As above, but not including the S60R. I am toying with the idea of getting an 850 t5-R/R or an C70 T5 or even an early s60 T5 (saloon), just wondering what people's opinions are of the different models. I would of thought that the S60 would be the best as it is the most up to date, but I may be wrong. ?
Why not a 850 2.5T 4WD?? I guess they are good, well they got to be it's a 4bie
I would have thought the newer the better - usually cars get better through the ages. So S60 model i say.
NOT the 850 lol - thats all I can comment on! x
MINE lol
My standard S60 was bobbins in all honesty. Got Eibach lowering springs fitted... transformed it ;)
[QUOTE=spesh]Why not a 850 2.5T 4WD?? I guess they are good, well they got to be it's a 4bie[/QUOTE] ..4wd generally gives better GRIP, a totally different thing to handling
[QUOTE=Mrsmopp]NOT the 850 lol - thats all I can comment on! x[/QUOTE] Nothing wrong with the 850 moppy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't get into the grip and handling debate! To paper the cracks, when you say handling, you mean predictable with a decent level of grip I assume ? Firstly I would guess any saloon will be better than the estate's....just the physics of the added bulk. I would also suggest newer is usually better, but I think that generally Volvo's are not top of the list of handling so we should not expect Lotus elise handling ( add/delete your favourite handlling car to avoid controversy ). Although the S60 is probably not fantastic, its probably better than a V70 I suspect. V50 might even take the crown....
What about the 850R / S70R, is there a different setup between theses cars, or are all the geometry springs/dampers the same ?
Actually the Estates are rumoured to be better than the Saloons due to improved weight distribution. If anyone wants to lend me an S70 to track, I'll test the theory.
Having an 850 estate and saloon I can assure you in that range the saloon outhandles the estate everyday of the week - couldn't comment on the 70's and above tho as I only have the daily drive of a saloon. x
Recently had a drive of a standard 850 saloon T5 and an 850R, I did notice a more controlled ride in the R. The T5 was alround less stable at higher speeds, the 850R felt more grounded and less role, obviously the suspension setup is different but would like to know if the C70/S60 T5's would be similar to the 850R. Might go for a test drive in a C70, I think there's a small garage locally with a couple of T5'S....
The thing you have to bear in mind with the 850's is that most of them are pretty well run in and more often than not have tired suspension. x
My Estate handled very well - I have driven Adam's old 850R and that was shocking with stability, didn't like being chucked around at all, but maybe that was the suspension getting on a bit compared to my fresh stuff. In addition, my suggestion that the S60 was the best handling car was compared to the 850 and S70 as per the original post. The new S40 / V50 is the daddy Volvo now IMO.
i think generally the estates handle less well than the saloons 'cos they have bigger 'holes' cut outa their shells..therefore less torisional ridgidity, less 'body control'. try a two door classic saab 900 turbo with a boot (the ugly one) vs same car with a hatch and you will feel the difference almost immediately...saloon much more ridgid, even feels better built!! i'v never driven t5 estate, but found my t5 saloon to be relatively taut and solid feeling, but perhaps not as 'dynamic'..slowish turn in, more understeer, a marked resistance to any lift off throttle controlability....excellent for safety if not ultimate a to b squirtability..as it could have been..but then, i think y'all missin the point if ya want yer volvos to handle like elises etc.. they are big, heavy extremely capable cars, built to cover long distances in complete comfort and safety at high average sppeds...an' they have the added bonus of rarity and a bit of personality. joe soap aint gonna moant to much 'bout any handling shortfalls once he experiences the punch, and grip, available out of corners.....slow in, fast out!!!!
in my experience you should go for a volvo fh12 globetrotter.handle better than all the volvo cars ive driven.(me been a big trucker) if its handling your after try a japanese rust bucket impreza or go classic and get a escort cossie the later been my choice of machine. thats the only downfall i can find with volvo they getting the power but not the handling theyre all like boats.why are they making cars over 200 bhp front wheel drive duhh. flat cap and slipper brigade ? thought they were aiming at young drivers now a days ? who evers doing the test driving before production wants sacking whats all this understeer crap ? we what oversteer and power to the rear its more fun VOLVO come into the 21st century and sort your cars out you swedish turnips. saying that my t4 came off the production line at the side of the mitshitbushi carisma,that says it all right got that of my chest anybody fancy a tea and scone
still say its horses for courses!! if ya wanna back road rocket, dont buy a volvo, saab etc.... if ya want understated elegance and q car performance that in real terms will keep up or pass most so called performance cars on 'normal' roads in 'normal' conditions..don't buy a cossie or scoob!..i could make a particularly crude analogy about scoobs and a part of a womans anatomy, but i'l wait till the later hours for that!!!
854 salloon with 78k compleatley stock handles better than my V70 P1 with strut brace and 17s
I wonder how much difference stripping the car of unessesary stuff would improve the handling, also how much weight would you lose? Anyone tried it???
The best handling volvo? I would say its not easy to compair say an S60 to a old 850 saloon cos the S60's come with traction control etc so really its forced to handle better if traction control is doing all the work for you. I would say the 850's and early S70's are the best if you want to be in control and not the car if you get what i mean, think the new s40/v50's are boring cos as soon as you try and get them to slid traction control just takes over even if its switched off. Gathy your right s40's handle like barges especially the phase II models i thought they were ment to be better not worse altho i slammed mine 35mm all round and stuck a set of 17's and a strut brace on it and it now oversteers like hell in dry, back end slids all over place if provoked.
[QUOTE=Mrsmopp]Having an 850 estate and saloon I can assure you in that range the saloon outhandles the estate everyday of the week - couldn't comment on the 70's and above tho as I only have the daily drive of a saloon. x[/QUOTE] Sorry to prove you wrong moppy, BTCC went from a saloon to an estate becuase the estate went round the track faster, and they didnt change the power so I guess IT MUST HANDLE BETTER!!!!! :haha: :rolleyes2
[QUOTE=spesh]Sorry to prove you wrong moppy, BTCC went from a saloon to an estate becuase the estate went round the track faster, and they didnt change the power so I guess IT MUST HANDLE BETTER!!!!! :haha: :rolleyes2[/QUOTE] according to the press release i've read there was no difference between them, they used the estate to get more publicity & they started with the estate in 1994 & went to a saloon for 1995 because toca put a rule in saying it couldn't be used
I look silly now, and moppy is goin to rip into cheers Pedro, lol.
Drove the new V70R recently on a Freedom day & was well impressed. Having said that, when John Lyon took my 855 round the high speed handling circuit at Millbrook I could not believe what he made it do. I now believe that anyone who "loses" an 855 on the road is driving badly. Cheers, Chris.
My 850 is the most fun if this comes into the equation..... Handling is subjective to the road/track your on. Off road, a Land Rover would out handle a Volvo... On a different track different cars would be set up better therefore handle better...
[QUOTE=Pedro Fandango]according to the press release i've read there was no difference between them, they used the estate to get more publicity & they started with the estate in 1994 & went to a saloon for 1995 because toca put a rule in saying it couldn't be used[/QUOTE] ..yup, i second that...i remember the touring car programme at the time and it stating in various motoring mags that volvo's use of the estate was initially for publicity reasons..and we all remember t5 estates racing, and t5 road cars......so it worked!!!!
The 480! Handling by Lotus.
The 480 is a hilarious car. You're so low to the ground, it really does go round corners well...
Agreed; I loved the handling of my 480. Pity they weren't better built.
[QUOTE=spesh]I look silly now, and moppy is goin to rip into cheers Pedro, lol.[/QUOTE] There is no need for me to pass comment here LMSO :haha: x
I like judgeninja's thought's "handeling" is a very imotive subject and as said a F1 will tear round a track and beat everything that is thrown at it however it will be beaten down to sainsburys if there are any sort of road humps or tight corners in the way. Speaking from my limited knowledge of vehicle dynamics (I regularly go to Ford's proving ground in Lommel) a car's that has good "handeling" will remain composed and controlled in all road conditions. Therefore a low stiff car will go round corners well but if there are any bumps it will be literally thrown off course. Engineering is all about compramise so tune your cars "handeling" to whatever driving you do most though adjustable dampers and decent quality rubber are always a good start. Reading some of the posts one of the main reasons modern cars are generally better than old cars is, yes lessons learned about suspension geometry etc but mainly it's body stiffness. If you have a nice stiff body its the suspension that is doing all the work absorbing the road inputs and not the body structure as well. If the body flexes (and they do!) then the physical suspension mounting points and geometry changes which as you can imagine is a bad thing. It doesn't have to flex much for changes to be noticed in the cars "handeling" I drive an 850 and though I love it the handling is rubbish compared to a run of the mill new Focus or Golf or Astra. They are not as fast though :troutslap Cheers
When I ran my C70 around Bruntingthorpe, I was running on lowering springs with dynamic shocks, which lowered the back a bit when fitted but the front didnt change a great deal. I stll managed to keep up with the likes of Elises, vx220s and "better handling" cars. I found the nice thing was that at the limit it, the understeer was very controllable. It was improved when I pumped up the front tyres to 40 psi. I even managed some oversteer in places. They don't bite you in the ass. The C70 is a lot quicker/better through the corners. I think that my old 850R handled beautifully once the suspension was fixed up. Before that - forget it! I agree with Mrsmopp in so much that most 100K+ cars can be substantially improved as most run on very worn shocks. I feel what you are after in track handling and road handling are quite different? To date however I would say of all the 20 or so T5s driven I would say that the C70 handles the best.
Except the covertables as they suffer skuttle shake!
Sorry should have said - taken as read that no convertible version of a coupe will handle as well due to the lack of roof - including C70s
I think I am most likley going to go for the C70, I understand it's not a hot hatch, but I just didn't want it rolling all over the place. I like the idea of slow into corners and powering out of them, and with the T5 that should keep me grining for some time...
[QUOTE=rottertron]I wonder how much difference stripping the car of unessesary stuff would improve the handling, also how much weight would you lose? Anyone tried it???[/QUOTE] the wife did.....she says with the 17stone missing from the passanger seat it go's much better :brokenhea
Best one ive driven in the FWD category is the S60 then the V70 then the new S40/V50's.
[QUOTE=lance]Except the covertables as they suffer skuttle shake![/QUOTE] "Skuttle shake"? - what's that Dave?
Of the relatively few T5's I've been in, Wobbly's C70 kills all of the 850's hands down. Still haven't been out in J's yet mind you ;)
Have to say that the two best-handling Volvos I've been are both 850s... heavily worked though. You'd expect the newer cars to be better as standard.
[QUOTE=Goof]"Skuttle shake"? - what's that Dave?[/QUOTE] the rattle you feel when driving over rough or euneven sufaces in convertables basically mate. taking the roof off a car (any car) affects the drive a lot, even with the extra bits they put on to stabilise them, they still suffer.
We have been told the new C70 has almost zero shake with the roof down and none with it up, having to believe Volvo on that one for the moment as not had a go in one!