Hey all, I just registered here because I want to find out more about the S60R's, as I am currently searching for a new car, and this may be a possibility.
Right now I have an '04 Jeep Wrangler, and I want a sporty sedan that can handle all weather conditions. Naturally, the S60R is among the cars that come to mind.

If I got this car, I would most likely want to modify it. Are these engines relatively easy to get power from? Are they expensive to modify (compared to say, an Audi or BMW)? I would think due to the fact that they are turbo charged, they should be quite easy to get power from with simple modifications.
What power levels are expected for simple mods? (i.e. intake, exhaust, chip...) How about a step beyond that, say upgrade to a larger turbo, intercooler, and everything needed to support more boost (upgrade fuel system, internals if needed, ect...)
How much boost can the stock block with stock internals take, reliably?
Can anybody point me to a popular Volvo tuner that has good performance parts?

Also, how reliable are these cars? Say it is a well cared for car that was routinely serviced, not thrashed on ect... , how many miles (ball park avg.) would it generally last? What parts go wrong first, and are they expensive to fix? Basically, what specific issues should I look for when buying an S60R?

Anything else I may have forgotten to ask, but would be helpful in my search and/or learning about these cars would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Connor

 

You'll findsome unhappy Evolve customers, but I've never hada problem with them and still use them.
http://www.evolvecars.com/
I haven't used these companies, but here's a couple more
http://www.heicosportiv.de/
http://www.eurosporttuning.com/
http://www.ipdusa.com/

I don't know about Audi/BMW prices, buta dp is 1,000 to 1,500 depending on size and the exhaust is almost another 1,000. I don't have software yet, but that seems to be in the 1,000 area too for either Viva or BSR.
http://www.bsruk.co.uk/tuning_ppc.htm
http://www.vivaperformance.com/catalog/

A dp/exhaust/ECU package from Evolve is supposed to give about 62 horsepower, to give you an idea.

The intercooler is inefficient on the R, so you might want to look into that too. I would think the interanls/fuel system woul be ok until you start throwing on a bigger turbo, but once I get an ECU upgrade I'm done, so don't quote me on that! Also, go to the R Forum on Swedespeed. There you'll find answers to almost any R tuning question.

I have 22k miles, and its been basically trouble free, although I'll need a new clutch soon. And the angle gear seems to be the weak link in the drivetrain. I have the sport body kit, and the front wings will scrape on everything if not careful. As with any car, make sure it has been regularly serviced and software updates done. AND FIND A MOD FRIENDLY DEALER!!

 

It all depends on what you want Hp wise and what your budget is.

1. What is your Hp goal?

2. What is your budget?

I will tell you modding a Volvo isn't cheap and don't expect to be able to dish out small amounts of money to gain nice numbers. You will have to shell out a lot of money to get some ok numbers.

The most popular mods are 3" mandrel bent downpipe, 2.5"-3" mandrel bent catback system, Intake mod of some kind be it panel filter or short ram intake or custom setup and an ECU upgrade.

You will see the most power increase from the downpipe and ECU mods.

-Downpipe, 10-20 Hp increase estimate.
-Catback, 10-15 Hp increase estimate.
-Intake, 2-10 Hp increase estimate.
-ECU upgrade, 20-35 Hp increase estimate.

Again these are just estimates and you may experience difference good or bad.

If you plan to upgrade the intercooler I suggest doing an FMIC system. You will benefit from it more so then a better OEM style intercooler. Also you can build an FMIC for not too much money.

 

I've had a stock S60R for about a year. It's a good ride and, so far, reliable. If you want a vehicle that can handle a variety of poor weather conditions (snow, sleet, etc.), you'll be disappointed with the R. The OEM tires are not suitable for winter conditions. Even if you change those out to an all weather type tire, you'll be limited by the relative small ground clearance of the R.

Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy my R, but it's not a winter weather vehicle. I use my cross country for winter driving.

 

I've found that it to be great in bad weather, as long as the summer tires are off and deactivate the anti-skid control.

 

I agree with S60 R, I had mine this winter actually with the summer tires still on(yes stupid I know) and I had some minor issues coming to a stop, but besides that the car handled greatly in the snow, I was quite pleasantly surprised.