35 replies to this topic

[SkyWriter]

Fresh Back From my 2 Year Banning for pissing on VS Advertising Policies:

Recently I had an engine problem that necessitated the dealer re-flashing my ECU to factory spec. I had an IPD tune from before they had a soft tuner so I could either screw around with IPD trying to get my tune back or I could try out RICA (courtesy of George @ Viva Performance of course) for a change. Since I had exhaust work done years ago with the Ferrita exhaust I RICA offered a Stage 2 tune for my car.

Well I just came back from a hi-way run and it's KICK ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD!! I heard sounds i've never heard out of my engine before, and the top end is much better than the IPD tune.

Definitely worth it! beg borrow or steal a better downpipe for your T6, and have at it! Long story short, the maximum Stage 1 IPD crank HP was 302 HP and RICA is 320 HP. Additionally, if you upgrade your exhaust appropriately (I have a Ferrita setup), RICA offers a Stage 2 tune that IPD doesn't offer. These are standard tunes, so you don't need a Tuning Genius behind the company to custom tune each one; both stages are available within 24 hours. Sweet!

I drove the IPD tune for many years, so I'm intimately familiar with the way it performs on my car. When I took the freshly Stage 2 RICA tuned T6 out for a highway spin I felt the way i felt the very first time I ever had a custom tune loaded! That same back of my neck tingling with excitement!

My traditional 40MPH -> 100MPH launch onto freeway pulled much more than the IPD tune ever did. I heard Turbo's spooling like I've never heard! truly a delight, and performance thrill. I hit 100 MPH far earlier that I had in the past, and it was still pulling nicely.

If I were a T6 owner looking for fresh thrills, I would get a decent custom exhaust upgrade; larger down pipes, exhaust, and racing cat's, and run, don't walk to VivaPerformance.com and order the Rica ECU tune with a Stage 2 upgrade. Not only do you get a better Stage 1, you'll get a Stage 2 tune you can't get elsewhere at competitive prices!

Next Step(s) for me will be a FMIC, Water Injection, a couple of pulls on the Dyno and then back to RICA for a some yummy tunes! Man, I'm in Love all over again :-)

[Timbo Slice]

I'd like to see a video, others may as well. Post up a vid? Pictures of car? etc etc etc.

[thewhiteguy1]

t6 motors are quick, just don't blow up your tranny

[S8ET6]

Oh Snap! The S80 "O.G." is back...

It's about to get all STUPID up in here!



Edit: Install a FMIC and report back

[SkyWriter]

Oh Snap! The S80 "O.G." is back...

It's about to get all STUPID up in here!



Edit: Install a FMIC and report back

oh yeah, you're that dumb kid with the 'split CAI' LOL i remember now.

i'll do a FMIC next year, got better thing to do lately. just doing a little free advertising for a friend.

[S8ET6]

Dumb - maybe.... but it's been a LONG time since I've been referred to as a "kid". None the less, welcome back.

I'm curious. What's the boost levels for that tune? Do you know your AFRs? Do you have anyway to monitor/record your IATs?
With my IPD tune, whenever the temps were greater than 65 degrees anything above 1bar seemed to overwhelm my stock intercooler...
If this tune is more agressive than your IPD tune was, then I suspect that you'll really be smiling once you install a front mount.

Oh btw, were the R calipers a direct fit or did you need to use a bracket?

[SkyWriter]

Dumb - maybe.... but it's been a LONG time since I've been referred to as a "kid". None the less, welcome back.

I'm curious. What's the boost levels for that tune? Do you know your AFRs? Do you have anyway to monitor/record your IATs?
With my IPD tune, whenever the temps were greater than 65 degrees anything above 1bar seemed to overwhelm my stock intercooler...
If this tune is more agressive than your IPD tune was, then I suspect that you'll really be smiling once you install a front mount.

Oh btw, were the R calipers a direct fit or did you need to use a bracket?

I have the IPD realtime monitoring kit too. so, I'll check sometime soon. Yeah, that's why the FMIC/and/or/injection kit is on my short list. not to difficult a prediction.
The R calipers, pads, and rotors are a direct fit (you need both). one exception is the dust cover on the rear wheels need to be changed to the 2001 S60R style to fit the larger diameter rotor. Otherwise, all the parts are a direct fit.

t6 motors are quick, just don't blow up your tranny

been there, done that, got another one :-)

[thewhiteguy1]

why don't you guys do twin 16t's or twin 13t's instead of the 8b's???? that would provide good upgrades and the 13t and 8b can't be that far apart in terms of afrs etc??

[S8ET6]

why don't you guys do twin 16t's or twin 13t's instead of the 8b's???? that would provide good upgrades and the 13t and 8b can't be that far apart in terms of afrs etc??

Sounds great on paper, but IMO money would be better spent converting to a single turbo

[SkyWriter]

Good question, I tried a compressor wheel swap several years ago, the day after the install one of the turbos blew the oil seal, so I've been hesitant to try that again. The problem is three fold:
1) With the T6 nobody has gone before you to pave the way. Everything is a trail blaze. So anything can screw you up. Badly.
2) The turbos are crammed up between the firewall and the engine. Working on it is much harder, 2X the hardware.
3) You need new maps to take advantage of the turbos; there is only one ECU tuner I know of that will do the old T6: RICA. There are no other options.
4) $$$$

I'll give it another shot in a year or two....

[SkyWriter]

Good question, I tried a compressor wheel swap several years ago, the day after the install one of the turbos blew the oil seal, so I've been hesitant to try that again. The problem is three fold:
1) With the T6 nobody has gone before you to pave the way. Everything is a trail blaze. So anything can screw you up. Badly.
2) The turbos are crammed up between the firewall and the engine. Working on it is much harder, 2X the hardware.
3) You need new maps to take advantage of the turbos; there is only one ECU tuner I know of that will do the old T6: RICA. There are no other options.
4) $$$$

I'll give it another shot in a year or two....

didn't finish my thought - a year or two now that RICA may be able to do the maps.

[S8ET6]

I don't know if you know this or not, but Lucky has gone rouge on IPD and is now offering completely customized tunes at an extremely affordable price point. ME7 tunes are supposed to be available in the near future.

Edit: and he said that he should be able to reprogram the tcm too.

[SkyWriter]

Lucky is not the brains behind the MTE tunes. but here's some basic math:

1 guy + sum(850 + S70) << sum(ME7)
or
1 guys time doing all the cheapo s70 and 850 work leaves NO time to do ME7.

IF he ever gets to the ME7 then:
What little time left over, is NOT going to go to the unpopular tuners car exactly like the S80 I.
If he is not operating as above, or with the use of magic, he will be out of business in a couple of months.
He will definitely take your cash for it. I doubt he will ever deliver a reliable cheap custom tune for a one off equipped S80 (see 1st line of post).

Anyway please post some references for the Lucky-IPD claim. Just having the threat of a cheaper product gives me some bargaining room come time to do the $$$ custom work.

[andyb5]

Here's 12 pages of praise for ARD (Lucky's company) tunes
http://volvospeed.co...46780-ard-tune/

Spark notes version:
ME4.3/4 tunes have gotten lots of praise because Lucky takes each tune and individualizes it to maximize your specific setup. Prices are far more reasonable than IPD/MTE or Viva/Rica tunes.

He has the ability to delete the rear 02 sensor, SAS system, etc, along with many more interesting and useful (such as having the CEL flash when knock is detected) ideas.
ME7 tunes are in the development (and likely beta-testing) stage, should be on the market this fall.

[SkyWriter]

thx Andy, now i see what the references to ARD are about now. about what i thought. i don't see the point in waiting for a tune; especially from a one man shop like this. if he eventually delivers fine. until then; enjoy; what you have!

[cgally]

thx Andy, now i see what the references to ARD are about now. about what i thought. i don't see the point in waiting for a tune; especially from a one man shop like this. if he eventually delivers fine. until then; enjoy; what you have!

Why so negative about a guy that has done a lot for this community?

[Mesoam]

I started quoting your posts to call you a retard but it became too many to respond to...soooo.....wb to the site, looks like it'll be a brief stay

[The Big Tuna]

Soooo spark notes from this page.

1.You've been banned from VS, which is hard unless you really piss somebody off
2. the only guy that remembers you, you call dumb
3. You don't think that lucky can tune a S80, and this is without doing any research or knowing what your talking about
4. You have no dyno numbers, but doing mad freeway pulls makes the engine go vroooom, are people suppose to get excited to buy a tune based on your expert knowledge of how you car sounds under load?

Dude you come across as an a$$


Are you advertising for rica? Is that your play now?

[fastwagonhawaii]

Whoa............ Not the best way to come back. Your first post after to years is trying to sale a rica tune. I would think a hello, and some pics would come first,cause we all no about rica tunes

[SkyWriter]

looks like it'll be a brief stay

you got it toady-io.