Want engine performance upgrade on 3.2

[mader$]

My 2008 XC 70 3.2 (gas) just passed 50K miles and is now off warranty. I am interested in tweaking the engine performance a bit. So far, I have purchased a K&N filter from IPD Volvo. They have not replied to an email from me about what else they might have available (e.g. chip, software). I live in Portland and could easily leave it at their shop (near Portland Airport).

I see there is an older posting on the RICA chip but no recent comments or feedback. I emailed them because I live on the West Coast and they only list 3 Northeastern US dealers and have not heard back. There are also a few postings on the XC90 site but nothing very recent or compelling. Someone had mentioned an upgrade you can get if you order a new car from the factory (Polestar?) or maybe from the dealer and I need to follow up, if others have have experience with this.

I probably do not want to do manifolds or exhaust but would be very interested in what others have tried. I have also never tried premium gas-maybe that would be the least expensive way to go!

Thank you in advance to all.

[acools]

In turbocharged vehicles, a chip typically increases the boost pressure.

In NA Volvos, there is very little performance to be gained.

Andres

[barrysharp]

View the Volvo website for NA and you will find the info for Polestar+ and which Volvo model are currently supported. I'm having this applied to my recently ordered MY2012 XC70 T6 for +25 HP and +35 Lbs torque. Many reviews and reports indicate the Polestar+ upgrade is significant and provides excellent improvement to car's drivability. Most importantly it is covered 100% by the Volvo warranty.

At this time I believe the Polestar+ is not available for the 3.2 engine. Bummer...

[XCovlov70]

I recently spoke to our dealer here on this side of the 'Pond' about having the Polestar 'enhancement' fitted to the 205Bhp Diesel 'lump' fitted in 'Flamenco Red' and was advised against having it done.

The reasoning was that while it increases the Torque and Bhp, it makes the engine run 'lumpy'!

I took the advice so will stick with the 205Bhp that the 'lump' produces.

It still knocks me into the seat when the 'pedal hits the metal' especially in 2nd or 3rd! :eek:

My 'good lady' just shuts her eyes if she is with me! :D:D

[barrysharp]

In turbocharged vehicles, a chip typically increases the boost pressure.

In NA Volvos, there is very little performance to be gained.

Andres

Here are the facts... http://www.polestar.se/en-us/models/xc70-t6-awd-automatic-2012/

[barrysharp]

I recently spoke to our dealer here on this side of the 'Pond' about having the Polestar 'enhancement' fitted to the 205Bhp Diesel 'lump' fitted in 'Flamenco Red' and was advised against having it done.

The reasoning was that while it increases the Torque and Bhp, it makes the engine run 'lumpy'!

I took the advice so will stick with the 205Bhp that the 'lump' produces.

It still knocks me into the seat when the 'pedal hits the metal' especially in 2nd or 3rd! :eek:

My 'good lady' just shuts her eyes if she is with me! :D:D

This isn't the case for the MY2012 XC70 T6 model. It's getting rave reviews and many Volvo enthusiasts are cashing in. Here in USA the Polestar+ retails for $1,495 plus sales tax. In my case, I negotiated wholesale pricing for my MY2012 XC70 T6 with my dealership while also agreeing to a reasonable profit. This has meant me obtaining the Polestar+ at the wholesale price of just $990. :)

[matt1122]

Modifying the ECU programming on a naturally aspirated engine will probably yield no noticeably gains if any. I hate to have to break it to you, but I think the only truly worthwhile option is to move up to a T6 from the 3.2. Even doing exhaust, manifold, etc. will yield weak results. There's just not a lot of additional power to be had from that engine unless you're going to add a turbocharger or supercharger, and in that case you'd probably be better off trading in and buying a T6.

[brissim]

From my memory one of the biggest issues with the early 3.2 engines wasn't so much that the engine was underpowered, but rather the calibration on the 6-speed auto was weighted more toward fuel efficiency rather than performance. This was best seen in the annoying habit of wanting to hold onto the highest gear possible rather than changing down. Around about the 2010/2011 models I do recall there was a re-calibration done on the auto tranmission for the 3.2 which gave a better response to throttle inputs. I'm just speculating here that maybe this re-calibration may be available for the older 3.2s.

Tony

[budrichard]

It seems the auto makers have found another way to get a few more bucks or whatever currency you deal in, out of buyers.
Increased Horsepower, sometimes so small that's it hardly quantifiable in actual driving, speed limiters increased that hardly matter because most of cannot drive legally at the lower speed anyway let alone the increased limit.
Manufactures are not dumb and they have succeeded admirably in shaking more money out of purchasers for the EXACT same vehicle with just a control chip change.
I buy them and use them and the 3.2 is certainly fine for me. -Dick

[XCovlov70]

Here are the facts... http://www.polestar.se/en-us/models/xc70-t6-awd-automatic-2012/

I looked at the figures quoted in the 'link' and I got...

Performance "Original" - "Optimized"
Power (hp): "300" - "325"
Power (kW): "224" - "242"
Power Max (rpm): "5600" - "5400-6500"
Torque (lb-ft): "325" - "355"
Torque Max (rpm): "2100-4200" - "3000-3600

Sorry I cannot get the figures to line up with the respective "Original" & "Optimised" columns so I have put each set of figures in "" (Quotes)
Ps, 'Optimised' is 'Polestar'

This to me means that the engine when 'Optimized' by the Polestar Chip is going faster at 3000 - 3600 (rpm) to produce another 30ft/lb of Torque than the original settings!

Now if that is going to consume more fuel then there is no way on this planet that I am going to recover the outlay of between $1495 & Discount $990 in anticipated 'savings'.

Which to my way of thinking is that if I increase the Torque at LOWER Revs, I save fuel and it therefore costs me less to run?

Which is what happened when I got a 'bolt on' Van Aaken Unit for my old V70 TDI that went from 40 Mpg to 50 Mpg at the same speed, and that paid for itself ($450) in just over 12 months of use!

Sadly the company went 'Chapter 11' and out of business! [nonono]

[barrysharp]

Volvo/Polestar claim fuel consumption is unaffected and has the same certified fuel consumption as the standard version... see http://www.volvocars.com/us/sales-services/sales/default/pages/polestar.aspx

It's not all about money either. Drivability is also a consideration. My wife drove the 3.2 AWD and the 3.2 FWD and said she disliked the way the car drove. When driving the T6 she said, now this is more like it and that sealed our decision for the T6. The Polestar along with reviews and our research is simply another bonus for us and $1000 over 10, 15, 20 years is from $0.27 down to $0.14 per day. :D ...and that ignores the potential resale benefits that Polestar could provide in future.

Of course the Polestar isn't for everyone. We all have our own perceptions/opinions/biases when it comes to a car's performance and drivability.

[matt1122]

Polestar turns up the boost pressure and remaps the throttle so that less pressure on the accelerator pedal will give you more acceleration. Owners of turbo-charged Volvo cars have been doing this for years with ECM upgrades, however this is provided by Volvo and doesn't have the potential to void the warranty. The only difference between the engine in the 850 T-5R and R and the 850 Turbo and T5 was a chip upgrade, so it does make a difference. This thread is about an NA car though. Different story.

[XCovlov70]

This thread is about an NA car though. Different story.

Think your trying to pull my leg? :D

[budrichard]

"We all have our own perceptions/opinions/biases when it comes to a car's performance and drivability."

And therein lies the problem!
There is no way to objectively verify the claims made by Polestar for most of us.
My original assertion is; why isn't the Polestar upgrade standard if it is so good and is only a different chip. Pure marketing is my opinion.
Now the T6 rather than the 3.2 is perception but that is reality as we are taught.
14 cents per day has nothing to do with any of it except that it may be the only objective number for Polestar.-Dick

[matt1122]

Sure it's a marketing thing. Volvo knows they can charge more money for more power, so they do. The polestar upgrade is actually standard on the S60 R-Design and the C70 T5 Inscription. It is an option on every other vehicle and engine it is available for and is not even offered for the S80 T6. Polestar's claims can be objectively verified by looking at the performance figures and the specifications for the upgrade. These are real numbers and the performance is well proven.

The difference between the T6 and the 3.2 isn't a matter of perception. The T6 is much, much faster than the 3.2. If you meant to say that whether the 3.2 is quick enough is a matter of opinion, I don't think anyone intelligent would argue it's not.

"Am I willing to spend $0.14 / day over the next X years for that extra performance?" This has everything to do with it. You're paying for luxury. You have to evaluate whether that luxury is worth the extra cash, and this is a great way to break it down. As it is a luxury, trying to make it seem practical is really futile and irrelevant. No one is arguing that 325hp is "necessary" or "practical" for any purpose other than personal enjoyment.

[barrysharp]

If Polestar+ is not a feature you don't value or don't want you simply opt to ignore it. For others it's an upgrade option to be considered.

If the XC70 roof spoiler is not a feature you don't value you opt to ignore it.

If leather seating is not a feature you don't value you opt to ignore it.

Volvo provides options for its customers just like any other company.

Not everyone wants the extra 25 HP that Polestar+ provides, and Volvo recognized that, so it makes it an option rather than making it a standard. Same is true for the various "Packages" Volvo offers.

In fact, just about all `goodies' for the XC70 can be individually ordered rather than taking what the dealership may have ordered for their lots. There's a price list for all the `goodies' available on the Volvo web site and it can be downloaded as a PDF file. The only real downside to `custom ordering' is the waiting time for the built-to-order XC70 to arrive for pickup from dealership. It's roughly the same wait time as for Volvo OSD ordering program.

I personally believe Polestar/Volvo claims about the fuel use being no different from stock. I've had ECU upgrades done on two S60Rs (MTE ones from IPD) and I can say there was no noticeable difference in the fuel consumption after having made these upgrades. This is very difficult to substantiate as one's driving behavior is not constant, but from my fuel expenses before and after the ECU upgrades lead me to conclude what I've posted above. I really enjoyed the extra performance these ECU upgrades made to my S60Rs both for normal driving and for the days I took them to the local speedway to engage in driver education that allowed one to really appreciate what their cars are capable of -- hard braking, cornering, maneuvering, obstacle avoidance... realizing one can actually steer the car around an obstacle at 70 mph with brakes fully engaged and not skidding out of control always amazes me -- and it requires the space at a speedway to experience this... Sorry, I'm way OT with this. :)

[cattlecar]

As others have said, there is no readily available help for 3.2 engine to get more performance. So far as I know there is not a software update to make the older 3.2's behave like the newer ones with the few extra HP and torque numbers. Some of the extra perf of the newer engine is internal mods that reduce friction.

K&N likely would make no difference if someone installed it and didn't tell you it was done. K&N filters LOVE to oil up MAF sensor if the proper amount of oil is used and if less than that is used then the filter allows more fine particle dirt into engine.

Any mods you can do to get colder air source to air cleaner without a lot of extra risk of ingesting water or snow in foul weather would be time well spent.

[termite]

I have an '08 w/ the 3.2 and for the first 45k miles, I agreed with all of the posts, that it seemed both under powered and thrashy. A K&N filter increased gas mileage by a mile or two per gallon. The biggest change though was the software update for the engine and tranny that the dealer installed at just under 50k miles. The engine ran completely different than it did before and far more like 2010; smooth even power band w/o the thrashy feel. Initially after the update, the tranny was worse; it would slam shifts periodically, especially when I came to a stop. Within 3k miles, that all cleared up and it is now just fine to drive...I can't say enough good things about the updates...

[mader$]

Here is what Polestar said:

Hello Scott and thank you for your mail.

Our upgrades are unfortunately only available for turbocharged cars.

We do not currently offer any upgrades for TCU’s (Transmission Control Units).

Best regards,

Andreas

Andreas Naeslund
Sales Manager North America
Polestar Performance Inc.
22 Lightning W Ranch Road
Washoe Valley, NV 89 704
USA

[mader$]

Here is what RICA of the Netherlands said:

Hello Scott,

To tune your car you need to send your cars ECU to our Headquarter in Netherlands. After this you can use our iSoftloader to tune it with RICA ECU upgrade and tune it back to Original by yourself in a few minutes.
We send the ECU together with a iSoftloader back to you same day we have received the ECU from you.

Please let me know if you find this interesting.

Best regards
Patrik
Sales

RICA Engineering
Solbräckegatan 16
442 45 Kungälv
+46 303 58182
www.rica-engineering.com
[email protected]

[mader$]

Here is what IPD told me:

We do not have upgrades for the normally aspirated (non-turbo) cars.

Ken Pruett
Customer Service & Returns
ipd
P: 503-257-7500 x 129
F: 503-257-7596
E: [email protected]

[matt1122]

Just confirms what you are getting from everyone else in this thread. Did RICA give you any sort of estimate on power gains or anything? I feel like it would be a complete waste of money.

[barrysharp]

Nice writeup for the MY2012 XC70 T6 with Polestar...

http://www.swedespeed.com/artman2/publish/Reviews_and_Road_Tests/Driven_2012_XC70_T6_AWD_with_Polestar_Tune.html

[matt1122]

Here are two other articles which are relevant. Originally found the top one on SS today.

http://magazine.windingroad.com/issue/80/
http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1203_2012_volvo_c30_c70_xc70_polestar_package_and_ xc60_r_design/index.html

Thread on SS: http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?171840-Winding-Road-reviews-Polestar-software-for-various-Volvo-models

[OKCXC70]

So, back to the original question, the naturally aspirated 3.2 performance upgrade. For roughly $1,000 USD, you can get the RICA tuning. By looking at their website, you can see that what you would get that would be most noticable to the naked eye is some increase in torque at the low end of rpms, which is generally where you are at when tooling along going to the dentist or to work or to buy a bunch of bags of potting soil. I don't think bashing the 3.2 by some turbo lovers is necessary. I've had mine for about 3.5 yrs and I think it is just fine. Does it have the same get up and sprint as the turbo charged polestar? No. So stop comparing it, it is apples and oranges. Can I merge on the highway doing 65 mph by the end of the on- ramp? Yes. Can I haul a bunch of groceries? Yes. Can I make it over the Rockies on a scary snowy/icy road just before they close the pass? Yes. Can I haul a bunch of camping gear with kayaks on top and bikes on the back and still merge on the highway at 65mph? (Yes, I just don't do it in front of speeding trucks. 0-60 times aren't that important to me, since I try to get a running start whenever I possible!)
I did the K&N, it made a difference. I don't have it in at the moment because they took it out at the dealership and put in a nice clean stock filter because it the K&N was super dirty and I hadn't cleaned it in a while. I have seriously thought about the RICA tune and I don't see any reason not to do it except that I'm thinking of selling it and don't want to invest in it any further. So stop bashing the 3.2, get a polestar tuned T-6 and leave us naturally aspirated people alone!

[OKCXC70]

And another thing for you newbies who just blew in on the turbo bandwagon: in 2008, the non-turbo 3.2 was the only engine available. So bashing it against your 2012 turbo polestar is ridiculous.

[ingemar Carlsson]

Can anyone please tell me Differences our 08xc70 and our newer 010xc70?
engine ?
transmission shifting lever moves harder than 08?
The seating seems to be postitioned differently in the 010 vs the 08. Like the whole chassis and drivers cage is lower to the road Strange but good?
anything Else need to know about 010 year? that i should get done with the safe and secure?
Tak Ingemar

[kriskros]

My 2008 XC 70 3.2 (gas) just passed 50K miles and is now off warranty. I am interested in tweaking the engine performance a bit. So far, I have purchased a K&N filter from IPD Volvo. They have not replied to an email from me about what else they might have available (e.g. chip, software). I live in Portland and could easily leave it at their shop (near Portland Airport).

I see there is an older posting on the RICA chip but no recent comments or feedback. I emailed them because I live on the West Coast and they only list 3 Northeastern US dealers and have not heard back. There are also a few postings on the XC90 site but nothing very recent or compelling. Someone had mentioned an upgrade you can get if you order a new car from the factory (Polestar?) or maybe from the dealer and I need to follow up, if others have have experience with this.

I probably do not want to do manifolds or exhaust but would be very interested in what others have tried. I have also never tried premium gas-maybe that would be the least expensive way to go!

Thank you in advance to all.

Is it possible to simply swap the engine with the T6? Does anyone know what is needed? new ECU? reprogram keys? new transmission? new exhaust pipe??? Please advise. The engine pulled from a junk car sells for $1k with the turbo...