Hello everyone,

So I'm new to not only this forum but Volvo's in general. For the longest time I was a strictly American domestic car guy. I wouldn't touch anything that wasn't one of the big three (GM, Ford, Mopar). Now I bought a 2001 S40 last weekend and my wife gave me the green light to tweak it a lil bit. I'm looking for basic stuff such as intake, exhaust, header. However I think I may want to start messing with the turbo. This is the first car I've ever owned that was turbo so I'm not all that knowledgeable on them. I do however have a slight understanding of them and could very easily read up on them. So all of this being said, I'm reaching out to you more experienced and knowledgeable guys for advice on what parts and pieces would be good for gains, both in power and mpg. I don't have an unlimited budget but I do have a couple hundred or so that I can play with right now. So any help would be appreciated and I look forward to reading some responses. Thank you.

 

See the similar post from PattonVolvo with some ideas and after market parts.

My suggested order of upgrades would be as follows:

1. Upgrade wheels tires. You can find factor 16 wheels from the 2003/4s for a good price

2. Upgrade rear sway bar. This will balance the handling to more neutral without stiffening the front.

3. reprogram the ECU. A "reflash" of the ECU is a fast way to add 35-40 HP.

4. add a KN free flow filter

5. add a larger/free flow downpipe (helps the turbo spool up faster and run cooler).

6. add performance tubing and parts for the intake and turbo flow/controls

7. add lowering springs/performance shocks.

8. upgrade the 12T turbo to a 14T.

9. add a free flow cat-back exhaust.

10. add those little blue lights along the bottom of the car and a really big rear wing.

In my opinion you get a good ROI for the first five - after that there's major costs with minor returns so the 5-10s are not really worth doing for a daily driver. I'd probably also say upgrade the radio head unit should be somewhere about item 3... You can drop in an OEM volvo unit like an SC901 or add an MP3 port via the OEM CD changer connector. (I put in an SC816 in mine for $50)

 

Thanks for the advice, I'm looking plugs, wires, coil packs, air filter, exhaust and ECU reflash. The problem is that I'm not sure what brand/type of exhaust would be best as well as wires/coil packs. I've already picked NGK Iridium plugs and I'm going to go with a K&N air filter. Just need some advice on the stuff mentioned above.

 

What about a strut bar? I'm trying to find one online and I read on here someone asking a similar question and someone replied saying to check out Volvo's website. I looked and couldn't find one on there. Any suggestions?

 

after market parts for gen 1 S40s are not that easy to find. I found an Ultra Racing strut brace on eBay for $128...

Volvo S40 V40 '95 '04 Ultra Racing 2 PT Front Strut Bar UR TW2 061 | eBay

In terms of wires/coil packs, I've never seen an upgrade - most build sites refer to OEM Volvo - nor have I heard if that's something that needs an upgrade. Its not a bad idea to refresh wires with OEM or top quality brand like Bougicord (or search for Magnecore) if the car is on its originals. There's only two wires to the kit - the other two have a direct connector. I can't comment on choice of plugs for a tuned car whether platinum vs iridium work better but my stock volvo turbos seem to like the copper core plugs... I'm thinking about pulling together a list of parts sites in a thread to see what the board can come up with.

 

Thanks for your advice man, I really appreciate it. I picked up most of the stuff today. The only things I have left now for my phase 1 upgrading is the strut bar, exhaust and ECU tune. After that's complete I wanna do some cosmetic fixes, i.e. my tail lights, rear bumper(it has a crack in it as does my driver side tail light) and head lights before moving on to my phase 2. The turbo and all of the components that go along with it. Thank you again mt6127, you've been really helpful.

 

check out FCPEURO or EEUROPARTS for the tail light replacements if you want new or a local yard (car-parts.com can help find who has what). Personally I've been picking at yards since the 70s when they really did have dogs... One time I needed a hydraulic clutch hose for a BMW 2002 and was told they couldn't sell used hydraulic lines - which was their way of saying "pay cash, no receipt"... Headlight upgrades are not that simple. You can try whiter H7 bulbs like the PIAAs but I'd stay away from anything over 55w to avoid burning switches and wires etc. Xenon HIDs are available but require a proper kit with the ballast etc. Not sure where you live but I'd probably opt for a set of factory fog lights or driving lights as my choice of upgrade. You may have the factory switch in place - but its easy enough to find on eBay.

 

Silly question, but what upgrades do I need to do to my 1.9 in order to bolt a 14t to it or do I need to do anything? Other question is by 14t turbo do you mean what I keep finding on ebay for the 2.5 liter? Sorry for the stupid questions if in fact they are stupid.

 

You just swap the compressor and chra over to your stock turbine housing. Mamba Racing also makes a nice stage 3 kit for the turbo aswell.