Saggy Wagon ...

[Sharkey]

I've got an 855R with Nivomats. I added the third seat and replaced the Nivomats with two good units that showed no signs of leakage and it still sags overnight. And of course if the kids are in the back it's fully compressed. What are my options? Is it worthwhile getting some stiffer rate springs or am I doomed to convert to standard struts and springs?

[shaun]

I've got an 855R with Nivomats. I added the third seat and replaced the Nivomats with two good units that showed no signs of leakage and it still sags overnight. And of course if the kids are in the back it's fully compressed. What are my options? Is it worthwhile getting some stiffer rate springs or am I doomed to convert to standard struts and springs?

Sorry if the nivomats you bought are not working, but when they work, they will pump up and raise the ride height to something approaching stock ride height even with a bunch of load. in my case 3 people and a full luggage area in the back of the wagon. But they do need to be driven down the road in order to pump up, it is a 100% mechanical system that is energized by movement.

when I pulled the nivomats and the associated springs out of my car, the nivomat springs are nowhere near the same wire diameter as the stock springs. There is no way stock springs are going to work with the nivomats.

I put in the bilstein sport gas shocks, whatever the are called, and the heavy duty stock volvo wagon specific springs. Thier are 3 spring rates for the 855s plus the nivomats. with the heavy duty springs and the bilstiens my car handles better than it did with the nivomats but is compromised when I have a big load in the car. Since i spend allot less time with a big load in the car than without it was a good compromise for me. But sometimes I wish the nivomats were still in there becuase when there is a big load the heradlights point to the heavens and the car gets pretty sloppy. I put the bilstien gas shocks in instead of koni sport adjust because gas shocks have significantly more compression resistance, effectively adding to the spring rate. It worked out pretty well. Very few junk yars are going to know that there are 4 spring rates available in 855s if you go that route. Eire volvo might know.... IPD makes an even higher spring rate rear spring for the 855 than the heavy duty volvo oem offering.