"chased" by Volvo V70 - update V40 T4

[Ian Geary]

I was driving along some twisty country lanes today, NSL but some fairly blind bends, following another car.

A black volve estate appears behind me, lights on, bloke driving who wasn't in police uniform btw. It was fairly new - 54 reg or so.

He then sits on my bumper for 2 miles, until we both turn off a different route from the slower car.

So I take the chance to put some "distance" between us, and shoot of up to about 70ish.

Now this car isn't that far behind - certianly no more than 5 or 10 car lenghts, and is keeping pace pretty well.

I now realise that my car can't cope with over 70 on country lanes - each bump was sending it all over the carriage way, and with on coming traffic I had to slow back to under 60.

by this time the volvo is back on my bumper....

when safe I repeated the above a few times - I could get away for a few seconds, but ultimately there's only so fast you can go before the ride and road holding got unsafe, and this Volvo was pretty rapid to be fair.

eventually we came into a 40, then 30, so I decided to call it quits and stick to the speed limit (in other words, conceeding my car couldn't out drive his)

I'll have to put it down to worn suspension and lack of suspension electronics, but I think I'll have a look at tyre pressures and suspension softness this weekend...

Ultimately, the roads aren't the place to test performance, but I guess it comes down to who's prepared to speed the most.

I was upset that the handling on my "sports" car was outclassed by an estate though

Update - the car owner is only in the next street - saw it today and its a R reg V40 T4: 200bhp and 0-60 in 7.7.... on paper at least.

Ian

[JohnnyC]

I was outclassed by a Civic Type-R today, his car was capable of 50mph+ while mine would only do an indicated 30-35mph - in the 30zone we were in.

[James Junior]

Don't underestimate Volvo's!

My old man had an ex police interceptor, a T5 on a P plate - it was a weapon!

[PJ3074]

Don't underestimate Volvo's!

My old man had an ex police interceptor, a T5 on a P plate - it was a weapon!

It may look like a box but its an Exocet Missle of a box! Had my first ride in a T5 back in the mid-90's doing 140mph up Hill (in the passenger seat which is worse as you have no control and sensation of speed is greater....just a shame I solied a nice pair of Levis)

[Lauren]

Don't underestimate Volvo's!

My old man had an ex police interceptor, a T5 on a P plate - it was a weapon!

I saw a T5 go round Combe once... it looked absolutely awful on the corners, was a bit too barge like.

Great for the SLJ... but I do wonder if this is why some police switched to BMWs.

[Si_Crewe]

Same thing happened to me last winter.

It's dark, wet, the roads are covered in leaves and there's a Citroen Saxo in front doing 20mph on a twisty 60mph road with a Volvo T5 behind it.
I catch up and, knowing there's a bit of a straight around the next bend, I ease off then boot it so I come out of the corner going a fair bit faster than the other 2. The road's clear so I overtake.
Hehe, score one for me, I snigger to myself.

The road's twisty up ahead but I must've hacked off the Volvo driver cos I can see him overtaking the Saxo along the twisty lanes.
Next thing he's behind me then he passes me on a blind bend. Nutter!

I let him go but I kinda kept an eye on how far in front of me he was and tried to maintain the same (500-odd metre) gap but it quickly became apparent that I was pushing the front going into corners and sliding the back coming out of corners.

I dunno if he was a particularly good driver or whether the car was much better or whether he was simply unaware of how treacherous the road surface was.
I used to have a mate like that. He used to drive a clapped-out old Fester around at speeds that'd amaze Scooby pilots.
He wasn't a "good" driver. He just didn't realise how often he was right at the limit of grip in the car and, fortunately, it was very forgiving when he did overcook it.

Anyway, whatever the reason, I didn't have a hope of keeping up. If I'd REALLY wellied it in on the straights I probably could have clawed the gap back but the point was really to maintain my distance through the corners and I just didn't have a hope.

TBH, I DO enjoy the way the MR2 handles. The light nose is very sharp and it's a car that's very easy to point and squirt but, along an average country road, I am convinced my diesel BMW is faster.
In a Mk2 MR2 I always look at the speedo and find I'm going slower than I expect.
In the BMW the opposite is usually true.

[mattcambs]

I think you're spot on Si. mk2s are no good on bumpy roads. Well saying that, mk2s on uprated suspension are no good on bumpy roads.

My mate is borrowing a standard rev3 tubby from the garage who are working on his car. He let me drive it the other day and I took it down a nice, but very bumpy country NSL. Now compared to my rev3 which is on Tein HAs, this thing took the bumps in its stride, whereas in mine you're hanging on for dear life sometimes with all that bump steer!

[Tiamat]

Don't underestimate Volvo's!

My old man had an ex police interceptor, a T5 on a P plate - it was a weapon!

I saw a T5 go round Combe once... it looked absolutely awful on the corners, was a bit too barge like.

Great for the SLJ... but I do wonder if this is why some police switched to BMWs.

They actually handle quite well on the corners considering. Plus they are quite easy to "breath on" and get some extra ponies.

My old man had a T5 and it was damn scary, quick in a straight line and very good through the corners considering.

[Si_Crewe]

My mate is borrowing a standard rev3 tubby from the garage who are working on his car. He let me drive it the other day and I took it down a nice, but very bumpy country NSL. Now compared to my rev3 which is on Tein HAs, this thing took the bumps in its stride, whereas in mine you're hanging on for dear life sometimes with all that bump steer!

At the risk of sending this wayyyy off topic, I have coil-over-dampers fitted to my 911 and, at the time, I had a Peugoet 405 as my daily driver car.

When I fitted the new shocks to the 911 I used to give myself a reality check by driving the 911 around local country lanes and then driving the pug over the same route.

I found that it was quite easy to assume the 911 was faster (especially with a 400bhp turbo engine kicking you along the straights) but, if you check things like corner speed objectively you usually find the standard car is actually quicker.

You really have to work hard to set a road car up so after-market shocks are better than the factory set-up.

A few days ago I got a lift to a garage in a mates Megane which has been built as a "fast road" car and, without wishing to be nasty, the handling is like sitting in a bag of spanners.
It crashes through pot-holes, skips across the road when it hits a bump, it's nervous and twitchy and I'd bet that it'd also spin easier than a standard one due to poor weight transfer during cornering.

I'm sure a car like that would be fine as a track weapon but for the road it's huge overkill IMO.

Not saying all 2's fitted with coil-overs ARE like that, mind you. Just pointing out that it's easy to get carried away with the whole "firm ride" thing and end up ruining the car.

[mattcambs]

The only coilovers I'd consider for the mk2 are Tein Super Streets (the HAs came on my car) and even they won't be quite as compliant as stock springs - the body control is much better, though so they're a great upgrade on the whole.

[Mike]

My Tein Super Streets are fantastic, the road holding is so much better than the GABs it had on it before. Even on the very hardest setting the car feels smooth and composed. Only one stretch of road unsettles it and thats the B193/194/198 that crosses a load of drainage ditches in deepest darkest Norfolk.

[ChrisT]

Don't underestimate Volvo's!

My old man had an ex police interceptor, a T5 on a P plate - it was a weapon!

They really are. My dad's got a T5 right now. Looks like a brick but flies when you boot it!

[mr2nut123]

My mate is borrowing a standard rev3 tubby from the garage who are working on his car. He let me drive it the other day and I took it down a nice, but very bumpy country NSL. Now compared to my rev3 which is on Tein HAs, this thing took the bumps in its stride, whereas in mine you're hanging on for dear life sometimes with all that bump steer!

At the risk of sending this wayyyy off topic, I have coil-over-dampers fitted to my 911 and, at the time, I had a Peugoet 405 as my daily driver car.

When I fitted the new shocks to the 911 I used to give myself a reality check by driving the 911 around local country lanes and then driving the pug over the same route.

I found that it was quite easy to assume the 911 was faster (especially with a 400bhp turbo engine kicking you along the straights) but, if you check things like corner speed objectively you usually find the standard car is actually quicker.

You really have to work hard to set a road car up so after-market shocks are better than the factory set-up.

A few days ago I got a lift to a garage in a mates Megane which has been built as a "fast road" car and, without wishing to be nasty, the handling is like sitting in a bag of spanners.
It crashes through pot-holes, skips across the road when it hits a bump, it's nervous and twitchy and I'd bet that it'd also spin easier than a standard one due to poor weight transfer during cornering.

I'm sure a car like that would be fine as a track weapon but for the road it's huge overkill IMO.

Not saying all 2's fitted with coil-overs ARE like that, mind you. Just pointing out that it's easy to get carried away with the whole "firm ride" thing and end up ruining the car.

Have to agree, drove mr2s with aftermarket suspension claiming better handling and I find them skitish and slower in corners, and they weren't cheap ebay stuff. My standard suspension is amazing and I put more confidence into it even with my nankang tyres