Why Upgrade
Volvo’s can last for quite some time and drive for thousands of miles. While this is great, many Volvo’s (especially some of the older models like the P2’s and before) are still running and driving with higher mileage but they remain a lesser version of their initial self, due to wear and tear over the years. Obviously, there is a plethora of things that could be repaired, replaced and upgraded to overall refresh the car and get it closer to its initial self, but one of the main things that has immediate impact on the comfort, drivability, and handling of the car is suspension upgrades, specifically strut upgrades.
Bad Strut Symptoms
Firstly, we look into and understand the symptoms of bad struts. There are plenty of things that could be happening that can indicate that your struts have reached their life limit and should be replaced. These are things like the nose or front of the car dipping downward when braking, the ride is bouncy, unusual noises when going over bumps, car “rolling” or shifting the opposite way of a turn, presence of fluid on the strut and spring could indicate the strut failing, and tires have uneven wear across them. These are a few of the main symptoms seen when struts are failing. Struts can’t be repaired so they must be replaced, and it is heavily recommended that both struts are replaced at the same time to keep uniform suspension and driving in the car.
Defining Suspension
“Suspension” refers to almost everything under the wheel well of the car, which includes things like control arms, struts / dampers, shocks, tie rod ends, sway bars, and then many other miscellaneous pieces that complete the suspension. While all these pieces play their own role in the grand scheme of suspension, the focus of this will be on strut upgrades, as these are typically the main thing that are going to have a great impact on your Volvo’s drivability, ride height, comfort, and handling.
It is also important to note a few things:
- The struts mentioned throughout (except the coilovers) are just the bare strut itself. Needed to complete the entire strut setup you need everything labeled in the picture, which includes all the top mounting hardware (#7-12), bump stop (#4, #6), dust shield (bottom #5), the spring (#3), and then the strut itself (#1). Diagrams are available here at The Autobarn Volvo Cars Oak Park Parts Online (see the bottom of the article for more diagram information).
- Full strut kits with all the needed pieces or fully built out “quick” struts that come assembled are available through sites like FCP Euro and IPD.
- Almost all the struts mentioned are compatible with other P2 non-R models, like the S80, S60, V70, and XC70. Please do your own research to confirm fitment however.
Non-R Model Upgrade Options
For the non-R version, the Volvo S60 suspension upgrades are widely available. The struts for these cars are very straightforward and basic, compared to the R version. There are tons of options for upgrading for better control, comfort, handling, or performance.
OEM/Stock Replacement Upgrades
The OEM replacement upgrades for your non-R Volvo model will help refresh the comfort and handling of your car immediately. Especially on older or higher mileage vehicles, this is a relatively cheaper enhancement that you will feel behind the wheel, giving the car an almost new feel. The OEM replacement for these struts are available from multiple sites, like US Volvo Parts, or FCP Euro.
Step Up From OEM/Stock
While OEM struts are great and do their job well, many enthusiasts and owners prefer to take a step away from OEM and utilize a better product. The Sachs strut # 554046, available here on FCP Euro are a well-made product that is known throughout the Volvo community, and has a great reputation. The reviews alone on this product on the FCP Euro speak to the quality and comfort these struts provide. This Sachs strut # 554046 is also available here on IPD.
Another option for a step up from OEM would be the Bilstein B4 Touring Strut # 22155344. Bilstein is another popular brand among the Volvo community, and is a known for their product quality, their gas pressure technology, and reduced valve fatigue leading to longer life of the product. FCP Euro carries the Bilstein B4 Touring Strut, as well as IPD here.
Performance
If you’re looking for performance Volvo S60 suspension upgrades, there are a few popular options that enthusiasts have gone with. The first is the Bilstein B6 Performance # 35052210 strut. This is an excellent option for upgrading control and handling and is an easy upgrade to significantly improve handling and suspension performance. The Bilstein B6 Performance struts are available on FCP Euro, or here at IPD.
The next option is Yellow Koni Sport # 86411410 struts. Another popular option within the Volvo community, these come with sport dampening, as well as rebound that is adjustable for either street or track uses. These are a very customizable strut, as you can match any spring height to this strut to make a custom ride setup. The only thing is that this strut requires the OEM strut housing to fully make the setup, and to do so the OEM housing needs to be cut. There are in depth videos from Koni that show the process. These Yellow Koni Sport struts are available at FCP Euro, or from Pelican Parts.
R Models
If you are looking for Volvo S60 Suspension Upgrades and you drive a Volvo S60R or V70R, there are options for upgrading your struts. On the P2R models of Volvo’s, the struts should all have stock 4C capability, which is a computer system that controls the suspension and allows for tons of adjustments as you drive. It is also what allows for different ride options in the firmness of the suspension and drivability in Comfort, Sport, and Advanced modes.
Once again, the struts talked about and linked to in this will be the bare bone struts (except for the coilovers) that need the rest of the top mounting hardware, bump stops, and springs to complete the strut. And there will be strut upgrades talked about that are not 4C compatible with the car, making the car throw Chassis codes thinking there is a problem unless you take a DIY approach to this. This is just a head up and will be discussed more in depth later on.
OEM 4C Replacement
For all USA P2R models and other models with the right number identification on their ID plate, the OEM Replacement for your struts are the Monroe C2501 Struts. All USA P2R models came with the 4C system that controls your suspension, and these are the OEM struts that were on the car from production. These strut units contain the electronic valve which controls your struts in the different driving modes. These Monroe C2501 struts can be found at IPD, or FCP Euro, or here at Amazon.
Important Note: if you plan on replacing your 4C struts, you need a VIDA DICE unit that can communicate with your cars ECU, because once you have installed new 4C struts you have to perform a SUM Calibration on the struts to ensure they work properly. This video below details how to do this, however it is performed on a S80 Volvo, so the computer interface looks a little different but it still is essentially the same process and is easy to follow.
If your P2R is not from the USA, use the image and instructions below to guide you to see if you have the 4C active suspension or not. If yours does not have 4C suspension, please refer to the non-R section above this as any of those will work as upgrades for your struts or refer below to the coil over section as either of these will work for your vehicle.
Fooling the 4C
Moving past the OEM replacement upgrades for R models for the S60 and V70 struts, things get a little more complicated. The R cars come with the 4C suspension, and this has built in hardware that connects directly to the car’s computer via a wire from the struts. So, if you don’t utilize the OEM 4C struts, and use any other S60 fitting strut, your car will throw a “Chassis” code and none of the different driving mode buttons will work. Now some people don’t care if that code shows up and won’t go away, and that works for them. But even still, losing the different driving mode buttons removes functionality of your car because Advanced mode makes the car legitimately faster as it advances the timing and runs the car richer. Keeping functionality of the buttons is also important for tuning, as tuners can tune the buttons for different tune layouts for various driving types. So fooling the 4C system is the only way to truly upgrade the struts, and maintain full car functionality. Here is a thread of a tutorial on how to fool the 4C on Swede Speed. It is an excellent in-depth tutorial that explains everything needed in this process.
It is important to note that if you do opt to go a different strut route rather than 4C compatible ones that any of the non-R struts listed above will work with S60R and V70R models. Just ensure that they fit the base model of the S60 and V70 and everything should fit fine. The same goes for the coilovers mentioned below.
Coil overs
An enthusiast favorite for a great general and performance upgrade that is cheaper than replacing your 4C struts is to go with the BC Racing Volvo BR Series Coilover Kit (ZG-01BR). Many enthusiasts choose this option because overall it is cheaper than purchasing new 4C replacements, not as expensive as other strut aftermarket performance options, easily customizable with 30-Clicks of Simultaneous Compression/Rebound Adjustment, and many Volvo owners claim that these are more comfortable and respond better under performance than the outdated 4C struts are. These BC Racing coil overs also will fit on a non-R S60 or similar P2, as well will fit on S60Rs or V70Rs. They can be found at FCP Euro, Viva Performance, and BC Racing.
Additional Information
Disclaimer
There are tons of more options and pages that sell the same and similar products to what has been shared and linked to from this article, please do your own independent research to find what is best for what you are looking for. The pages that I linked to in this article are ones that I have experience with, bought things from, and are trusted among the Volvo community.
Diagrams & Part Numbers
During my recent suspension upgrade on my 2007 Volvo S60R, I utilized The Autobarn Volvo Cars Oak Park Parts Online for full break downs and diagrams with all the listed OEM parts for any Volvo suspension. All you need to do is input your vehicle specifications and then click the suspension and steering section and you can browse any of the diagrams listed with numbers and the corresponding OEM parts. This was extremely helpful and hopefully it can assist any readers looking for answers related to some of the more specific suspension pieces and how it all goes together.
Other Places For Parts
Another place to look for these parts and other similar options is Facebook Marketplace, or Swede Speed Parts for Sale. However, these are going to be mainly used parts however from car part outs, but you can find good deals on these places and most of the time the products are in good condition.