S40 Suspension and Brakes

SilverS40

Hi, Chasing some info on brakes and suspension for the S40 if I may ask a couple of questions?.....................................................
2004 S40 T5 - keeping in mind I am complete Volvo newb, but wanting to learn to work on the Volvo myself rather than pay a mechanic for everything, not really looking for massive upgrade either just bringing it back to a reliable daily driven spec.

Brakes:
I have discs that are on the thinner side and brake pads that are more than 50% worn, my thought was to replace front and rear rotors and pads - any suggestions for a reasonable rotor and pad set?

Suspension:
I have just completed a Pedders check and they have said the Lower Control Arm bushes are starting to go and suggested replacing them with (their own of course) camber correction gear as a better option than replacing the arms with original items, they talked about the car tracking to the left and even with new original gear it will always do this - sounds like sales pitch to me - but hey that is why I am asking the question

They want to rebush the front and rear for camber correction, does this sound right - what are my options here?
Do these cars "track" to the left and is there anything I should do to fix the suspension in it?

Lastly they have said the Shock Absorbers are shot - any suggestions on replacements? they wanted to sell me Bilsteins as they claim it will fix all my worldly cares lol
Many thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

sucksqueezebangblow

No aftermarket shocks exist for the rear of the t5 awd.

Spac

If you haven't noticed it tracking to the left, then it doesn't.

DBA rotors used to be the only choice, but lots of people think the quality has slipped in the last few years. I've used RDA (initially under duress) and DBA in various cars over the last few years without any dramas.
Brembo are very good, and often not much dearer.

Pads depend on what you're doing with the car. As a safe default answer, I will suggest TRW. They're on the lower end of the price scale, they work well hot or cold, they don't disappear even when you cook them, and the last pretty well. They are fairly dusty, but not outrageously so.
There will be better (and worse) options depending on your exact requirements.

For shocks, Bilsteins are very good. You want the yellow ones, not the black ones if you have the choice (and the budget).
IMHO, if you are buying shocks for any reason beyond "I got knocked back for a road worthy", there are pretty much only four choices. In order of price:

1. Sachs or KYB. Not the very cheapest but not expensive and vastly better than the cheapest.
2. Bilsteins.
3. MCA (although they don't make their well-priced ones for your car).

There may be other viable high spec choices for a Second Gen S40 - I've never investigated them specifically.

Philia_Bear

sucksqueezebangblow;102101 wroteNo aftermarket shocks exist for the rear of the t5 awd.

What do you call whats in my car?

AshDVS

sucksqueezebangblow;102101 wroteNo aftermarket shocks exist for the rear of the t5 awd.

Bilstein and KW both offer them.

SilverS40

SSBB (@sucksqueezebangblow) - my poor little 2004 T5 is not AWD, just a regular old FWD

Spac - many thanks I will check out the brake brands you have suggested and work from there, looks like yellow Bilstein are the way to go.

Philia_Bear

SilverS40;102126 wroteSSBB (@sucksqueezebangblow) - my poor little 2004 T5 is not AWD, just a regular old FWD

Spac - many thanks I will check out the brake brands you have suggested and work from there, looks like yellow Bilstein are the way to go.

Just FYI
the suspension in your FWD car is the same as in a same year focus or a mazda 3
most of the major parts all swap around
Lots of really good options for quite cheap available

sucksqueezebangblow

AshDVS;102125 wrote
sucksqueezebangblow;102101 wroteNo aftermarket shocks exist for the rear of the t5 awd.
Bilstein and KW both offer them.

Can you get me a part number for the Bilstein rear AWD shock?

sucksqueezebangblow

Philia_Bear;102105 wrote
sucksqueezebangblow;102101 wroteNo aftermarket shocks exist for the rear of the t5 awd.
What do you call whats in my car?

I've wanted Bilstein B6 or even B4 for my car since I bought it, and the Bilstein distributor said they don't exist for the rear of the AWD.

There are possibly hundreds of AWD owners online, which have not been able to find an aftermarket replacement shock for the rear of their S40s and V50s. Some have put the FWD Bilstein rear shock in, or various coil overs but they report them to be too harsh.
The shock body is different between the FWD and AWD. If you google images of S40 V50 AWD rear shock you will see photos.

It would be great if everyone was wrong and they are available. I'm just not prepared to put coil overs in the car.

Philia_Bear

sucksqueezebangblow;103773 wrote
Philia_Bear;102105 wrote
sucksqueezebangblow;102101 wroteNo aftermarket shocks exist for the rear of the t5 awd.
What do you call whats in my car?
I've wanted Bilstein B6 or even B4 for my car since I bought it, and the Bilstein distributor said they don't exist for the rear of the AWD.

There are possibly hundreds of AWD owners online, which have not been able to find an aftermarket replacement shock for the rear of their S40s and V50s. Some have put the FWD Bilstein rear shock in, or various coil overs but they report them to be too harsh.
The shock body is different between the FWD and AWD. If you google images of S40 V50 AWD rear shock you will see photos.

It would be great if everyone was wrong and they are available. I'm just not prepared to put coil overs in the car.

I forget which part number
But one of the QA1's parts fits perfect (with a tiny modification to the top mount)
This combined with the dual adjustment of the QA1 lets you tune it perfectly to your specs
Yes the QA1 is a coilover, but you can easily run it without the coils!

sucksqueezebangblow

I thought you couldn't soften yours enough?

I just want to buy two direct replacement, no modifications needed, Bilstein shocks (B6 or B4) for the rear of my AWD Volvo and so far, no dice.

Philia_Bear

sucksqueezebangblow;103803 wroteI thought you couldn't soften yours enough?

I just want to buy two direct replacement, no modifications needed, Bilstein shocks (B6 or B4) for the rear of my AWD Volvo and so far, no dice.

That does not exist