll go for the sway bars. I don't have the money for bilsteins or any other suspension mods now. I don't think I'd like the ride of the bilsteins anyway. Right now the ride isn't very noisy (at least not from suspension components.) It's just a rough ride. I just replaced the control arm stay bushings with oem rubber ones. That helped a little. I think my ball joints are OK. It could use an alignment though. I was thinking I'd let that wait for after the struts and stuff. BTW the BMW is for sale. I'm going to sell it and sink the money into the volvo. :)

thanks
- Nate
--
90 745 16v 155k 94 944 8v 155k 86 bmw 325e 163k

As said before about age difference and mileage does and will effect the ride.
Agree with all that has been said prior. Now I will tell you that if you replace the bushings front and rear and redo the suspension like tie ends, ball joints, including the strut bushings it will make a huge difference in the ride.
Now every time you change things like shocks/struts, chassis braces, swaybars, springs you are going to give up ride for handling. The swaybars, and chassis braces will probably be least harmful to ride quality. I went all the way with bilsteins HD's, IPD (old type) lowering springs, upper and lower chassis braces, and the 25mm swaybars on my 745T. What a difference in ride and handling. On rough roads it can be a brutal ride. Put it on a smooth interstate at 80 mph and it is an incredibly ride. It is quite firm and stable with handling that you will not believe possible with a Volvo wagon.

Could be a few reasons why the ride is smoother - the shocks/struts are different - some are for smoothness (Boge), some are for performance (Bilsteins), and some just were not valved correctly for Volvo's (Gabriels).

Wagon's had stiffer rear springs than sedans ...

Also, tires make a difference. A standard touring will be softer than a high-performance tire with stiffer sidewalls for handling.

-----
If it's anything, iPd bars are a must depending on how you drive.

- If you respond to a windy road sign, "next 15 miles", with a big grin on your face, then definitely yes!
- If you want to be prepared for the "just in case" evasive manouvers, then it's a very good consideration.
- If you sometimes find yourself taking a corner just a little faster than the posted signs, then it's a good consideration.
- If you never drive to anywhere near any of the posted speed limits, then no, it prolly won't do much good.

FWIW, I do have iPd bars on my 745, along with Cherry Turbo braces. For me, they were worth every penny.

-- Kane ... but then, my 745 is a "weekend" car, so.
--
Blossom II - '91 745Ti/M46 ... Bubbles - '74 144GL/BW35 ... Buttercup - '86 245GL/AW70 ... The Wayback Machine - '64 P220/M40

Thanks. I just put some Boge turbo gas struts on my girl's 944, which as I understand are much softer than most. I don't know what are on my car. I put some crap gabriel shocks on the rear. That was back before I knew better. That probably doesn't help ride quality either.


thanks
- Nate
--
90 745 16v 155k 94 944 8v 155k 86 bmw 325e 163k

The simple answer is that all the suspension components on your car are 4 years older than your girlfriend's. Replace the shocks/struts, ball joints, and bushings, and you'll really see a difference. Also, tire type & pressure will also affect feel/handling (lower pressure, higher sidewalls=softer ride, mushy handling; high pressure, short sidewalls=harsher ride, crisper handling).

I've never driven a car w/the IPD sways, but they're very highly recommended to tighten up cornering, and if I ever have the extra cash I think I'll be getting a set.

jeff daigle
'89 745GL 142,000mi