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RICA vs IPD softloader owners weigh in

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volvosince16

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Alright people with experience weigh in I'm probably going to do a soft loader and not much else since I'm probably going to purchase the all important VIP warranty Monday before the rates increase .Which one is going to give the best performance increase on a stock car,including giving the best curve?

On another note does installng tme springs void the suspension warranty normally?
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Re: (C130)

I was told aboutt 2500 for the 7yr 100k with a 50 dollar deduct and about 2200 for the same with a 100 deduct from what I've read you really do need o have one if you plan on keeping the car long term
 
#7 ·
Re: RICA vs IPD softloader owners weigh in (volvosince16)

I have been running the IPD Stage I for about 10k miles now with the Kelly CAI. From the research I completed (thanks to the R Forum) on ECU upgrades, it is my understanding IPD provides more area under the curve. I have the torque delete, and torque is very consistent to 5500-6000 revs in all gears. Both are good - I trust IPD (MTE) to provide a smooth shift (GT) and comprehensive tune. I like having the diagnostic and data logging packages as well. Overall, I am very pleased with the tune.

As a side note, I am really wanting the Bell or Phuz FMIC. Personally, I believe it is the most effective mod one can make to these cars.
 
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#8 ·
Re: RICA vs IPD softloader owners weigh in (volvosince16)

I dont think anyone has had both tunes, or a chance to compare back to back, so not sure what kind of feedback you are hoping to get?

They are both good companies. You should also consider HEICO too, IMHO. Not sure why everyone forgets about their HOP???

Any of the 3 systems will work very well. As I understand it, IPD has the fattest curve and is more towards the "safe" side (relative term), and RICA provides the most peak, with HEICO somewhere in between. HEICO is the only one that is TUV approved, IIRC, FWIW.

The IPD delivery mechanism requires a laptop that you ahve to provide, and takes about 10-15 minutes or so to flash/unflash. You also have to hook the car up to a charger during the process due to current drain of having everything on during the process. Not exactly convenient, BUT the tradeoff for data logging and diagnostic capabilities (depending on which version you get).

I think the others are little self-contained boxes, and work quicker.

Also, are you going to do any other mods (post warranty)? Some tuners are more conducive to custom tune, etc. Also, check out post-sales support too.

One last thing; none of these (AFAIK) are truly "invisible" from a warranty standpoint. If Volvo wants to look deep enough, they will find tracks...
 
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Discussion starter · #9 ·
Re: (cloaked)

Quote, originally posted by cloaked »
why do you want those springs

Already have them got a good deal but havn't put them on yet might just pass the deal onto someone else if I decide not to put them on
Image
 
#10 ·
Re: (volvosince16)

I was wondering if you wanted the TME springs on for appearance or function. If function is the purpose I would sell those springs and get
a set of IPD trac-spec anti-sway bars. There has been enough mishaps
involving those springs and the C-4 excuse me 4-C shocks to keep me
away from any spring setup.
Image

BTW the IPD is the Flash I use obviously and I've never has an issue.

Modified by cloaked at 4:16 AM 3-30-2008
 
#11 ·
Re: (cloaked)

You also have to consider that Rica loads up in about 4 mins, you can carry the device with you. The loading with IDP is much longer, you need a laptop, a battery back up and they charge 400 or 500 for a "revision" to the tune if you decide to add a DP or FMI. Rica just lowered their price to less than 1000.
 
#12 ·
Re: (mrumiano)

Quote, originally posted by mrumiano »
The loading with IDP is much longer, you need a laptop, a battery back up and they charge 400 or 500 for a "revision" to the tune if you decide to add a DP or FMI.

Which is exactly what I said above....
Image
 
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#14 ·
Re: (funglenn)

Quote, originally posted by funglenn »
How does either effect gas mileage?

I've noticed a slight decrease, to 23-24 total, but that's because I can't keep my foot out of it.
 
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#15 ·
Re: (Edogg218)

I have springs, Track sways and like the combo very much. Though "advanced" is STIFF and to be used on only the nicest roads... I have not yet had any problems with the 4-C system. Upon installation I had a SUM completed and haven't had one since. So far so good.

The RICA is a great tune but I don't think you can go wrong with either one. I chose RICA as it was initially cheaper and custom tunes are $100 compared to the IPD $500 (as indicated by the nice IPD fellow on the phone).

Get the FMIC, I chose Bell and they are working on a group buy right now (which I missed
Image
) Go to the classified section and sign up... It's that good. http://********************/smile/emthup.gif
 
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#16 ·
Lost about 1mpg with theIPD Stage 2 tune. Initially lost about 2-2.5, but I'm back to driving normal again.
Image
 
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#17 ·
Re: (lawyR)

I have the IPD tune, for about 6 months now. I'm pretty happy with it. Keep in mind that there WILL be an increase but... I didn't feel like it was terribly significant. The biggest change however was above 4000 RPMs. The car now comes alive on the freeway at much higher RPMs. Its a heavy car with about 400 airbags and a protective nature.
As far as springs go, mine are stock but I considered lowering the car. It looks nice but invites a host of issues. Changing the springs will run you roughly $1,000 in labor due to the complexities of the (rear) suspension, a lower stance may rub more in the wheel wells, and you have more grounding issues (e.g., after-market exhaust may hit in low spots), plus there are a fair amount of complaints out there regarding their suspension upgrades (do some research). My advice, stiffen the suspension with sway bars and maybe side skirts to give the car a lower look. But after all is said and done, it's your ride, make it look and ride however you want. If everyone on this forum had the same setup... well, we wouldn't be half as interesting now would we. Best of luck my friend.
Cheers

Scott
 
#18 ·
Re: (BongeR)

I don't have an ecu upgrade yet, but wanted to mention that I've had eibach springs on my car for over a year now and haven't had a single problem with wheel rub (that I didn't have before the springs) or clearance. http://********************/smile/emthup.gif
 
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#20 ·
Re: RICA vs IPD softloader owners weigh in (rgrove)

Quote, originally posted by rgrove »
I dont think anyone has had both tunes, or a chance to compare back to back, so not sure what kind of feedback you are hoping to get?

They are both good companies. You should also consider HEICO too, IMHO. Not sure why everyone forgets about their HOP???

Any of the 3 systems will work very well. As I understand it, IPD has the fattest curve and is more towards the "safe" side (relative term), and RICA provides the most peak, with HEICO somewhere in between. HEICO is the only one that is TUV approved, IIRC, FWIW.

The IPD delivery mechanism requires a laptop that you ahve to provide, and takes about 10-15 minutes or so to flash/unflash. You also have to hook the car up to a charger during the process due to current drain of having everything on during the process. Not exactly convenient, BUT the tradeoff for data logging and diagnostic capabilities (depending on which version you get).

I think the others are little self-contained boxes, and work quicker.

Also, are you going to do any other mods (post warranty)? Some tuners are more conducive to custom tune, etc. Also, check out post-sales support too.

One last thing; none of these (AFAIK) are truly "invisible" from a warranty standpoint. If Volvo wants to look deep enough, they will find tracks...

rgrove hits the pooints here very well and his response compelled me to reply with a few other points that are worth considering.

First, why we chose to go with a lap top interface-

We could have gone with a simpler self contained integrated solution as others have done, but to do that would have required us to use compromise the quality of each tune and use more generic engine family tuning. We spent a lot of time testing both methods during the development process and feel the improved performance outweighs the benefits of the more conveninet solution. Also, none of the hand helds offer the powerful data logging and diagnostics we do. R owners expressed high interest in this and that was instrumental in the feature set we developed for this market.

Another big consideration is how the manufacturer stands behind thier product. Some manufacturers have very strict "all sales final" policies, you can not return it period. We offer the strongest, most generous warranty and support in the industry. When you have a great product, it's easy to do.

Modified by Scott Hart at 6:36 AM 4-3-2008
 
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