Nivomat Equipped 4Wd Wagon - Suspension Refresh Option?

[hk20000]

My 1997 Volvo 850 wagon has some really tired suspension, and on top of that the car originally came with Nivomat self-leveling system.

Now I don't really need a self leveling unit I don't carry a lot on a regular basis, and a Nivomat shock costs $270 a pop from rockauto. If I do that I might as well get a set of springs and some high performance shocks to refresh the suspension components and give it a nice drop while we are there. The Nivomat shocks themelves have a really strong rebound and it's part of what props the car up in wagons so equipped. It's supposed to sag less than 1" even when loaded with 300lb of load in the boot. That means if I just replace my dampers the springs alone will not be able to prop the car up, and the rear will sag a lot. In order to remove the Nivomat system from a wagon, a set of non-nivomat coil springs will also be installed. Since it's impossible to buy 1 pair of springs I'm stuck to buying a set of springs. And therefore might as well replace all 4 shock absorbers.

What kind of options do I have for this wagon? I want to know if there are some Volvo-specific brands I should also look out for.

From Tire Rack alone there are the following options:

Eibach Pro springs

H&R Sport springs

Koni Sport dampers

Koni FSD dampers

Koni FSD dampers and springs set

Koni STR street struts

KYB gas-a-shock OEM replacement

KYB GR-2 / Excel G shock

Bilstein HD shocks

Bilstein Touring Class

If I want heavy duty daily use on rougher paved roads and retain OEM-like comfort but with enhanced cornering and highway stability, which combination would you recommend? Discuss.

[CabanaFoghat]

Your options for the rear suspension are severely limited. I'd say stick with the Nivomats unless you feel like shelling out a few grand for Kaplhenke coilovers. I have some sort of Bilsteins on the front of my V70R and they ride just fine around the broken streets of Chicago.

If you just want lower there's the TME spring option but they're not exactly cheap either. http://www.vivaperformance.com/tme-lowering-springs-1998-2000-s-v70-r-awd-xc/

[hk20000]

don't regular wagons and nivomat wagons share the same spring perches? Can I not fit regular AWD wagon springs onto the car and then regular AWD wagon shock absorbers as well?

[CabanaFoghat]

You won't find an AWD V70 without Nivomats.

Your best bet would be Bilstein Tourings or Koni FSD's on the front with the TME springs all around. The Bilstein HD's tend to ride a bit harsh.

[lookforjoe]

To use anything other than a Nivomat, you need a shock with a custom base to attach to the AWD-specific control arms. So, TME spring set, with drop bolts for Nivo's, or Kaplhenke custom AWD setup.

None of the others you list actually produce anything for the AWD rear, I believe.

[burnout8488]

Your only option to eliminate Nivomat without spending a ridiculous sum of money is by getting a set of S70 AWD rear springs and shock absorbers. They are the only AWD vehicles to come with standard shocks and springs strong enough to support the rear end.

Shameless plug: I have the shocks (new), if you manage to source the springs.

[hk20000]

S70 rear springs would be somewhat sagging on the wagon wouldn't it? I would assume the generous greenhouse and extra sheet metal of the wagon is going to weigh a bit more?

[burnout8488]

Actually, there is a member on here (Username of Matt01 I believe?) that did the same setup and the back sits like factory. Apparently the rear of the wagon isn't much heavier than the S70 AWD and the height isn't affected at all.

Here is the thread, he has a picture of the height after the S70 springs and it looks perfect:

[Tyler T5R]

What is your total budget for the suspension refresh?

[hk20000]

I don't plan to spend a lot. The car has a lot of other areas of concern. Whether it ends up dropped or stock height is fine with me. Left rear is beginning to sag and heavily under damped and I wish to do this before it gets a lot worse.

[troyhyde]

I am not sure this is a direction you'd consider, but I'll throw it out there..... If you have other budgetary concerns weighing on you, you can probably pick up some used Nivomats for next to nothing in a salvage yard. Granted, you won't know the history (and potential lifespan left - if any) but it will be a very inexpensive experiment.

My local pick-n-pull had a XC in there about a month ago (not terribly common there, BTW). Shocks/struts are $6 each so.......yea........ cheap experiment........

I just bought an XC myself and in retrospect wish I would have snagged the rear Nivo's. Next time, my friend.....

[hk20000]

Well unfortunately salvage yards in Canada ask for way too much for what they have in stock.

Actually, there is a member on here (Username of Matt01 I believe?) that did the same setup and the back sits like factory. Apparently the rear of the wagon isn't much heavier than the S70 AWD and the height isn't affected at all.

Here is the thread, he has a picture of the height after the S70 springs and it looks perfect:

I'm going to try to go this route. I found a set of OEM Sachs shock absorbers via FCP for $299 for all 4 all around that is listed to fit a V70. I am looking for a rear spring off a 4WD S70 from the local yard and if they have them I sort of have this sorted?

Also I have found the following on FCP Euro parts:

Does this list look like a good start to copy what that guy has done to his AWD volvo? That's the shock recommended by the thread above and FCP happens to sell rear springs as well. I called the local dealership the OE part number 9173775 goes with either Nivomat or w/o nivomat....which is absolutely useless for my research.

[lookforjoe]

You can ONLY use rear shocks intended specifically for AWD - I think this has already been said. Forget any listings that do not specifically pertain to AWD rear.

This is really a maintance thread given that you are not planning any performance upgrade :-)

[burnout8488]

Yes, you need the rear springs from an S70 AWD, the V70 AWD ones are not correct if you're converting to shocks. The V70 only came equipped with Nivomats, you'll need to ask the dealer for S70 AWD springs if you want to buy them new.

I have the shocks.

PM me if interested.

But yes, even if your salvage yard is higher priced, the nivomats can't be too expensive. It'd save you a lot of work to just get 2 used ones, even if it was 40 or 50 bucks.

[hk20000]

Hello guys. I was wondering if mods might want to sticky this as this is usable for 1997 850 AWD (only 200 odd of them) and then all V70 AWDs with Nivomats. I have successfully deleted my Nivomat system and I am here to report back.

I based my swap mostly on the following post:

And I used the parts described herein:

Shocks: part #9461631

Springs: part #9203935

Strut top mount: part KYB SM5220 - from any FWD 850 or V70.

At the time of writing these parts are cheapest online via volvowebpartsstore, so the link above goes there. You can also obtain these parts from FCP, Tascaparts and other locations. So at about $200 a side the parts here came to about $400 and some for shipping. Notice this list is missing a crucial nut you will need to match up in a hardware store that sells metric nuts to fit the stud on the top of the shock. The nivomat nut is larger in diameter than the regular shock stud, so it cannot be reused.

This is what I gathered in the end. There is also the wheel bearing there too that I was going to do at the time I leased a shop to go at it.

This is a comparison of the free length of the shock vs the nivomat. Notice that the nivomat strut provides its own strut top by being larger than the hole where it fits, so a conventional strut top mount will need to be purchased, even if you think the nivomat mounts were in good shape.

Springs are slightly ever so different in length when freed from the car. -> That means you got the right spring!

Now for the actual assembly, we will refer to this diagram from Volvo for numbering the parts:

Let's get started on the assembly and points to notice:

To start off you take off the rear wheel and put the car on a hoist. (you cannot do this on a jackstand unless you also have a very deep pit and space for the nivomat struts to fall down through the lower control arm later)

1. remove the sway bar (gasps! only SOME models have this, so don't fret if you don't have any) end links on the control arm and free it up. It is held down by 15mm nuts you can access via the bottom of the control arm (11).
2. remove the 2 15mm nuts holding the nivomat strut in
3. remove the rear interior panels of your wagon.
4. remove the plate covering the original strut mounts of the nivomat struts, held in by 12mm screws.
5. once you have pried the plate apart, the nivomat strut is held on by 1 19mm nut. impact gun that away and the nivomat shock will fall neatly through a hole on the lower control arm (11) and onto the ground. Clear out all the old mounts and other debris that remain inside the hole you just opened up inside the cabin.
6. 
7. Then you start to unbolt the bottom bolt (12) on the rear knuckle that goes through the lower control arm (11) and then bolt (14) that goes into the trailing arm.
8. you don't need to undo trailing arm bolt (19) but I did anyway.
9. with lower control arm pushed down by your mate you can pry the spring top hat downwards.
10. You will notice that the upper spring top hat is only held in place by a stud in the subframe, so as long as you can get that much give the spring just comes out without any struggle.
11. Replace the springs, first sit the bottom into the lower control arm cup and then, with a crow bar fitted through the hole where the nivomat used to go, pry down the control arm further and fit the spring top hat into place.
12. use a transmission jack or any other method to hold the lower arm in the air, then lower the car until you can reinstall the lower knuckle bolt (12) and bolt (14) through again.
13. with the car now on the tarmac with wheels reinstalled, you fit the shock top mounts onto the new shock mounts and bolt it up with new hardware from the strut top kit. loosely attach a nut on the top of the shock inside the shock top mount first.
14. you might have to raise and lower the car a few times to sit the cup squarely into position while having the shock going through it as there will be some tension from the bushings. Guiding the shock top mount with a screw driver or a punch will be immensely useful.
15. The shock will spin freely even when all the weight is put on to the wheels and springs. The trick is to use an open end wrench and use a vice grip to stop the shock from spinning and then tighten it up all the way from inside the cabin.
16. the rest is the reverse of installation.

The whole process should take no more than an hour definitely less than 2 hours. Again, remember you need to have sufficient ground clearance to drop the nivomats through the control arms unlike the FWD models, so you probably want to do this at a shop with a hoist. Otherwise not immensely difficult or technical to do.

The final rideheight is as this picture shows:

And this is before, where the nivomats are sagging (not significantly, but the sight from behind is lop-sided) Most importantly there was no damping whatsoever so the nivomats had to go.

From here you can swap a FWD front strut and springs for some rake or leave it as it is. For me, because the front struts are in shambles I will be replacing those with FWD bits for the slight rake and I reckon that would help front end traction as well. I reckon if you want to cheap it out all the way then just drop out the nivomat struts and put in those shocks listed, and then put on FWD front struts in the car for a "balanced" height Front-to-back.

Overall the parts costed about 400 dollars with slightly increased amount of labour cost unless you are going to DIY using this tutorial but this is a much more effective way to fix your sagging 850/V70 than the $600 pair of new nivomats, which most people will not see a benefit of fitting them.

Hope this guide helps, and cheers.