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Rear spring replacement 700

my 1998 740 turbo wagon I've been slowly replace old part from bumper to bumper with 240.000 mile on the car. Replace all the shocks only to find the rear springs were so beat due to original shocks being weak. Since I have a tow bar that I pull a 4x8 trailer with, the back bumper seems to low and doesn't handle the weight too good when stop and go with a load. Nothing dangerous, but up and down of the rear of the car.....Decided on new springs and found IPD parts sale has a sale on there heavy duty springs. Now the car sits at the proper height and with a 300lb more load increase. Feel real tight in handling without the rear up and down breaking force. I would recommend these springs as the best upgrade for our classic 740 wagons...Feels like it should.








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    Rear spring replacement 700

    Well after the challenge of trying to figure out why my fender height was different on the rear axle. Well ! 15 gallons of gasoline is over 100 lbs.. I check the fender height with around three gallons in the tank and found the wheel/ fender height to be exactly the same. Thought it was the Fuel tank on the driver side weighing the car down. Adjustable panhard rod set my axle center after heavy duty springs. Realigned the front steering again since the rear axle was off center. Rides and track beautifully now. Corners well with the front strut bar. Much different car now.








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    Rear spring replacement 700

    Well after the challenge of trying to figure out why my fender height was different on the rear axle. Well ! 15 gallons of gasoline is over 100 lbs.. I check the fender height with around three gallons in the tank and found the wheel/ fender height to be exactly the same. Thought it was the Fuel tank on the driver side weighing the car down. Adjustable panhard rod set my axle center after heavy duty springs. Realigned the front steering again since the rear axle was off center. Rides and track beautifully now. Corners well with the front strut bar. Much different car now.








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    ipd overload coils 700

    The ipd overload coils that are currently on sale fit both 740 and 940 wagons. Overload coils for 740/940 sedans, however, are seemingly no longer available. Overload coils for the 140/240 sedans are still available and are also currently on sale. Ones for the 140/240 wagons are also still available, but at regular price.

    I can personally recommend them for people who haul more than the occasional heavy load, especially with wagons or heavy trailer loads. I had them in my 240 wagon and when I got my 940T wagon as my main hauling machine I immediately put them in. Keeps the ride noticeably more level which means the car handles much more normally when heavily loaded, you don't blind people at night with your raised lights, you won't bottom the suspension out as easily on bad roads and there is less bouncing around from the rear with a bucking heavy loaded trailer.

    Yes, when the car is lightly loaded they are noticeably stiff over parking lot speed bumps and do not at all contribute to a soft ride in the rear, but for all the hauling I do I wouldn't trade them. If I found another set for dirt cheap I'd probably put them in our other 940 wagon, but the need for ride comfort there is just as important.

    There may be cheaper heavy duty aftermarket coils, but these progressively wound overload coils were specially developed by and manufactured for ipd. In the Volvo world, ipd got their start over 50 years ago developing performance components, most famously their ipd sway bars for the 140 and 240 series, so you know these overload coils are a bit more than just thicker metal. As I recall way back when I visited ipd in Portland, they also operated an RV/trailer suspension manufacturing operation next door.

    One caution, although ipd has always advertised that their overload coils add 300 lbs to your carrying capacity (which is like a 30% increase), their word won't mean anything without a DOT certificate if you're ever pulled over for an inspection because your underinflated tires were bulging out under a load of drywall on the roof and bags of concrete in the rear. What matters legally is your rated GVW and maximum permissable axle weights as determined by Volvo and DOT guidelines -ref. owner's manual specifications for your year, model, configuration and market jurisdiction.

    As an aside, whereas many, including me, found that ipd sways provided much better handling on things like twisty mountain roads in the top heavy 140/240 bricks, the improvements in the better balanced 740s/940s are less noticeable. Still, having enjoyed them in my 240, I didn't hesitate to put them in my 940T along with the overload coils when I first got it. Makes twisty mountain driving a little more sure footed and likely makes a fair bit of difference when my heavily loaded trailer is trying to wag my rear end.

    Just my 2 cents.
    --
    Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now








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    Rear spring replacement 700

    1989 740...








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      Rear spring replacement 700

      Glad to hear the behavior improved with the new springs. How different does it feel when it's not loaded with any weight?








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        Rear spring replacement......Dorvin. 700

        The ride is tight. Stiffness on the road seems to be slightly noticeable. Empty Volvo wagon are like that...Best improvement is hauling a trailer. With 300lb increase in load carrying, my trailer now does what the car tells it, without question. No more rear up and down bumper when breaking the load. Lets just say, with two people in the front, three in the middle and two children in the very back cargo fold up seat, I'm very sure the car will not sagg in the rear and handle without roll. And still haul a trailer now with these springs. It's a wagon, so why not improve the load carry with a better spring....IPD is great quality and the spring are fully painted to last from rust. $99 on sale now.The other beautiful thing about the replacing these springs, it's only two bolt and a floor jack....If I owned another 740 wagon, it would get these same springs. Get a sedan for a sedan ride comfort. My car had 240000 mile and worn shocks so the springs were well worn. No way to really know the original ride, but I'm thinking probably a slightly bit stiffer with the IPD springs. I like the feeling of how tight the rear axle response is. I do get a slight clunk sometimes, but I think it's the drag link bushings on the axle tube. Not real bad but there. New bushings should remediate the very slight movement. Old Brick Rolling.







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