Volvo s40 power mod
#1
06-27-2022, 08:39 PM
Join Date: Jun 2022
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#2
06-27-2022, 10:54 PM
to tell you the truth, there's not a lot of power mods that are worth the money for an NA engine. Common wisdom is if you want more HP, sell your car, buy a turbo model :-)
I'd stay away from KN air intakes for two reasons 1) the factory airbox is pretty good to start with and the NA engine won't outrun it 2) KN filters use oil to trap particles - and that oil can find its way onto the MAF which risks messing that up. My advise is to stick with paper filters for fuel injected cars. You can try working on the exhaust side and may pick up 5 HP, you may even find a tune that will push in a bit more spark advance - again for maybe 5-10 HP. Will you actually be able to feel the difference? probably not and you'll risk driveability. Do the exhaust and you'll hear the car but not the stereo... A better investment would be to improve the handling. In order I'd go tires/wheels, sway bars, shock/struts, tower brace, lowering springs/coil overs. Somewhere in there you probably would want to consider improving the brakes with larger or drilled/vented rotors/harder pads, better calipers and red caliper paint (or a color that matches your car).
I'd stay away from KN air intakes for two reasons 1) the factory airbox is pretty good to start with and the NA engine won't outrun it 2) KN filters use oil to trap particles - and that oil can find its way onto the MAF which risks messing that up. My advise is to stick with paper filters for fuel injected cars. You can try working on the exhaust side and may pick up 5 HP, you may even find a tune that will push in a bit more spark advance - again for maybe 5-10 HP. Will you actually be able to feel the difference? probably not and you'll risk driveability. Do the exhaust and you'll hear the car but not the stereo... A better investment would be to improve the handling. In order I'd go tires/wheels, sway bars, shock/struts, tower brace, lowering springs/coil overs. Somewhere in there you probably would want to consider improving the brakes with larger or drilled/vented rotors/harder pads, better calipers and red caliper paint (or a color that matches your car).
#3
06-28-2022, 07:17 AM
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honestly thank you so much, i’ve been thinking the same, i got the car pretty cheap but i did do a lot of mods already including a straight pipe so o definitely want to keep the car still but i think with this info im gonna be set with some coil overs for my next mod and save up for a miata on the side haha 😆
#4
06-28-2022, 10:38 AM
My V50 2.4i was named "Slow White". Not really a whole lot you're going to do to make it fast. Suspension upgrades are fine though - better handling can work with any amount of horsepower! ;-)
And I agree with mt6127 about the K&N air filter system. Most of them force the engine to breathe hot engine compartment air instead of cool, fresh "outside air". I chased a slight gas mileage issue with my Acura for quite a while - finally figured out it was the K&N air filter that was causing the 1-2 MPG drop (it was on the car when I bought it). Tossed it, put in a paper filter, and was back to 100%.
And I agree with mt6127 about the K&N air filter system. Most of them force the engine to breathe hot engine compartment air instead of cool, fresh "outside air". I chased a slight gas mileage issue with my Acura for quite a while - finally figured out it was the K&N air filter that was causing the 1-2 MPG drop (it was on the car when I bought it). Tossed it, put in a paper filter, and was back to 100%.
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