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Tuning The V70r Awd


Rex

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Hi everyone,

My first post here - just interested in comments from any other users who have tuned their V70R AWD's. I'm about to order the RICA upgrade ECU but I fancy a few other mods without going through the roof as this is the daily driver! Mine is a 1998 model.

Any comments/experiences will be appreciated :D

Regards,

Rex

France

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Hiya Zohan,

Your link seemed to be a search engine? I'd like to post some photo's but there is no means for me to post 'em!

Am I too new to be allowed to post pics here??

She's saffron anyway. And more to the point, she's upsetting lot's of macho Frenchmen on the highways here :D

But she needs to be faster! The power delivery simply isn't the same or as rewarding on these AWD models, despite the road-holding being infinitely better. Also, that lack of low end torque, and the "hole" between 2nd and 3rd is a real bummer.

Anybody?

I have a complete "breaker" V50 T5 - obviously the loom isn't the same, in fact there's loads of different things, nearly 200cc included - being new to the Volvo scene I have no experience with mods, but surely there is a bigger turbo we can use without too much agro? As already stated I want more power but the most imortant thing is reliability, and if going down this route, I'd like to do it before touching the ECU.

All I know is the 2wd T5 I just sold went like a madman. This AWD R seems like an imposter.

Regards to all,

Rex

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Can you fill out your profile?

It's a 1998 V70R - stick I presume?

You could start by just putting a manual boost controller on it, but make sure you've done a through stage 0 first!

Also just shortening the wastegate actuator a turn or two should improve response - if you go too far, it will negatively impact performance, so do it gradually.

A higher output turbo (18T if you have a 16T) will improve things, but you'll have to be careful not to generate too much low end boost if you also use an MBC. Adding this (a step up in turbo size) and an ECU tune would greatly improve performance.

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Hi Joe,

Profile has been done - though for some reason I'm in the CFL crew? Ah well, bloody foreigners.. :)

Yes, it's a '98 V70R "stick". I've had Lancia Integrale and the likes with 300bhp plus, and have replaced many an expensive turbo or engine a few years back, so doing the trial and error on my daily car doesn't interest me too much. Despite having a general auto-garage here in France, I don't in the slightest regard myself as any sort of expert in car tuning so would rather pay, or get spot on advice to get it right. Step by step. And, heh, at the right price of course.

On what model is the 18T used? And what sort of figures are we talking with the bigger turbo and ECU to suit? And more importantly I suppose, can the AWD system (which looks to me as if it was simply slapped on the end of a standard FWD 'box as a 90° after-thought) take it?

Thanks for the replies and regards,

Rex

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To the Original Poster: If you have a manual 98 V70r then you have the 18t already in it! Is your car a FWD or AWD?

For you, since you already have the bigger turbo, go for either a TME or RICA ECU upgrade. Add a free flowing exhaust and/or downpipe and your car will be quite a bit faster. For the exhaust stuff look to TME or BSR or Sam Steffanson or Ferrita to name a few.

Enjoy that car!

Whoops just read you have an AWD, but still you should have the 18t

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Hi Big Will,

It will need an exhaust as the current system doesn't look to pretty, but I'll probably make my own in stainless, preferably making that covered cut out in the rear bumper a second tail pipe :D . The price of tuning parts for Volvo's in France is a joke, and postage from elsewhere is difficult due to the size :(

A lot of people have also told me that a common fault on this model is the actuator going soft - I really need to fit a boost gauge to see what the turbo is doing, but then I haven't decided where I can fit it yet! Are A pillar gauge's available for the 70 series in the States?

I'll check which turbo I have.

Regards,

Rex

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That's some impressive Volvo's.

I've already made myself a rectangular style SS exit pipe - time is the biggest factor of it not getting fabricated for the minute...how do I load up photos here or am I being dumb again?

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That's some impressive Volvo's.

I've already made myself a rectangular style SS exit pipe - time is the biggest factor of it not getting fabricated for the minute...how do I load up photos here or am I being dumb again?

photobucket.com

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Welcome to the board Rex. As others have stated, if you want more info for the AWD R then you need to be on V70R.com, every thing you need for our cars is really there. But if your looking for general info on VS is a good place too...

I'll also second getting an exhaust and a downpipe, my 2000 had the stock dual, if you can't buy an aftermarket one, like TME or Ferrita the 2000 stock Volvo one is a nice cheap upgrade, and give the car a little more aggressive sound but is not really a performance muffler. Anther option is to get one custom made like I have I didn't make it but it could be cheaper to get one made. The downpipe might be a little harder to get custom made only because to the driveshaft. My dual exhaust

As for ECU tuning, you maybe better off with just getting one from Europe, in the US we never had manual AWD R's (that doesn't mean the folks haven't made them. Cough- Cough Justin... ;) ) Although with the Euro exchange rate you may want to get a custom one from the US just cause it would be real cheap for you...

One thing that you could do is change all your vaccum lines and intercooler lines and then adjust the wastegate setting a little to regain some low end if they are bad...

gallery_19229_485_1368037.jpg

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