Hi everyone is there anything someone can do on a tight budget to increase horsepower. Thanks mstrplmber

 

One alternative, see attached.....

.......[8D].


JPN

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/90818350F3A546DEACC938409F784547.jpg[/IMG]

 

Oh come on nowI was talking about minor changes such as filters, sparkplugs, wiring, performance chips etc. Oh by the way funny as you know what!!!!!

 

I probably have the lamest humor on Earth.

I'd like to come on home, but with the God d@mn immigration cr@p, I'll be stuck in J@p@n a bit longer.....

God dung it!!!


JPN

 

Ok....

1. One obviously you have an s60 since you posted in the s60 forum. However that doesn't tell us what model you have and what year.

So year and model please.

2. What is your budget?

3. What is your Hp goal?

I will tell you now if your not turboed don't bother. You don't have much Hp to start with and unless you pour loads of money into it your not going to get much out of it. The best bet in this situation is to sell your N/A and buy a turbo model.

 

And even if it is turbo, it's controlled by a sophisticated computer that doesn't like being overridden by boost controllers. Therefore you must spend at least a grand to upgrade the computer if you want to raise the pressure. Exhaust parts are stupidly overpriced. If you want a few extra hp N/A and turbo alike, you can throw in a cone filter for $50, and you could have a muffler shop throw together a semi decent exhaust for $400. A real aftermarket exhaust is going to cost you about $1500 including downpipe.

Truthfully though, if you don't have the budget to upgrade, then don't. It's a fantastic car stock, even the 163 hp N/A. Buy a cheap car that you can mod for cheap and don't have to worry about breaking expensive parts on (like a honda) if you want a project car on a budget. Or better yet, find an s60-R. Yes, they're more expensive, but they're cheaper than modding a lower model and come with a few extra goodies to boot.

A T-5 isn't a bad idea either. 250hp and I see them for <$9k all the time.

 

Thanks for the info Flanimal and S-70 driver. I have a 2001 S-60 2.4T, so whatI gather from the both of you isI need to be satisfied with the 197 hp I have until I hit the lottery. Anyway what is the first thing I can do to get more HP. Thanks mstrplmber

 

Usually the easiest way to grab some extra hp from a turbocharged car is from turning up the boost with a boost controller. But like I stated earlier, there is no cheap way to do this on Volvos. 197 hp really isn't bad. That's 2 more than an Integra Type R, or a brand new Civic Si. It's 27 more than a mazdaspeed protege, even 7 more than the Lotus Elan (althoughliterally a ton heavier).

Other than the filter and maybe weight reducing (I highly discourage tearing apart such a nice car), there aren't any cheap ways to make it go faster. You don't need to "win the lotto" to by anR. S60's of all trims have absolutely no resale value. I pickedmy 2004 S60R with with climate, NAV and premium stereo options for $12,500. I pay only $230 a month. Who can't afford that for a $40,000 car? I've seena few2005's (here in the Florida area) with less than 50k miles for ~$17,000.

I was looking into modding a2.5T AWD, but if you look at my first couple of posts, member S60R talked ME into just buying an R instead. So I did.

 

Any way you look at it, it is going to cost you. Your turboed so you have options.

Do it right the first time and you wont be disappointed.

First things first do STAGE ZERO. This includes getting a real boost gauge one that can read 25 In Hg/25 PSI.

1. Add a K&N panel filter and or build your own CAI or buy a premade shortram kit.

2. 3" mandrel bent downpipe. This is where you will see the most gains.

3. 2.5"-3" mandrel bent catback system.

4. ECU upgrade, this is the other upgrade that you will see the most gains from.

I would do them all together but if you don't do them in the order I listed them. As always do the ECU last. Unless that is all your going to do.

 

Hi S-70 driver I would really appreciate it if you could explain a little more in depth about what you said to do. What is a CAI and Stage Zero, shortram kit, 3" mandrel downpipe, catback system and ECU. I know I probably have everyone out there rolling on the floor laughing at me or they are saying what a stupid idiot. I was a plumber for 30 years so if I said Hudraulic gradient or stack vent or vent stack you would not know what I mean. Unless you are a plumber you will think I am speaking a foreign langauage. So any help is appreciated. Thanks mstrplmber

 

1. CAI = Cold Air intake. The only one made for Volvo's is made by BMC CDA and or Pipercross. Hard to find and very pricey. And it doesn't look like BMC has one for the s60's. You could buy one for another model and make it fit your car for sure.


BMC CDA

2. Shortram intake, this is what you have stock. However you can upgrade it to a EuroSportTuning (EST) kit. It includes a heatshield and cone filter.


EuroSportTuning (EST)

3. STAGE ZERO, This is basically a tune up to get your car running the way it should be from the factory.

Full stage 0 list:

Plugs
cap/rotor
oil/transflush
filter (oil)
hoses (the little vac lines)
samco hose kit (Turbo Models ONLY)
02 sensors
fuel pumps
clean injectors
clean IC/IC plumbing (Turbo Models ONLY)
Air filter
plug wires

4. Downpipes, these can be bought from IPD USA, EuroSportTuning (EST), Viva Performance or you can have a local muffler shop build you one. It is part of the exhaust system. More specific the part that attaches to the turbo.




Viva Performance

Looks like IPD USA has one for the AWD models only. But call and ask them.

5. Catback system, this is the part of the exhaust system that is from the CAT on back. CAT catalytic convertor. This is the part that has the muffler with it.

6. ECU, Engine Contol Unit. This is what controls your car. You can upgrade them to gain more power.

 

I hope you've been happy so far then!!

I hope I'm not being redundant, but the most bang-for-the-buck would be a good ECU upgrade in lieu of a manual boost controller. A PPC (OBD II plug-in) would be the best, because if you went and upgraded the exhaust, you can then update your ECU. I plan on getting one sooner or later.Manual boost controlers are bad for newer Volvos, I forget the exact reason, but it has to do with the electronics.

 

In other turbocharged vehicles the boost is controlled by the wastegate. A manual boost controller is just a pressure release valve that overides the wastegates setting allowing the turbo to spool to a higher boost. An electronic one does the same thing, but you can control it from inside your car.

Where the Volvo and some other cars such as the Audi S4 differ is that there is no wastegate. The pressure that the turbo makes is controlled by the ECU. That is the reason (other than fuel mapping) that upgrading the ECU is such an upgrade. It's effectively telling your turbo to create more boost. I forget the numbers, but I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the boost is lower in 1st and 2nd gears than 3rd and up (this might beon theautomatic transmissions) which would be regulated by the ECU.

Plummer: Check out www.howstuffworks.comand read about how engines and turbochargers work. That site is easy to understand and always very well illustrated usually with animated gifs. Spend an hour reading up and you'll see what those parts do and why.

Most of the parts recommended are right up your alley as a plummer. They're all piping. Basically an internal combustion engine mixes fuel with air to create an explosion which it then harnesses to push pistions up and down. The faster you can get the air and fuel in there the more power you can produce. That's what a turbo does, it force feeds air into the motor. Mandrel bent and larger diameter intake and exhaust pipes just allow more gases to pass through with the least amount of restriction.

 

I'm sorry to say but Volvo's do have wastegates.

 

True, and messing with them can be very bad...
http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=41956