RE: SOTW: Volvo 850 T5 estate

[sidaorb]

Used to get 12,000 miles on Yoko's with my T5R, well 5000 on the front and another 7000 when I dropped them on the back.

[MadDog1962]

I know two friends who've owned these back in the day,one in UK and the other in USA. Both loved them. I understand that there's surprisingly little torque steer considering there's 300bhp through the front wheels. Looks like a very nice and very practical shed. My only concern would be rubber costs. I wonder if you could fit smaller diameter rims off a lesser 850 to keep costs under control?

[tomv1to]

ALBA MELV said:

Cracking shed. Ideal for when you need to move wardrobes or coffins at 150mph!

Top Gear just purchased a green auto from a friend of mine for an upcoing "challenge" over in North Africa.

http://www.migweb.co.uk/forums/projects-restoratio...

Well thats broken his confidentiality agreement for him

[renmure]

This was mine. Nobody else has mentioned it, so maybe it was unique to this mine, but the heated seats were the hottest things ever!!

[Jimbo.]

renmure said:

This was mine. Nobody else has mentioned it, so maybe it was unique to this mine, but the heated seats were the hottest things ever!!

Busted on my 850, but it makes amends with an ex-Corus blast furnace for a heater...

[mgbond]

blade7 said:

On the twisty stuff ?

That I doubt but in a straight line it was mental.

Bondy

[Mr Pockets]

snowen250 said:

Does anyone know the average mpg for a standard one? My Octavia vrs does abput 30. Guessing this is worse? If not.....tempted!

I never measured the actual MPG, but its got an MPG counter on the little trip computer with 2 modes, current and average.
I averaged about 31 doing around 2/3rds motorway, 1/3rd a/b roads, driving gently. I never dared switching it to the current mpg mode, doing anything fun mad e bad things happen.

Have to say though, for something so ridiculously large they go round the corners rather well, in a somewhat clumsy "how is physics letting this happen?!" kind of way.

MadDog1962 said:

My only concern would be rubber costs. I wonder if you could fit smaller diameter rims off a lesser 850 to keep costs under control?

The 5-spokes off the majority of plain T5s are 16s, so pretty restrained compared to more modern stuff. Fairly high profile (205/55R16 I think rings a bell?) so were about £90 a corner for proper stuff or £70 odd for midrangey stuff like Kumhos, Falkens etc. when I had some fitted last year.

Edited by Mr Pockets on Sunday 12th August 01:21

[Baryonyx]

renmure said:

This was mine. Nobody else has mentioned it, so maybe it was unique to this mine, but the heated seats were the hottest things ever!!

What a beauty. Testament to how right Volvo got this design, how often do you look at an estate and go 'wow, what a looker'. It's a stunner from all angles.

[pSyCoSiS]

Thats a pretty cool shed.

I was only looking at these (albeit the T5-R versions) the other day.

Something really appealing about a slab-sided estate car that loves to shred it's tyres (even if it is the wrong tyres being shredded!).

[v8will]

Mr Pockets said:

The 5-spokes off the majority of plain T5s are 16s, so pretty restrained compared to more modern stuff. Fairly high profile (205/55R16 I think rings a bell?) so were about £90 a corner for proper stuff or £70 odd for midrangey stuff like Kumhos, Falkens etc. when I had some fitted last year.

Edited by Mr Pockets on Sunday 12th August 01:21

I got around 22mpg out of my manual saloon and a little less out of the auto estate which had a Rica chip fitted.

Tyre size was 205/50R16, a slightly less common size, I used Goodyears, around 90 quid a corner IIRC. Lasted around 5000 miles on the front.

Very underbraked car IMHO, I had the opportunity to get an indicated 155 during an out of country trip in my saloon, getting the speed off was interesting to say the least and I wouldn't have fancied much more than a few repeated heavy stops from speed.

Awesome cars but as I've already had 2 and they are very much 'old hat' I won't be revisiting ownership of one. Still have the borked engine block from my last one in the garage though, for sentimental reasons! (That engine produced the highlight of outdragging a very cheeky 968 driver, most amusingly I had a chest of drawers in the back as we were moving house at the time, and yes the Porsche was trying)

Edited by v8will on Sunday 12th August 11:43

[pSyCoSiS]

What sort of BHP do these have as standard?

[v8will]

pSyCoSiS said:

What sort of BHP do these have as standard?

225BHP for a standard T5, my saloon did 219 at the wheels on a dyno, plenty quick enough.

[Stedman]

V70 T5 has 240bhp.

Anywho, i'm awaiting confirmation from a volvo forum member to post up his dyno graph. I have a feeling you all my at it



It's had a few tweaks since then, should be over 400bhp now

Edited by Stedman on Sunday 12th August 20:02

[jellison]

I loved my BRG on alot taughter that the 2000 and up T5 I have no. Bit less power but power come in earlier.

Thing of getting my current one tweeked. Mrga tow cars.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Davie]

Amazing cars! Had an S70R, an ex-traffic 850 T5 estate and an 850R estate, the latter of which is now off to explore Africa with the Top Gear team. Alot of car for the cash, bombproof and surprisingly quick and equally quick at using all the petrol, as in ALL the petrol.

I'll have another again soon no doubt!

[ZesPak]

Tyrewrecker said:

Triumph Man said:

Christ what happened?

Looks like it hit a wall.

Yes, but how did that kill the suspension?

[Morningside]

The T5

I oh so nearly had one about a year back. It was 'out on loan' and the guy did not want to return it

I think this will be my next car when we go looking again.

[Geoffcapes]

I still remember the adverts in magazines for these.

"We're not trying to sell you this car. We're just letting you know it exists."

[zebedee]

jellison said:

I loved my BRG on alot taughter that the 2000 and up T5 I have no. Bit less power but power come in earlier.

Thing of getting my current one tweeked. Mrga tow cars.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Some of the words make sense. Not many though.

[rossmc88]

I love my V40 T4, you can't beat a fast volvo. The V40 T4 is just as fast as a T5R and a lot nimbler on the bends, it unbelievably has the same chassis as an evo 7!