Has anyone tried Gabriel ultra or Monroe sensa-trac?
They are pretty cheap,are they at all worthy?

I have two '95 960's (same suspension as S/V90) and have installed the Monroe struts on both. To me, they feel slightly stiffer than the OEM Volvo parts. I have about 25,000 miles on one set and about 45,000 miles on the other; both are still working great. Personally, I like the Monroe struts better, but go with your gut instincts as to which you'd be most comfortable with for the long haul.

I went with the Monroe's and am happy with them.Thanks for the info.

I replaced these on my '95 960 with the Volvo parts. These are ~$110 each. I can tell you that stamped on the side of the housing was "Monroe". I did a Google search on 'monroe sensatrac' and saw that these are approximately ~$110 each.

Is this about the price you fine on the Monroe's? If so, then why not just get the Volvo factory replacement part?

I can also say that I am virtually certain that you will also need to replace the rubber boot at the top as well as the bump stop, so you should factor that into the job as well. FCP sells a nice boot/bump stop unit for ~$12 each.

If you search advance auto parts you will find monroe sensatrac for $68.00 ea.Thanks for the info on the bump and the boot,I have been very happy with fcp which is where I will be getting the other parts involved,it's just that if I can get the struts locally for 68 bucks I thought it might save on shipping etc.

I put some monroes on the back of my V90. Changed the handling completely. Before you go all out with the shocks, you might want to do the bounce of the front bumper test. IF your shocks prove good, then you're probably due for new control arm bushings. I put febi-bilsteins into mine, and it got rid of a lot of body roll.

the front of my car is sagging and rubbing the tires,this begun shortly after having the rear struts and springs replaced by previous owner.I intend to replace the front springs,spring seats,strut bearings,struts,strut caps and sway bar links.I am shocked at vast range in strut prices the Monroe and Gabriel being the cheapest,If they are junk I don't want to waste my time and $$.
you say Monroes changed the handling completely? was this in a good way?
Thanks for the info

There was a lot of slop in the way the backend of my car handled in a turn. Don't ask why, but on my way home from sears (where I got them installed), I realized on the offramp near my house just how much understeer I had been experiencing before. I guess the car had so much body roll in non-braking turns that it just pushed its way through the ramp. Much better!

If the front end is sagging, your springs are letting you down (or broken!).
I would surmise the car was driven hard or on rough roads a lot (or both); the front end probably needs a reconditioning and definitely check the springs.

If someone did the rears and didn't notice what I suspect might be a broken spring up front, shame on them...it could be a dangerously damaged front suspension.

I would get front mounts, struts, springs, bump stop/boots, and set them all up so you don't even have to worry about a spring compressor to disassemble the old units (you'll need one to put the new stuff together); it sounds like there is nothing worth saving there if it's as badly worn as I suspect.

I'd also strongly suggest new front end bushings, an alignment (as part of the strut replacement), and having the alignment shop confirm that all your work has completely fixed the front end's problems.

Honestly, if the wheels are rubbing the fenders often in regular driving, the suspension is dangerous.

Ben

er...having digested my cup of coffee and reread your post; realized what I described is exactly what you are doing. I missed the part about replacing the springs and thought you were only doing the struts...d'oh! Got all fired up for nothing.

Ben

I just changed the struts out in my '97 960. Bought OEM volvo units from FCP Groton. I was getting a "hammering" sound from the front end while driving. The new struts cleared that all up. I believe they were the original struts on the car (128k!).

Can't remember what I paid for them -- you can check at fcpgroton.com.

Farily easy job. I highly recommend it. Make sure you have a good spring compressor --- these coil springs are LONG and you only have the room to grab hold of the bottom four or so of the coils. And be careful.

BTW --- I also replaced my strut bushings (yellow plastic / black plastic bearing ring that sits in the top of the coil spring). My originals seemed fine, but I bought the parts, so I replaced them anyway.