Volvo RWD 140-160 Forum

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How about independant rear suspension? 140-160

Hello everyone,

After spending the day at PIR saterday and checking a few items under my car sunday I had a crazy idea. I am wondering if anyone has ever considered, or better yet installed, an independant rear suspendion system on a 140 series Volvo? Mostly a long term dream for me but who knows I might actually try it some day. Just wanted to get some feedback from the best group of experts I know!

Thanks,
Wayne








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    How about independant rear suspension? 140-160

    Thanks for all the responces. The rear end I WAS considering would come from a E30 series BMW. Yes, it was mostly one of those, oooo this could be really fun and interesting to get working, ideas. I doubt it will ever actually come about as there are always plenty of more fesable projects to be done on my beloved 145.


    Dennis,
    When are we getting together to talk Volvo's and go for a ride??? It would be great to see you!!

    Wayne








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    How about independant rear suspension? 140-160

    The 140 rear suspension is probably the best live axle set up there ever was, only downside to it is that it's a bit weak when subject to high torque inputs from a tough engine. I frequently stretched the end of my torque rods in to egg shapes with my mild 164.

    The other problem is that most IRS rears aren't actually as good as the 140's! You'd have to look at a Porsche 911 rear or it's VW Type 3 equivalent (same geometry) to get an improvement.








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    How about independant rear suspension? 140-160

    Hey Wayne -
    You have an idea what I've been doing w/ Madeline (my 145).
    I've considered numerous hot rod "options" to address many of the issues related to the build. One of those considerations was IRS - ruled out pretty quickly. I'm going w/ a 9" ford disc rear end. 9" ford is MUCH cheaper than other options. As this has been the rearend of choice for rodders/customizers of RWD vehicles, there is a lot of info to be found.
    Hope that helps some,

    Cheers!
    Dennis








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    How about independant rear suspension? 140-160

    With all due respect, I'm thinking the last 5 words of your first sentence are more accurate than you could ever imagine. :-)

    Seriously, this would be an expensive undertaking that could result... nay, most likely would result... in an ill-handling piece of crap, unless you know a good chassis engineer that will spend the time and effort to make sure what you're installing is carefully matched to what you already have (the front suspension package). I'm not talking just spring rates and sway bars here - roll centers, camber gain, and all that other stuff that has to be right with a capital "R", or you risk ending up with a nightmare.

    And incidentally, even if done correctly, this is not an automatic 2 or 3 second reduction in lap times. If IRS were a handling cure-all, the 142 with it's live rear axle would be an also-ran against all the IRS-equipped cars in SCCA ITB racing. For instance, the BMW 2002's and 320i's (running at lower weights than the Volvo, BTW) do not exactly run and hide from the 140... the cars are very evenly matched in ITB.
    --

    Gary L - 1971 142E ITB racer, 73 1800ES, 02 S60 T5
    BlueBrick Racing








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      How about independant rear suspension? 140-160

      What GaryL said. The 140 has a very well located rear axle--why mess with it and ruin a good car. If you do track days the biggest bang for the buck you can do is mount a set of proper race tires. I don't know if it's still the case but the track record at Watkins Glen in ITB class is held by a 140.








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        How about independant rear suspension? 140-160

        I'm afraid the ITB lap record at Watkins Glen is no longer held by a Volvo; it was reset fairly recently, as was the Volvo-held record at Laguna Seca. But the ITB record on the full course at Virginia International Raceway is still held by a 142E (by my car, driven by the previous owner), and I chalked up a new ITB lap record at Hallett during the April 2007 SCCA race.
        --

        Gary L - 1971 142E ITB racer, 73 1800ES, 02 S60 T5
        BlueBrick Racing







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