62 replies to this topic

[VolvoRacer850R]

Ok i have been reading a few posts on here and need a definite answer. Who has done stock front and 25mm rear? How much oversteer is expected? How twicht does the car become? I am going to be autocrossing the car and driving it to and from events not daily driving. I currently have H&R springs with sachs shocks and struts. After auto crossing the car last year I need to dial out a lot of understeer. The sway bar change seems to be the ticket. I was going to order the track kit however what i read it seemed i would get a better result stiffining up the rear. If im being a retard tell me. All suggestions are appriciated. Just dont be to harsh lol.

[gmsgltr]

I have ipd 25mm front and rear on a 855r with the front set to the loose setting and i have never been able to loose the rear unless its very wet out and 40+ mph and i just plow lol

for specifics, im no autocrosser... but i did the rear 25mm first with the stock 855r front and wasnt too impressed, i could feel the rear having less flex than the front and this is even more feasible on a wagon imo. then i put the front in a month later and that is where i noticed the biggest difference and not just with performance, also with going over small bumps etc. alongisde my sways i have tki endlinks and ipd blue springs and koni yellows all around

my car was twitchier with both 25's to answer that question

hope more experienced guys post here for ya as well...

[Zappo]

Ok i have been reading a few posts on here and need a definite answer. Who has done stock front and 25mm rear? How much oversteer is expected? How twicht does the car become? I am going to be autocrossing the car and driving it to and from events not daily driving. I currently have H&R springs with sachs shocks and struts. After auto crossing the car last year I need to dial out a lot of understeer. The sway bar change seems to be the ticket. I was going to order the track kit however what i read it seemed i would get a better result stiffining up the rear. If im being a retard tell me. All suggestions are appriciated. Just dont be to harsh lol.

You won't have any issues unless there is snow. You might be able to kick on the rear in a corner in the rain, but you have to try to do it.

That setup will work better for you in autocross. I assume you are not running an LSD, so the smaller bar in the front will help with traction in the corners. The rear will rotate better and you should feel the difference in turns.

I run 25/28, but I am manual swapped with LSD, so traction isn't an issue in a corner.

[gdizzle]

I use the stock bar w/ the 28mm rear bar. The car will oversteer if thrown into a corner hard. I also have #450 rear springs though.

[Fudge-Brownie]

Its really just a matter of personal preference. Ive got F&R 25mm sways, TKI endlnks ect ect. All I can say is the car is solid and turns in very well without a nervous arse end. And I push it hard in the corners.

[gdizzle]

Do you push it REAL hard?

[Zappo]

Its really just a matter of personal preference. Ive got F&R 25mm sways, TKI endlnks ect ect. All I can say is the car is solid and turns in very well without a nervous arse end. And I push it hard in the corners.

For autocross in a FWD car, you want the rear to be a little unstable because the car rotates better in tight turns. For the Volvo, anything you can do to make the turns faster is going to make an improvement. You seldom encounter a road course type turn.

[GltGreco]

Im running the stock front sway with the 23mm (I Believe) Ipd one in the rear along with Ipd springs all around. I have not had enough time behind the wheel since it was done to really get to know it but I can tell you that there is much less understeer for sure. I can get the tail to come out a little when I want, but only once have by accident when the road was still drying, so its is very manageable. I think with the nature of autocross setups having that extra help getting the car around helps.

[Fudge-Brownie]

For autocross in a FWD car, you want the rear to be a little unstable because the car rotates better in tight turns. For the Volvo, anything you can do to make the turns faster is going to make an improvement. You seldom encounter a road course type turn.

For sure.. that makes sense for autocrossing. I tried autocrossing a few times with FWD but much prefer road courses.

Do you push it REAL hard?

Only when your girl askes me.

Edited by dublin14, 31 January 2012 - 01:13 AM.

[Ian Carr]

I was running 25mm rear bar, stock front, kilen springs and sachs. The rear end was not twitchy, and the car held very well through tight corners. The 25mm rear bar was the biggest difference i have put into this car, only time i felt a little over steer is on wet/slippery long high speed corners specifically entrance and exit ramps on the highway

[Oreo931]

Running stock front T5R swaybar and rear iPd 25mm bar. Love it. With DIY coilovers my car handles exceptionally compared to stock. I don't find it twitchy at all.

[fivex84]

Stock front/25mm rear here. One of the best mods I've done on the car. Not really twitchy at all.

[VolvoRacer850R]

Thanks guys! thats kinda what i was getting from my research on here. the car needs to rotate better. I can only ajust my driving line so much to compensate. I have a manual swap but no LSD (yet). We run a very tight course and need more rotation for sure. When i called IPD about ordering just the rear bar the guy on the phone sounded scared that i would leave the front bar stock. The car never sees snow any longer, so that shouldnt be an issue. the IPD guy made it sound like running that setup would be like putting fast food trays under the rear tires and locking the parking brake haha. I may switch the Sachs out with Koni yellows
to add some firmness and ajustability but for now its looking like the Sachs. Any more info you guys can provide would be great. So far this has helped a ton. I'm going to probably end up heading in this direction.

[andyb5]

You might want to read this thread.

[Zappo]

Thanks guys! thats kinda what i was getting from my research on here. the car needs to rotate better. I can only ajust my driving line so much to compensate. I have a manual swap but no LSD (yet). We run a very tight course and need more rotation for sure. When i called IPD about ordering just the rear bar the guy on the phone sounded scared that i would leave the front bar stock. The car never sees snow any longer, so that shouldnt be an issue. the IPD guy made it sound like running that setup would be like putting fast food trays under the rear tires and locking the parking brake haha. I may switch the Sachs out with Koni yellows
to add some firmness and ajustability but for now its looking like the Sachs. Any more info you guys can provide would be great. So far this has helped a ton. I'm going to probably end up heading in this direction.

It isn't that big of a deal. In fact, if you could find one you might actually like the 28mm rear if the course is that tight, but they are rare. With the 25mm you won't notice a problem under normal driving. I would buy the bar and have fun.

Coilovers tend to even things out so running a stock front with 28mm rear with coilovers is not the same as without. Danny ran that setup a few years ago on his S70.

Save up for the LSD.

[_HighVoltage_]

Very interesting topic. So what setup would you guys recommend for spirited mountain road driving? As it is, I'm running Bilstein HD's with slightly lowering springs (probably less than 2 inch drop from stock). Every time I go out driving for fun, I find the rear to be a little...vague. There is not a lot of feel of what's going on there, and I would like to add some stability and stiffness to the rear end. (Almost totaled it once on a semi-snowed in turn when the back started stepping out...)

Would rear 25mm sway with stock front make it feel better and more stable, or should I do sways both front and rear?

[Fishey]

I can imagine taking my 850-T5R out in an autocross it would go something like this...

I HATE THIS CAR...
INSIDE WHEEL SPIN!
I HATE THIS CAR...
I HATE THIS CAR....
GOD PLEASE WHY AM I DOING THIS I NEED TO RETHINK MY LIFE CHOICES
MORE INSIDE WHEEL SPIN
I HATE AUTOCROSS
I HATE AUTOCROSS

FUCK IT IM ENDING MY LIFE

[Zappo]

FUCK IT IM ENDING MY LIFE

We could only hope.

As usual, Fishy is no help at all.

Very interesting topic. So what setup would you guys recommend for spirited mountain road driving? As it is, I'm running Bilstein HD's with slightly lowering springs (probably less than 2 inch drop from stock). Every time I go out driving for fun, I find the rear to be a little...vague. There is not a lot of feel of what's going on there, and I would like to add some stability and stiffness to the rear end. (Almost totaled it once on a semi-snowed in turn when the back started stepping out...)

This setup would be a little different from autocross. In this case I would go with both the front and rear because you don't want the rear sliding out at all.

[550]

Ok i have been reading a few posts on here and need a definite answer. Who has done stock front and 25mm rear? How much oversteer is expected? How twicht does the car become? I am going to be autocrossing the car and driving it to and from events not daily driving. I currently have H&R springs with sachs shocks and struts. After auto crossing the car last year I need to dial out a lot of understeer. The sway bar change seems to be the ticket. I was going to order the track kit however what i read it seemed i would get a better result stiffining up the rear. If im being a retard tell me. All suggestions are appriciated. Just dont be to harsh lol.

Runnin 25 rear, stock front. Car is pretty well balanced, if you turn proper you won't have much plowing. I am however running KW var 2's though, so that changes things. I also run 215/40 on 8" wide rims for the added stiffness on the sidewall.

[VolvoRacer850R]

I can imagine taking my 850-T5R out in an autocross it would go something like this...

I HATE THIS CAR...
INSIDE WHEEL SPIN!
I HATE THIS CAR...
I HATE THIS CAR....
GOD PLEASE WHY AM I DOING THIS I NEED TO RETHINK MY LIFE CHOICES
MORE INSIDE WHEEL SPIN
I HATE AUTOCROSS
I HATE AUTOCROSS

monkey IT IM ENDING MY LIFE

It actually held up pretty well, consider this a pontiac 6.0 GTO ran a 59.5 I ran a 59.9 . Best time was a corvette on slicks with a driving instructor which ran a 54.7. Its not a terrible car it'snot perfect but its fun. Until i can buy a real race car i'm doing best i can with what i have. One day maybe.... lots of liquor stor robberies for that to happen.

thanks Zappo for the help. any other car setup or autocross advice you have keep it coming . Aside from LSD and slicks. Anyplace good to buy used tires? Know anyone who might have a sway bar for sale? If i can get a deal i'm all about it. IPD quoted me $235 for just the rear bar. thanks guys you have been very helpful.