Hey all new here and was looking to squeeze as much performance out of my 2.5t as possible. Suspension,engine,tunes, what is the limit on the stock components and so on any help is much appreciated.

 

300hp or so is the limit for the most part. Go too much beyond that and you will break something internally in the engine or transmission over time.

 

The 2.5T is a low pressure turbo design which uses a smaller capacity turbo for faster spool up (better driveability and low end torque) vs the T5s. You can find ECU tunes that will add 30-40 HP to bring the LPTs in line with the T5s. After that, you'd need a blue print to get even to 300 HP which is pricy. ie upgrade the turbo, upgrade the downpipe, upgrade the intercooler, commit to high test /93 octane. I'd consider a tune, then move on to the suspension - bigger sway bars do wonders. +1 wheels and tires next. You also may be able to upgrade to bigger brakes (say swapping in rotors/caliper carriers from another Volvo model). You can also upgrade the shocks/struts, particularly if the current have 100K+ miles. Bilstein B6s are a good upgrade here but truth is the Boge/Sachs OEMs are pretty good too. Last is the sound system. I've had tons of enjoyment from smooth, quiet cars with a premium sound system... The challenge is that Volvo went to optical connections and non standard bezel sizes in the dash unit so finding compatible after market goods may be difficult. Start with crutchfield.com to see what may fit your model.