Lowering Springs or Coilovers on a P1 Volvo? My Honest Take
Arch gap driving you mad on your C30, S40, V50 or C70? Here's my honest take on lowering springs vs coilovers for a P1 Volvo, what each is like to live with, and the supporting mods worth doing.
If you own a C30, S40, V50 or C70, there's a good chance the first thing that bugged you was the arch gap. From the factory, the P1 sits like it's waiting for a roof box, and dropping it is one of the most common first mods I see. The question I get asked more than almost any other is: should I go for lowering springs or coilovers?
There's no one right answer, but there is a right answer for you. Here's how I'd think about it, based on what we sell, what we've fitted to our own cars and what customers tell me after the fact.
Quick Comparison: Springs vs Coilovers on a P1
| Lowering springs | Coilovers | |
|---|---|---|
| Ride height | Fixed drop (our P1 springs are 30mm) | Adjustable, so you set the height |
| Dampers | Keep your existing shocks | Complete new spring and damper units |
| Adjustability | None | Height, and on most kits damping too |
| Cost | The cheapest way to lower a P1 | A bigger outlay |
| Best for | Daily drivers who want the arch gap gone and a firmer feel | People who want to tune the setup, go lower, or do track days |
| Supporting mods | Driveshaft spacers, shorter droplinks, camber arms worth looking at | Same again, plus correct setup is essential |
Lowering Springs: The Simple, Sensible Option
Springs are the easy win. You swap the standard springs for shorter, stiffer ones and keep your dampers. The car sits lower, the arch gap disappears and it feels tighter through the corners.
Our own ÄLG P1 Lowering Springs give a 30mm drop. They're made from high-tensile spring steel, powder coated against rust, and are designed to work with OEM Volvo shocks. Honestly, they're the best value way to lower a P1, and they're one of our best sellers for a reason.
A couple of things to be aware of:
- Fitment. Our springs are listed for the C30 and C70 (all models) and the S40 (all models except AWD). They don't fit the V50, though. The V50 is a heavier car, so it needs its own springs. For the V50 we stock V50/S40 30mm lowering springs for the 2.4, T5 and diesel models, and for the C70 there are 25mm front / 30mm rear springs for the 2.4 and T5. If you're not sure which suits your car, just ask.
- Your dampers matter. Springs are only as good as the shocks they sit on. If your dampers are tired, now's the time to replace them, because lower and stiffer springs will show up worn shocks pretty quickly.
- It's a fixed drop. What you get is what you get. For most people that's exactly the point.
Coilovers: When You Want Control
Coilovers replace the whole spring and damper with an adjustable unit. You can set the ride height where you want it and, depending on the kit, adjust the damping to suit the road or the track.
We stock BC Racing coilovers for the P1: the Volvo C30 BC Racing Coilovers and the S40/V50 BC Racing Coilovers. In my opinion they're the best value coilovers on the market, and we've run them on our own C30 for five years without a single issue. Their spare parts backup is brilliant too. If you break a spring or damage a top mount, you replace that part rather than binning the whole set.
The C30 kit comes in a few versions:
- V1/VM: normal style with a rubber front top mount. Fit and enjoy.
- BR/RA: normal style with a camber-adjustable pillowball front top mount.
- RM/MA: inverted front shock with a camber-adjustable pillowball top mount, for people who want to dial it in for track work.
Two things I always tell people buying coilovers:
- Set them up properly. Get the rear preload right and get a proper alignment afterwards. Badly set coilovers ride worse than standard suspension, and that's where most of the "coilovers are too harsh" stories come from.
- Protect them. UK roads mean salt and grime, so use a corrosion inhibitor on them when you fit them. We recommend ACF50.
So Which Should You Choose?
Here's my honest take:
- Go for springs if the car's a daily, you mainly want the arch gap gone and a sportier feel, and you'd rather spend the difference elsewhere. Pair them with good dampers and you've got a really nice road setup.
- Go for coilovers if you want to choose your ride height, you plan on going lower than a typical spring drop, you're doing track days, or you like fiddling with your setup.
For what it's worth, on a P1 that's mainly a road car, I'd go springs, good dampers, driveshaft spacers, droplinks and camber arms, and spend the rest on tyres. That setup transforms how the car feels without making it a chore on bad roads. If you're heading for the track or you already know you want it lower than a 30mm drop, then coilovers make more sense from the start, rather than buying springs and then replacing them later.
If you're building the car in stages, it's also worth reading our P1 Volvo T5 tuning stages guide, since how hard you're planning to push it should influence how far you go on suspension.
Don't Forget the Supporting Mods
Lowering a P1, whichever way you do it, changes the suspension and driveline geometry. These are the bits I'd look at alongside it:
- Driveshaft spacers. Lowering changes the angle the inner CV joints run at. Our Driveshaft Spacers help them out, and I've covered why in more detail in our driveshaft spacers blog post, so I won't repeat it all here.
- Shorter droplinks. Dropping the car puts the anti-roll bar at an angle. The Hardrace front droplink upgrade brings it back to neutral, and there are uprated rear droplinks too.
- Rear camber arms. Lowering springs add negative rear camber, which can eat the inside of your rear tyres. Our ÄLG Adjustable Camber Arms give up to -8 degrees of adjustment, so you can bring it back to sensible numbers for the road or go aggressive for track and show.
- Anti-roll bar and arms. If you want flatter cornering, the Hardrace Rear Anti-Roll Bar Kit is a two-hole adjustable bar, and the Hardrace P1 Uprated Front Lower Wishbones firm up the front end. The Roll Centre Adjusters are worth a look on lower cars too.
- Offset torque mount. It's not suspension as such, but once the chassis is tighter, a floppy engine mount is the next thing you notice. Our Billet Offset Torque Mount sorts that out.
And whatever you fit, get a proper alignment afterwards. Lowering always moves your toe and camber.
You can browse everything by model in our suspension collections: C30, S40, V50 and C70.
FAQ
Will lowering springs make my P1 ride too harsh? They'll be firmer than standard, that's part of the point, but on decent dampers a 30mm drop is a very livable daily setup. Harshness usually comes from worn shocks or going too low.
Do I need new shocks with lowering springs? Our springs are designed to work with OEM Volvo shocks, so you don't have to. But if your dampers have done big miles, I'd replace them at the same time.
How low can I go with coilovers? That depends on the kit and how you set it up, and going very low brings its own problems with geometry, tyre wear and clearance. If you want a specific height, drop me an email and I'll talk you through it.
Do I really need driveshaft spacers and droplinks when lowering? They're not legally required, but they're what we recommend alongside our springs, to help the inner CV joints and return the anti-roll bar to neutral. They're cheap insurance compared to replacing driveshafts.
Will I need an alignment after lowering? Yes. Always. Lowering changes your toe and camber, and skipping the alignment is the quickest way to wear out a set of tyres.
Still Not Sure?
If you're stuck between the two, just tell me what car you've got, what you use it for and what you're after, and I'll point you in the right direction. Drop me an email at sales@algperformance.co.uk.
Cheers, Sam