Volvo S40

1807 messages,  Last post on Jul 01, 2011 at 7:51 AM

You are in the Volvo S40 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Volvo S40, Sedan



#1250 of 1807 AWD OR FRONT WHEEL DRIVE S40 T5 - CHIP ? by civ02lx_t5_awd

May 03, 2005 (4:39 pm)

I currently live in Minnesota where we have snow about 4-5 month of the year.
I'm interested in either a 2005 or 2006 S40 and wondering if a FWD with the DSTC would be what all I need ? I guess the disadvantages of AWD is the lower gas mileage, price and heaver weight. Advantages would be safer in snow/ice for winter time.
 
I previously own a 98 grand prix GT and then when to a 02 Honda Civic with 14" tires and miss the performance factor. The nice thing about the S40 is that you can buy a Power Chip for the Volvo that gets 248 or 252 HP( 269/273 LB.FT of torque respectively), and cost $990. Has anyone used this chip with any difference in performance ?
 
I'm considering keeping my Civic for the summer time since I get 38 MPG and using the T5 for winter months and for road trips. Any info/ideas would be great. Thanks
 
 

#1251 of 1807 Re: AWD OR FRONT WHEEL DRIVE S40 T5 - CHIP ? [civ02lx_t5_awd] by qbrozen

May 04, 2005 (6:23 am)

Replying to: civ02lx_t5_awd (May 03, 2005 4:39 pm)
could you be more specific about this power chip? Is that the company's name? (PowerChip)
 
When you first said the name, I thought it was that bunk chip sold on Ebay for $10 (or whatever the price is), but your price obviously says otherwise.
 
Personally, for that kind of money, I'd wait for IPD to finish developing theirs. The latest I read in their brochure/flyer is that they are getting very good results and hope to have it on the market soon. If I recall correctly, they mentioned AT LEAST 250 HP. And, of course, you have the advantage of getting a flash upgrade rather than an add-on, AND you are getting it from a shop that specializes in Volvos.

#1252 of 1807 Re: AWD OR FRONT WHEEL DRIVE S40 T5 - CHIP ? [qbrozen] by volvomax

May 04, 2005 (11:07 am)

Replying to: qbrozen (May 04, 2005 6:23 am)
Powerchip is the company that supplies chips to EVOLVE.
I have one of their programs in my S60R's ecu.
ipd sells TME's programs.
All Volvo's have ecu's that need to be reflashed. You can't just install a chip in the ecu.
250 hp is probably the limit for the T5 engine. At least for safe, long term operation.
 
The haldex AWD system actually doesn't hurt mpg much. A difference of 1-2 mpg in the city and a little more on the hwy.
My R 6 speed average 23 mpg and I don't drive slow.
If anything mileage has improved since I had Evolve flash my ecu.

#1253 of 1807 Re: AWD OR FRONT WHEEL DRIVE S40 T5 - CHIP ? [volvomax] by qbrozen

May 05, 2005 (7:29 am)

Replying to: volvomax (May 04, 2005 11:07 am)
Ah, Ok, thanks for the clarification. Yeah, nothing wrong with EVOLVE.
 
Actually, not all Volvo ECUs need to be reflashed. There are plenty of companies that solder chips onto the ECU. Not that I'm condoning it or saying whether its a good idea or not, just pointing it out.

#1254 of 1807 Re: AWD OR FRONT WHEEL DRIVE S40 T5 - CHIP ? [qbrozen] by volvomax

May 05, 2005 (11:55 am)

Replying to: qbrozen (May 05, 2005 7:29 am)
DON'T EVER LET ANYONE SOLDER A CHIP ONTO YOUR ECU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
In the first place, its a dead giveaway to the Volvo tech that you car has been modded. Second, its dangerous to the ecu. If its not done perfectly it can fry the ecu.

#1255 of 1807 Re: AWD OR FRONT WHEEL DRIVE S40 T5 - CHIP ? [volvomax] by qbrozen

May 06, 2005 (7:41 am)

Replying to: volvomax (May 05, 2005 11:55 am)
oh, i've read all the warnings. But i've also read hundreds of success stories with companies like Upsolute and Speedtuning. I'm certainly not arguing with you. To each his own.
 
As far as the tech goes, it really doesn't matter on my 8-year-old car. And, since I can have it done in person by an authorized dealer, they fry it, they buy it. But, Yes, if you own a new S40, this is going to be a bad idea if you have warranty issues.

#1256 of 1807 Re: Looking to buy a new s40 [bayarea_s40] by pierola

May 10, 2005 (11:56 am)

Replying to: bayarea_s40 (Apr 24, 2005 10:23 pm)
yes there's one inside the glove compartment.

#1257 of 1807 unexpected repair - bad temperature sensor by prlady1

May 11, 2005 (8:54 am)

Hi all,
Care to read about a problem we had with our 2000 S40 yesterday? The car appeared to be accelerating when it was coasting and no pedal was pushed. My husband pulled into a parking lot; the car began revving its engine up at 4500 RPMs when it was in park. He shut it off and had trouble restarting it. Then, he got the car started and driving again but then smoke started billowing out from under the hood and coolant was obviously leaking. He had the car towed the rest of the way to the dealership; the service advisor said the temp sensor went bad and caused the engine to rev because it perceived the engine was not hot enough. He says we need to change the temp sensor, thermostat, lower radiator hose and replace all the antifreeze and reset the OBDII to account for the new components. He also said it was time to do a transmission flush and I knew that was something we'd do at the next service interval so I gave him the ok. He estimated the total bill at $650-675 and that includes $110 for the transmission flush. Any thoughts?

#1258 of 1807 Re: unexpected repair - bad temperature sensor [prlady1] by allwheeldriv3

May 11, 2005 (12:42 pm)

Replying to: prlady1 (May 11, 2005 8:54 am)
Any thoughts?
 
yea, that sucks...

#1259 of 1807 Re: unexpected repair - bad temperature sensor [prlady1] by qbrozen

May 11, 2005 (2:06 pm)

Replying to: prlady1 (May 11, 2005 8:54 am)
just for comparison, my indy volvo mechanic charges $79 for the tranny service. I gotta wonder how much padding is involved with the rest of that bill.
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