Volvo C30 T5 suspension refresh
Discussion
I’ve had a great little C30 T5 manual for 5 years as my daily. It’s pretty much perfect in that role, a small compact coupe for me and occasionally the dog in the boot, sounds great, returns mid 30ish mpg and in a great colour.
It is only a 2 owner car with 113k miles, which I have serviced religiously over my ownership.
I was looking to change it but then watched this, which reinvigorated my enthusiasm for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D0y4f8LcfQ
However it does really need a suspension refresh and I have slightly ruined the ride going for Eibach springs, which also knocks out the lower arms etc due to suspension angles. Over time I have piecemeal replaced bits but with no plan. And I think my meddling has given it a shimmy under acceleration, although that may be a soft gearbox mount as many ST owners replace with a stiffer item.
Thus in a sell or keep moment, I think I’d like to do a proper job. The standard springs, which I still have, made it look like it is slightly on stilts.
Where do I start for a complete solution to make it useable but improve the current ride and handling? There doesn’t appear to be a Volvo C30 specialist as such but presumably, as it is the same platform as a Focus ST, the Ford performance specialists would be able to offer advice.
Any names of specialists or owners, who can assist or offer guidance would be greatly appreciated.
It is only a 2 owner car with 113k miles, which I have serviced religiously over my ownership.
I was looking to change it but then watched this, which reinvigorated my enthusiasm for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D0y4f8LcfQ
However it does really need a suspension refresh and I have slightly ruined the ride going for Eibach springs, which also knocks out the lower arms etc due to suspension angles. Over time I have piecemeal replaced bits but with no plan. And I think my meddling has given it a shimmy under acceleration, although that may be a soft gearbox mount as many ST owners replace with a stiffer item.
Thus in a sell or keep moment, I think I’d like to do a proper job. The standard springs, which I still have, made it look like it is slightly on stilts.
Where do I start for a complete solution to make it useable but improve the current ride and handling? There doesn’t appear to be a Volvo C30 specialist as such but presumably, as it is the same platform as a Focus ST, the Ford performance specialists would be able to offer advice.
Any names of specialists or owners, who can assist or offer guidance would be greatly appreciated.
I had a pre-facelift C30 T5 and the standard handling was so dreadful/wallowy that I had a kit ordered within a week of buying it.
It was a Koni STR.T kit of springs and dampers but it was a budget option and while the handling was significantly improved, and the overall ride quality not that bad at all, the dampers couldn't keep up with a bumpy B road taken at pace and seemed to get overwhelmed. So I'm not going to recommend it.
Without going down the coilover route, from what I can gather either Bilstein B8 dampers or Koni Special Active dampers could work with your Eibach springs but you really need to check on that. The B8s are probably going to be a bit firmer but might have tighter control.
The Koni Special Active might be the best option for ride quality and still handle much better than stock. They can be used with standard OE springs.
Whereas the B8s are designed for lowered springs I think, and Bilstein B6 should be used with standard springs.
From what I recall the facelift C30 T5 had different springs and sat a little bit lower that pre-facelift. Whether you can source those as a compromise between the Eibachs and the originals?
It was a Koni STR.T kit of springs and dampers but it was a budget option and while the handling was significantly improved, and the overall ride quality not that bad at all, the dampers couldn't keep up with a bumpy B road taken at pace and seemed to get overwhelmed. So I'm not going to recommend it.
Without going down the coilover route, from what I can gather either Bilstein B8 dampers or Koni Special Active dampers could work with your Eibach springs but you really need to check on that. The B8s are probably going to be a bit firmer but might have tighter control.
The Koni Special Active might be the best option for ride quality and still handle much better than stock. They can be used with standard OE springs.
Whereas the B8s are designed for lowered springs I think, and Bilstein B6 should be used with standard springs.
From what I recall the facelift C30 T5 had different springs and sat a little bit lower that pre-facelift. Whether you can source those as a compromise between the Eibachs and the originals?
Edited by WayOutWest on Thursday 2nd July 18:08
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