S80 2010 bouncy bouncy
Discussion
Hi,
So I live in an area of the countryside and one particular route to work has a fairly hilly drive in the countryside with lots of little bumpy bits of road. Sometimes it feels like I'm in a bloody roller-coaster going up and down.. The suspension or shocks are nothing like the bmw sport coupe I was used to, though to be fair to the volvo, I don't miss feeling every single crack or bump in the road.. But anyway the mondeo I used to own did not have the same effect, is it possible the volvo has a problem or is it deliberately designed to be like this? Thanks in advance.
So I live in an area of the countryside and one particular route to work has a fairly hilly drive in the countryside with lots of little bumpy bits of road. Sometimes it feels like I'm in a bloody roller-coaster going up and down.. The suspension or shocks are nothing like the bmw sport coupe I was used to, though to be fair to the volvo, I don't miss feeling every single crack or bump in the road.. But anyway the mondeo I used to own did not have the same effect, is it possible the volvo has a problem or is it deliberately designed to be like this? Thanks in advance.
Again, it's one of those subjects that can come down to personal opinion and being new to your specific car and also an S80 in general and comparing it to a 3 series, indeed your specific 3 series is rather unique and throws up many variables. The 3 series... was it totally standard or had aftermarket dampers and was it in good order? Ditto the S80? Are we comparing apples to oranges here?
End of the day, it's a 2 ton Volvo saloon and is pretty softly sprung and damped and thus think "wafty" rather than "dynamic / driver focused / sharp" but how it reacts over certain road or in this case, a specific piece of road then nobody can really say. I had an V70R and now I have a XC70 and I drive the same roads... and in certain cases, the XC70 would be quicker than the V70R as the latter was stiffly sprung and tended to fidget over crappy surfaces, the XC70 just floats over the top but equally, in other circumstances the R was taught and had great body control whereas the XC feels floaty and vague on certain roads. Both had / have as new shock absorbers and are in good order.
Andf this is before you open the can of worms that are tyre pressures, spring rates, knackered shock absorbers and the like so really it'll either be a case of adjust your expectations accordingly and accept it ain't no 3 series or start to wonder if it's go worn dampers and thus the body control is below par... but even when replaced, it will still likely be chalk and cheese compared to X, Y or Z car. You can only ever compare apples with apples and asking online is difficult, unless somebody experiences it in person or you try another similar S80... it's impossible to call if it's normal, has issues or it's a problem with the operator, ie are you just looking for issues as you're not that keen on the car?
End of the day, it's a 2 ton Volvo saloon and is pretty softly sprung and damped and thus think "wafty" rather than "dynamic / driver focused / sharp" but how it reacts over certain road or in this case, a specific piece of road then nobody can really say. I had an V70R and now I have a XC70 and I drive the same roads... and in certain cases, the XC70 would be quicker than the V70R as the latter was stiffly sprung and tended to fidget over crappy surfaces, the XC70 just floats over the top but equally, in other circumstances the R was taught and had great body control whereas the XC feels floaty and vague on certain roads. Both had / have as new shock absorbers and are in good order.
Andf this is before you open the can of worms that are tyre pressures, spring rates, knackered shock absorbers and the like so really it'll either be a case of adjust your expectations accordingly and accept it ain't no 3 series or start to wonder if it's go worn dampers and thus the body control is below par... but even when replaced, it will still likely be chalk and cheese compared to X, Y or Z car. You can only ever compare apples with apples and asking online is difficult, unless somebody experiences it in person or you try another similar S80... it's impossible to call if it's normal, has issues or it's a problem with the operator, ie are you just looking for issues as you're not that keen on the car?
Davie said:
Again, it's one of those subjects that can come down to personal opinion and being new to your specific car and also an S80 in general and comparing it to a 3 series, indeed your specific 3 series is rather unique and throws up many variables. The 3 series... was it totally standard or had aftermarket dampers and was it in good order? Ditto the S80? Are we comparing apples to oranges here?
End of the day, it's a 2 ton Volvo saloon and is pretty softly sprung and damped and thus think "wafty" rather than "dynamic / driver focused / sharp" but how it reacts over certain road or in this case, a specific piece of road then nobody can really say. I had an V70R and now I have a XC70 and I drive the same roads... and in certain cases, the XC70 would be quicker than the V70R as the latter was stiffly sprung and tended to fidget over crappy surfaces, the XC70 just floats over the top but equally, in other circumstances the R was taught and had great body control whereas the XC feels floaty and vague on certain roads. Both had / have as new shock absorbers and are in good order.
Andf this is before you open the can of worms that are tyre pressures, spring rates, knackered shock absorbers and the like so really it'll either be a case of adjust your expectations accordingly and accept it ain't no 3 series or start to wonder if it's go worn dampers and thus the body control is below par... but even when replaced, it will still likely be chalk and cheese compared to X, Y or Z car. You can only ever compare apples with apples and asking online is difficult, unless somebody experiences it in person or you try another similar S80... it's impossible to call if it's normal, has issues or it's a problem with the operator, ie are you just looking for issues as you're not that keen on the car?
Yes I am comparing apples with oranges with it against the 3 series however I had a ford Mondeo before which was a comfortable drive and that did not have the bounce I have, you are right I will need to see if I can get someone in a garage who rode it before to give it a quick test drive when I book up for an oil service which is due. Still, I just can't believe a car company would build a car that bounced so much. After a few consecutive bounces the cup holders would be a waste of time lol... Still I love the heated seats, especially in this weather,was -4 this morning where I live..End of the day, it's a 2 ton Volvo saloon and is pretty softly sprung and damped and thus think "wafty" rather than "dynamic / driver focused / sharp" but how it reacts over certain road or in this case, a specific piece of road then nobody can really say. I had an V70R and now I have a XC70 and I drive the same roads... and in certain cases, the XC70 would be quicker than the V70R as the latter was stiffly sprung and tended to fidget over crappy surfaces, the XC70 just floats over the top but equally, in other circumstances the R was taught and had great body control whereas the XC feels floaty and vague on certain roads. Both had / have as new shock absorbers and are in good order.
Andf this is before you open the can of worms that are tyre pressures, spring rates, knackered shock absorbers and the like so really it'll either be a case of adjust your expectations accordingly and accept it ain't no 3 series or start to wonder if it's go worn dampers and thus the body control is below par... but even when replaced, it will still likely be chalk and cheese compared to X, Y or Z car. You can only ever compare apples with apples and asking online is difficult, unless somebody experiences it in person or you try another similar S80... it's impossible to call if it's normal, has issues or it's a problem with the operator, ie are you just looking for issues as you're not that keen on the car?
IAmTheWalrus said:
Yes I am comparing apples with oranges with it against the 3 series however I had a ford Mondeo before which was a comfortable drive and that did not have the bounce I have, you are right I will need to see if I can get someone in a garage who rode it before to give it a quick test drive when I book up for an oil service which is due. Still, I just can't believe a car company would build a car that bounced so much. After a few consecutive bounces the cup holders would be a waste of time lol... Still I love the heated seats, especially in this weather,was -4 this morning where I live..
It sounds like theres a problem with the suspension like you say a car company wouldn't build a car that bounces so much.Have you done the age old bounce test and tried bouncing on each corner? It's crude but if the front / rear / one corner seems rather bouncy then yes, could be in need of new shock absorbers. And is it just one specific stretch of road? I say that as there's a few bit near me where the size and frequency of the dips and rises, especially at a certain MPH makes both my cars feel you're on an helter skelter.
Davie said:
Does it have the 4C suspension on it? If so any fault warnings / does it switch between modes correctly?
No idea, there are not EMLs if thats what you mean. I am still very new to the car and as its winter not been too keen to spend a Saturday morning yet rolling around underneath it to check it out although that is no the list to do to check for rust.Davie said:
The gearbox with have a "Sport" mode but the 4C electronic dampers fitted to some cars had three driving modes too, one of which was also Sport. However if yours isn't displaying the three buttons then I'd be a happy man as when that stuff goes wrong, it ain't cheap or easy!
Great, but what does the display look like?IAmTheWalrus said:
Great, but what does the display look like?
Ok, poor use of the word "displaying" in this context... if you do not have three, push buttons by the gear shift with Comfort / Sport / Advanced then sleep easy, you do not have the 4C chassis and thus don't have electronic dampers and thus will save an anal raping when it comes time to put new shocks on it. Forget I mentioned it. Gassing Station | Volvo & Polestar | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff