How can I sort my Volvo XC40's hard suspension?
I have owned a 2022 XC40 T3 Inscription for 6 months. The car has 18" wheels with 235/55R18 tyres. I run them at the recommended 33psi all round.
On a decently surfaced main road the handling is excellent, the car feels solid and stable, it goes where I point it and the ride is comfortable. However I live in London where road humps and potholes are everywhere, and the car crashes and lurches alarmingly in town unless I drive really carefully, it's not much fun for the rear passengers either. The main issue is the unloaded rear suspension, which feels much harder than it needs to be. At the front, the mass of the engine helps to reduce the road shocks transmitted through the body and the suspension flexes usefully.
I notice that when the boot is loaded with a few bags of gravel things are much better, but this is impractical in the long term as well as making an already thirsty car even less economical.
I doubt that changing the wheel size down to 17" would make more than a marginal difference, and the cost would be substantial.
I half-remember a brand of shock absorber which had a screwdriver-adjustable damping rate but forget the brand. Do you think this might be a way forward? Do you have any other suggestions please?
I like almost everything else about the car, but the hard ride is literally jarring.
On a decently surfaced main road the handling is excellent, the car feels solid and stable, it goes where I point it and the ride is comfortable. However I live in London where road humps and potholes are everywhere, and the car crashes and lurches alarmingly in town unless I drive really carefully, it's not much fun for the rear passengers either. The main issue is the unloaded rear suspension, which feels much harder than it needs to be. At the front, the mass of the engine helps to reduce the road shocks transmitted through the body and the suspension flexes usefully.
I notice that when the boot is loaded with a few bags of gravel things are much better, but this is impractical in the long term as well as making an already thirsty car even less economical.
I doubt that changing the wheel size down to 17" would make more than a marginal difference, and the cost would be substantial.
I half-remember a brand of shock absorber which had a screwdriver-adjustable damping rate but forget the brand. Do you think this might be a way forward? Do you have any other suggestions please?
I like almost everything else about the car, but the hard ride is literally jarring.
Asked on 27 July 2026 by Cameron Hills
Answered by
David Ross
All car suspension systems are a matter of compromise, and the fact that your car rides better when there is additional load in the rear shows that a small change can have a significant effect on how it drives. One option would be to change the specification of the coil springs and/or dampers, but the issue with this is that because the XC40 is not typically a car that attracts the attention of the modifying community there are limited options available, and those that are on the market are designed to make the ride firmer with a lower ride height rather than making it softer.
A full suspension kit which includes coilover dampers and springs with adjustable settings would give you more flexibility to set the ride height and the damping rate, but these are also expensive - a BC Racing coilover kit for your XC40 is priced at £999, to which you would need to add fitting and likely setting up by a specialist if you are not confident of doing this yourself. You would also need to declare this as a modification to your insurers, which could result in an increased premium.
The easiest method to improve the ride quality would be to change the wheels and tyres. While this is not a cheap option, you could source a set of 17-inch OEM wheels secondhand as well as selling your 18-inch wheels to offset some of the outlay. From the factory the 17-inch wheel option wore 235/60R17 tyres, so this is a taller sidewall compared to your 235/50R18s and would contribute to increased bump absorption and better ride quality. There is no perfect solution even with a substantial financial outlay, but a change of wheels and tyres is the most straightforward option, easily reversible and is much easier to do yourself than the alternatives.
A full suspension kit which includes coilover dampers and springs with adjustable settings would give you more flexibility to set the ride height and the damping rate, but these are also expensive - a BC Racing coilover kit for your XC40 is priced at £999, to which you would need to add fitting and likely setting up by a specialist if you are not confident of doing this yourself. You would also need to declare this as a modification to your insurers, which could result in an increased premium.
The easiest method to improve the ride quality would be to change the wheels and tyres. While this is not a cheap option, you could source a set of 17-inch OEM wheels secondhand as well as selling your 18-inch wheels to offset some of the outlay. From the factory the 17-inch wheel option wore 235/60R17 tyres, so this is a taller sidewall compared to your 235/50R18s and would contribute to increased bump absorption and better ride quality. There is no perfect solution even with a substantial financial outlay, but a change of wheels and tyres is the most straightforward option, easily reversible and is much easier to do yourself than the alternatives.
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