17 replies to this topic

[maximumbuckeye]

I am a new member of this forum and a new owner of a '96 Volvo 850 Turbo. My dad recently gave me this car since I expressed an interest in racing while at college. I currently own a Mazda3 and I am going to sell that in order to have the money to tune the Volvo. I have read quite a few posts and put a lot of time and energy into coming up with this upgrade list. I am fairly new at tuning, only working on minor modifications. This will be my first big tune, and I have not yet found out if I will be able to use my dad's help (he is very experienced as he raced in college as well). I am planning on working on this project over the summer June to Mid-August. I plan to use this car as my daily driver in Ohio, but I also plan to race in the local track and autocross races. This is my parts list that I have compiled. I would love help, advice and suggestions, and am looking to buy any of these parts come summer-time. I am not looking to spend more than $5.5k so I am definitely looking for used or discounted parts.Thanks for your time.

Update (Stage 0):
-Bosch Tune Up kit
-IPD Spark Plug Wires
-White Injectors (up to green, depending on price)
-Fuel Filter
-Vacuum Lines
-Upgraded Oil
-Upper Engine Mount
-Odometer Gear
-Replacement ABS Modules

Engine:
-IPD ECU (looking to buy ASAP)
-ARD M4.4 Conversion
-Mitsubishi TD04HL-18T Turbo (Open to other suggestions)
-EuroSport Short Ram Air Intake
-Transmission Cooler
-Precision Front Mount Intercooler (Don’t want to pay $800 for IPD Intercooler, but looking for advice on installation)
-Intercooler Piping
-Performance Air Filter

Suspension:
-IPD Anti-Sway Bars
-IPD Endlinks
-Koni FSD Struts (Open to Koni Yellows with explanation)
-Eibach Pro Kit Lowering Springs
-IPD/OMP Strut Bar
-Upper Mount
-Upper Spring Seats

Brakes:
-302mm Powerslot Conversion
-Super Blue Brake Fluid

Exhaust:
-OBX Turbo Back Setup

Exterior:
-Black Mesh Grille
-Black Projector Headlights
-Power Antenna
-R Rear Spoiler
-Front Lip Spoiler
-Tinted Windows
-Paint Job

Interior:
-Triple Gauges (A/F, Turbo, Boost)
-Turbo Timer (Advice)

[andyb5]

Looks like a pretty good list, you've done a pretty good job researching so far. Here's my two (slightly wordy) cents.

Skip the IPD plug wires, they're more of a "show" item, and have had lots of problems with the plug boots separating from the wire. If you want upgraded plug wires, check out the 8.5mm Kingsborne wires. They cost less and are better performing than IPDs.

Talk to member Matty Moo about an ABS module--he'll hook you up with a great remanufactured ABS module for a low price.

You can't run an IPD tune and an ARD M4.4 conversion, because you'd be trying to run 2 ECUs at the same time Go with an ARD tune with an M4.4 conversion and no-lift shifting (when it becomes available) If you talk to Lucky, he'll customize the tune to maximize every mod you have.

Definitely buy a Snabb post-MAF pipe. They're around $100 and help the turbo spool faster by improving airflow. Plus, Snabb offers a VS discount for supporting members, and you can save 10% on an ARD tune if you purchase it through Snabb.

On a similar note, you can port and polish your intake manifold to allow a bit more airflow, and since this simply takes time, it's free and relatively straightforward. To take this one step further, you can add a larger throttle body from an N/A 850. This will require boring out the throttle opening on your intake manifold, but helps improve airflow.

For your 18T, contact member "Spanky" for a an 18T conversion at a fraction of the price compared to a new one.

If you check the pinned threads at the top of this forum, you'll find a FMIC install thread, which describes how you can easily install your own FMIC. You can run a Precision core, but many members have generic FMIC cores from CXRacing that perform perfectly fine, and cost far less than a Precision unit will.

A "turbo" and "boost" gauge are the same thing, they both read vacuum/boost produced. Make sure you run a wideband A/F meter, narrowband gauges are essentially useless for tuned cars.

One thing I don't see on here is larger wheels+sticky tires. This alone is one of the single most important changes you can make. Traction is king--better acceleration, better handling, shorter stops. Team Dynamics makes the Pro Race 1.2 series wheels that are both lightweight (important) and reasonably priced. OE wheels, such as the ever-popular Pegs, tend towards the heavy side of things, which hurts steering response and ride quality, but are cheaper and more readily available as used items.

Lastly, if you want to have your car painted, that could easily eat 2/3rds of your budget, so I wouldn't worry about that right now. The paint on these cars is pretty thick and well-applied, and responds nicely to a good detailing.

[D s50r]

I agree with everything Andy said! Def skip the ipd wires but look into their msd blaster coil they make the bolt on bracket and in my opinion it's worth the extra money to buy it from ipd due to the nature of the ease of install

[jnderr]

Where in Ohio are you?

[gmsgltr]

hey awesome list of mods and research!

ask me whatever you want, i have all those exact mods you listed plus a few more...

do you have a wheel horsepower goal? are you planning on doing the 5 speed swap?

my biggest and best advice is this, only pay money and buy mods you feel you will be happy with a few years from now... for example, i HAD to have the 302 brake upgrade and wasted my money because as soon as I put it on i wanted a big brake kit instead with the bling factor. same goes for my suspension. I should have saved another $1k and got KW V2 coilovers...

[Dan A]

If you are autocrossing, you'll want to look harder at tires and brakes. 302's are an upgrade but they will still fade. I haven't autocrossed but I've hit my limit on these brakes before on the street so I can understand why the folks who are more serious about racing have upgraded further. Half of going fast is stopping hard, unless you are just 1/4 miling.

[sdancer]

I would go with the koni yellows, i am currently running the fsd and ipd spring combo and it is too soft yet too hard, if that makes any sense?? What i mean is i use mine as a daily driver and if i hit pot holes or bumps i get loud noises and uncomfortable shudders but no sense of a stiff suspension. ( also i think fsd are not meant for lowering springs? ) However, it does do well in the corners. So i would go with yellows or a cheap coilover setup like D2's or ksports. The yellows are basically the same price so why not?! this should be a cool car when its done though!

[maximumbuckeye]

Thanks for the quick responses everyone!
@jnderr I'm currently attending THE Ohio State University at their columbus campus.
Has anyone had experience with D2/Ksport/GAZ coilovers? I've heard crazy mixed reviews for all of them so I'm scared to try them out.
@gmsgltr I agree on the big brake kit but I'm not willing to spend $$$ on some. Any people I can get some for dirt?
I also forgot to add 17" wheels to the list with sport tires. My bad
Thanks again!

[andyb5]

Has anyone had experience with D2/Ksport/GAZ coilovers? I've heard crazy mixed reviews for all of them so I'm scared to try them out.

Here's some reviews of guys on here with D2 coilovers: http://volvospeed.co...put-it-in-here/

[SeedyRom]

Things to note on stage 0:

• Check/replace PCV
• Check/replace trans fluid
• Check/clean electrical connectors
• Check/replace MAF/O2
• Timing belt is 70k miles
• Water pump can be 140k but some people do every 70k

There might be a couple things missing, but that's all I could think of at the moment.

[ErikS]

Keep the DD if you are going to mod and "race".

Short list to be competitive with this fwd car for the autoX is a bbk, manual trans/lsd, tires, decent coilover suspension, DP/turboback, 18T/19T/K24, and an ARD blue tune or similar.

Those mods are within the $5K-6K range if your doing all the work yourself and finding a lot of it used.

[maximumbuckeye]

@andyb5 thanks for the link. good stuff! only thing I'm concerned with is how it will react as a DD and if I could possibly get them for cheaper, used included
@ErikS the only problem is that I have limited cash flow as I'm in college so it's going to have to be an all around car, there's no way I can keep both for both initial capital and insurance rates for someone my age

[Burn-E]

You're not going to need Green injectors with that mod list. Whites will not be maxed out by your plans. And the short ram air intake does not give you more than a decent panel filter offers in the stock air box - it's more bling than sing. If you want a true cold air intake then go with a Simota carbon charger intake setup. But don't expect to get much more HP out of it.

[ErikS]

@ErikS the only problem is that I have limited cash flow as I'm in college so it's going to have to be an all around car, there's no way I can keep both for both initial capital and insurance rates for someone my age

Then it seems like you have some choices to make, but most people here would advise you to not try to DD a car you will be heavily modding, especially if you are in college with a budget.

Maybe its because I'm not a twatter, but no need for the @. Press the quote button to respond directly to someone.


GL.

[maximumbuckeye]

Seems like the big issue I'm trying to work out now is if the big brake kit is a good decision and if so what kind is good for me? I would very much like to spend near $1k if at all possible

[mune237]

Fellow VSer Zappo will have a lot of feedback for you. I'm sure he'll chime in.
He AutoX his 850R.

[Zappo]

I will tell you right off, it isn't the best platform for autocross if you want to really be competitive. They aren't indexed well, so you are at a disadvantage.
That said, it is still fun and you can still learn a lot with the car.

Given you are still in college, you are still young enough to put up with the stiff ride of the coilovers. If you go D2, they come with endlinks, so a lot of the suspension list would be taken care of with the coilovers. Sways and the brace pretty much finishes it. Be sure to factor in the alignment cost, you will need it.

For autocross, the stock brakes are fine. 302s are an upgrade, but pad choice is better. You would have to do a lot more mods to make your car fast enough that you would need more brake. If you are doing track days, stock calipers will fade for sure.

I agree with the intake comments, you aren't going to gain anything by changing the stock box. Just put a better flowing panel filter and using the money for something that will help.

Trans cooler is a good idea. I ran one for years before I switched to manual. Even the small B&M one I had made a 40 degree difference on track days. Power braking your start in autocross won't help; you will lose traction right away with a stage III setup.

[madspeed50]

Skip the IPD ecu and get an ARD from Lucky, that is unless you're interested in buying my IPD ecu so I can call lucky!!