The image above shows the 242 in stock condition beside my daily driver 1991 244 (four door sedan) now with 223K miles. As a first set of modifications, I upgraded the wheels, tires, springs, struts and swaybars. For wheels, the stock 15-inch "Virgo" alloys were replaced by 17x7-inch OEM Volvo "Polaris" rims. These wheels can be tough to find, but right around when I bought the car a set came up for sale in Massachusetts at a fair price. For tires, I went with Kumho Ecsta SPTs, size 215/45-17. Initial impressions were good, and we'll see how they perform in summer 2008.The springs are made by Lësjöfors/B&G in Sweden and lower the car 1.6 inches all around. I'm quite satisfied with the ride height, as the fender gap up front has been minimized. For front struts, I chose the Koni Yellow adjustable units. They're sweet in that the rebound damping can be changed on the fly. The rear shocks have not been upgraded yet - but will be this spring/summer. For swaybars, 25mm units made by iPd are fitted front and rear. I also had a front alignment done, the camber set to approximately -0.5 degrees on both sides.
Here is an image with the suspension work complete:
And from a trip to my parents' house in upstate New York last fall:
This is by no means the ultimate suspension setup. Eventually, I'd like to install adjustable coilover suspension all around. For now, though, both the look and handling dynamics are adequate.
1 comment:
Are you going to change the big ugly bumpers that Volvo had in the early 80's. I have a clean e21 BMW that I am in the process of eliminating the "federal" bumpers. I'm really liking the new look. On the early Bimmers the bumpers are fairly attractive, but stick out way too far. I moved the rear in about 1 inch and the front almost 4 inches. Looks great. You have two very nice cars there. Great blog and I look forward to updates.
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