Volvo Re-map

[andyjstone 6]

Sorry to talk boring non-Pug stuff, but I had my Volvo S40 D5 (yes, sorry, it's a diesel, yawn, yawn) on the Rolling Road at Tewkesbury earlier in the week - it's running a Sport remap from RICA that is supposed to give 253bhp and 548nm (404lbft) of torque and this was the result:

 

 

Not quite making what it should, but still pretty good - not so boring now, eh, and it still does over 40mpg

[welshpug 1,657]

Its not far off at all what the figures you quoted were

 

So you like what I suggested looking at then if you still have it

 

I don't know if it still applies for the D5, but I haven't heard good things about the RICA T5 maps (a friend has bought a 2.3 Phase 2 V70)

 

He said they tune them for economy and give a massive slug of torque (as pictured ) which unfortunately just creates wheelspin, the most concerning part is that after the initial spike of torque they run pretty lean as you go up the revs (not so much an issue in a Diesel, but will still impact on combustion temps)

 

A strange attempt to retain something near acceptable fuel consumption (who in their right mind cares for how much fuel their engine is using when booting it I don't know ) which leads to the engines running excessively lean and not being particularly quick as they just wheelspin then run out of puff.

[Atari Boy 11]

Nice job Andy, I have a T5 V50 and like it except the mpg, which is 30 on a run.

I wonder if a remap could improve it?

[welshpug 1,657]

Should do if you choose the right one (and drive it appropriately )

 

I'll ask my friend which maps were more favoured.

 

 

Have to say I do like how comfy and quiet they are, nice sound on boost and over run

[Baz 421]

Nice result, bet you need 4wd now!

[andyjstone 6]

So you like what I suggested looking at then if you still have it

 

I don't know if it still applies for the D5, but I haven't heard good things about the RICA T5 maps (a friend has bought a 2.3 Phase 2 V70)

 

He said they tune them for economy and give a massive slug of torque (as pictured ) which unfortunately just creates wheelspin, the most concerning part is that after the initial spike of torque they run pretty lean as you go up the revs (not so much an issue in a Diesel, but will still impact on combustion temps)

 

A strange attempt to retain something near acceptable fuel consumption (who in their right mind cares for how much fuel their engine is using when booting it I don't know ) which leads to the engines running excessively lean and not being particularly quick as they just wheelspin then run out of puff.

 

Yes, I'm good with your recommendation - I do around 30,000 miles a year of mostly motorway driving and the comfy Volvo seats mated with reasonable economy and the grunt of the D5 is a good mix.

 

The torque is actually applied quite smoothly, you do have to watch the wheel sping when pulling away, but once it's on the move it's fantastic.

 

Nice job Andy, I have a T5 V50 and like it except the mpg, which is 30 on a run.

I wonder if a remap could improve it?

 

Did with mine, the remap added 2-3 mpg, but with RICA if you buy the Sport map you also get the three maps beneath it which are 'ECO', 'Stage 1' (which is similar to Volvo's own sport map) and 'Stage 2' and you have a softloader so you cnan swap between them.

 

Have to say I do like how comfy and quiet they are, nice sound on boost and over run

 

One of the great things about the D5 is the noise, it really doesn't sound like a diesel, you get a kind of low down offbeat rumble, but then that could be the engine going into meltdown

[RossD 44]

Nice result, what is the original output of this engine?

 

WP: Don't think that running a diesel lean causes high combustion temps - It's almost the opposite*. Looking at the Lambda readout on that graph it's apparantly running under Lambda=1 which is VERY VERY rich for a diesel. EGT's are going to be *very* high! Does it have a particulate filter? I would guess it does as otherwise it'd be smoking like a chimney!

 

Remember with diesels that they will idle at about 200:1 AFR (Low EGT) and full power is usually about 18:1 (Highish EGT, about 750 degrees). Anything richer causes higher EGT's and smoke. Remaps will pull this down to about 15 - 15.5:1, so to see this at below 14 is quite strange. The EGT's are going to be very very high.... Just don't tow anything at full throttle at peak torque for any length of time is my advice ;-)

 

*I should qualify this - Combustion temperature does depend on many factors - running 'lean' is only one of them. There is a point though where combustion temps will start to fall off the leaner you run and this is actually soon after stoichiometric, i.e 14.5:1 or Lambda = 1, for both petrol and diesel engines.

 

 

For reference, the 110bhp 2.0 HDi engine runs at 18:1 AFR at peak torque, dropping off as the revs go higher. The later 2.0 16v HDi runs pretty much the same AFR, the extra power\torque comes from better breathing and combustion efficiency. On these engines, anything under 16:1 starts to produce at lot of smoke. Peak EGT is at peak torque (Where the most fuel is injected) and is just over 700 degrees. How do I know? When I was at uni, my best mate did his final year project on a DW10ATED engine

Edited February 4, 2011 by RossD

[andyjstone 6]

Yes it has a particulate filter and doesn't smoke, but then I don't thrash it for long - you don't need to

 

According to my reckoning while cruising on the motorway (which is what I do most of) with the remap I am getting better efficiency and LESS heat than originally (engine even warms up slower). It's only on full throttle when I need to worry about heat accumalation, but actually all D5 engines have safety features in the program which will take care of your engine longevity and reduce power when needed.

 

Out of the box it is supposed to make 180bhp, but we actually mapped it as well with the standard map and it was making around 200 as you can see below:

 

Edited February 4, 2011 by andyjstone

[RossD 44]

Indeed, but those maps that protect against overheat are only usually based on coolant temperature - They'll take a percentage off the overall fuelling figure, when the coolant reaches a predetermined level. This also assumes that the map hasn't been disabled or changed by the tuner!

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing\cussing\[insert relevant word] your end result, it's the diesel remap industry as a whole. I've seen some maps made by tuners with supposedly good reputations, but looking at the files in more detail, the remap itself is proper rubbish. Therein lies the problem - reputations are built on the end result. If a driver feels that his car is going faster, he'll be happy. Trouble is, if the EGT if off the scale, the injection pressure has been ramped up to dangerous levels or overheat limiters have been changed\disabled you aren't going to know until it's too late and something fails.

 

The only reason I even commented was by looking at the boost and Lambda curve on your RR printout, which, for a diesel doesn't look right! The boost needs to be dropping off as the revs approach 4000 to protect the turbo, on yours peak boost is held to the redline. I'm not saying it is a definate problem, but having seen many many standard ECU files and just as many good remapped files, this one stands out as being different from the others I have seen.

 

As long as you are happy that's the main thing, but I'm a cynical git who is old before my time and trusts nobody

[andyjstone 6]

Yes, agreed, but even on the standard map the boost stays at full and it isn't that much less than the re-mapped version.

[welshpug 1,657]

nice, 2.5 bar of boost stock just noticed no increase in boost on the map either!

 

 

Certainly some interesting data there Ross, my comments about running lean were specifically towards the T5 rather than D5, but clarifying what the diesels run at has helped me understand them more