The suspension's already as upgraded as it's gonna get, maybe you can add chassis bracing. Brakes ditto, and about the engine, not sure how much more out of the little 4 cyl you can even get and you already have a ~4.3 0-60.
Heico does cosmetic/exhaust stuff, but you can't tune 2019+ cars. You can get a CF air intake plenum though!

 

I don't know if there's more to get out of the engine or any of the electric motors. That's why I'm asking. Even AMGs can be tuned. Just because a manufacturer tunes its own cars doesn't mean there isn't room for new headers, down pipes, etc. and tunes to improve power efficiency and output. I'm not so much interested in cosmetics and CF plenums.

I wouldn’t mess with this 4 cylinder engine which is already hooked up to a turbo AND a supercharger..

Why not? Isn't messing with a car part of the fun of modding? I'm not looking to turn it into an unusable nightmare making 1,000hp. I'm just wondering what, if anything, can be done with the car.

What about the electric motors and battery?

That's where my mind went initially; just wondering if anyone has played with the ECUs. I know it's increasingly difficult to crack them and, sadly, I fear this is where things are going in the aftermarket -- a lack of tunes because it's near impossible to crack the ECU.

Anyone that says they wouldn’t mess with the engine because it’s got a turbo and supercharger, or that it’s probably overworking the little engine already, shouldn’t be asked for advice on performance mods. Nobody needs that kind of close minded negativity. I’m sure there’s more power there that can be had safely.

No manufacturer puts a car on the market that's engineered to live on the fringe of reliability and death. I'm not looking to push it to that limit but I have to believe there's some ground in the middle. Maybe not. I'm just a bit of an optimist, I guess.

My issue isn’t that people don’t want to try it. My issue is with people that discount it or say it’s not worth it. And they base that on their opinion since that’s an unknown. Basically, if you don’t know, say you don’t know. Then move on. There’s a first for everything.

Agreed...and I understand that it's not for everyone. One reason many of us mod our cars (even lightly) is to "individualize" our cars. I don't want or need the fastest car out there but I do enjoy driving a car that's just a little bit different than the rest. Anyway, it sounds like there isn't much or an aftermarket (yet?); which is fine. Tuning Volvos has always been a niche market. No doubt tuning hybrid Volvos would be even more of a niche.

Anyway, I appreciate everyone's feedback and take on the market. I'll be interested in seeing how it develops (if at all). In the meantime, I'll keep looking around to see what catches my eye.

-Eric

 

I wouldn’t mess with this 4 cylinder engine which is already hooked up to a turbo AND a supercharger..

 

What about the electric motors and battery?
That is quite complicated system already.
Have you heard anybody touching it?

Krzyś

 

No. And I doubt you even can.

 

I’m in the same boat. Minus the wagon. I have Heico springs sitting at my front door for install on Saturday.
Nobody has been able to crack the ecu yet. I talked to Hilton tuning about a tune. They say they are working on it but won’t give any details or time line. Anyone that says they wouldn’t mess with the engine because it’s got a turbo and supercharger, or that it’s probably overworking the little engine already, shouldn’t be asked for advice on performance mods. Nobody needs that kind of close minded negativity. I’m sure there’s more power there that can be had safely.
I plan to upgrade suspension, intercooler, down pipe, tune, when available

 

I’m in the same boat. Minus the wagon. I have Heico springs sitting at my front door for install on Saturday.
Nobody has been able to crack the ecu yet. I talked to Hilton tuning about a tune. They say they are working on it but won’t give any details or time line. Anyone that says they wouldn’t mess with the engine because it’s got a turbo and supercharger, or that it’s probably overworking the little engine already, shouldn’t be asked for advice on performance mods. Nobody needs that kind of close minded negativity. I’m sure there’s more power there that can be had safely.
I plan to upgrade suspension, intercooler, down pipe, tune, when available

You're right. People who don't want to try mods on a presently-untested new engine architecture (for actual power mods and serious tunes, not racechips or generic "stage 1" tunes which lean your mixture out and cause burnt valves) need to have people who'll pioneer these mods for the first time, because most people (even those wanting more power) don't want to end up with an expensive mistake felt on their own skin.
Intercoolers and DPs are available afaik, which could only help, but not much without a tune. Not sure about the size of the turbo, nor of the supercharger, so I'll have to find that out.
If/when tunes do become available for SPAs, it'll be very interesting to see how even more power on only the front axle will feel on the e-AWD systems of the T8 cars, and how it plays with the tight software integration of the rear axle and torque vectoring system.
I'd say a proper tune would have to take all of these aspects into account.

What suspension are you going to upgrade to from the Ohlins setup (apart from the lowering springs)?
Edit: never mind -- thought you had a Polestar. KWs or the actual Ohlins setup would be great for your T8! And yes, the 2017-2018 P3 Polestar makes 362hp out of its 4-cyl built on the same platform (don't know how they differ internally though), so I'd just say that you have to generally mimic what's going on in that (despite it having a mechanically-connected AWD).

 

I assumed the V3 AWD kit would work -- don't think suspension geometry between the eAWD and mechanical AWD cars is different

 

I contacted them. They said it wouldn’t work on the T8 hybrid

 

How many aftermarket tunes are there for T6 engine?
I do not know the answer.

Now add complexity of the electric motors, maintaining battery, charging battery and it becomes a problem.
What if tune overheats battery? It will not be pretty.

I do not think it is an opinion that hybrid powerplants are more complicated that pure ICE

Krzyś

 

No. You’re guessing. The right people involved take it from “it becomes a problem (speculation)” to accomplishing something. If everyone stopped doing things because they thought it would be a problem, nothing would ever get done. Sometimes a problem is only a problem because nobody has figured it out yet. Innovators have the ability to see opportunities where others see challenges. Which is exactly the type of mentality I’m talking about.

 

Did some quick research and found this:

Volvo 2.0L T6/Polestar 2017-2018 Moose Muscle Package - KT4 Performance

Finally, a Volvo 2.0L T6/Polestar Turbo Kit! With a turbo rated for 550hp, you can blow the doors off your competition and put a smile on your face. ;)

kt4performance.com

 

Lol, $7000. Wtf… I could have a master fabricator I know build that for less than a 1/4 of that price. Blows my mind the pricing of Volvo aftermarket parts.

 

The turbo itself comprises 1/4 of the price, so I’d say maybe 1/2 price to 3/4 depending on how good your guy is

 

Didn’t see that it came with the turbo. The guy I would take it to is the best I’ve ever seen.

 

Yeah it takes all kinds, we love cars different ways. Just since you said it in a pointed way ha, for me it's not just about what car can I buy. That's for people who enjoy doing other stuff that makes money and buy cars as an accessory. But it's only cuz I know me, I just get into things lol.

No interest in that $8k turbo thinger though, there is not a support system on these cars to really make much of that anyways. I don't see they are offering a complete engineered system, you'd be on your own to tune it, figure out fueling and all the other crap that wouldn't work right. Typical aftermarket parts. Whoa you see that at the bottom of the page..$27k twin turbo system for Audi R8 damn lol.

 

Welcome back @Sue Esponte. I remember you from the "old days".

You'll see that the Volvo aftermarket is even smaller now than it was back when you had your P2R.

It's hard for any quality aftermarket tuner to justify the engineering cost with so few of these cars being sold and even much fewer interested in modifications.

 

Welcome back @Sue Esponte. I remember you from the "old days".

Thanks, Wayne! Those were good times. The R Forum was always lively and good for a laugh...or maybe even a cry.

My favorite is, “It’s not a race car. You should have bought a __ .” 🤦🏻‍♂️

Also an Eric

Yeah, I love those posts; as if there's only one way to look at a car and, of course, your way is stupid. It's hard (if not impossible) for those kinds of people to step out of their own shoes for a second and imagine that someone might enjoy the same car for different reasons. I, for one, love a good sleeper. I also love wagons. Volvo used to market the 740 Turbowagon as the equivalent of a Countach with a Uhaul trailer attached. Even Volvo has racing wagons in its blood.

It's good discussion here, a reminder sometimes we are just talking about stuff, on either side though, we are just playing with thoughts often.

"The horror..."

not really, no. If you'd like to pioneer it, go ahead.

that's all that needed to be said.

Thanks for not reading anything I've written but responding as though you've read. Feel free to move on if you have nothing to add.

FYI - though I am not a driving enthusiast, though I have signed up for driver's ed at Watkins Glen this summer...hey, the car was built for it so I might as well try it at least once...

There's no single definition of "enthusiast." "Enthusiasts" are all driven by different things and to different degrees. You're enough of an enthusiast that you thought it might be fun or interesting to sign up for a driver's clinic. Personally, I think you're going to have a blast. I certainly hope you do! For so many of us, it's the experience of driving, picking up new skills, laughing at yourself, meeting people with a remotely similar interest, and just trying something new.

 

It's good discussion here, a reminder sometimes we are just talking about stuff, on either side though, we are just playing with thoughts often.

I've def gotten a lot of the attitude, people assume I take my car to the track I must want a race car or something "just get a Miata" ha. That's not even close. I'm doing my part though, you want good street brakes for your Volvo I got 'em. Maybe some more cool stuff in the future. It's def tough process to figure out if there is interest in something and really, the love of the Volvo and meeting the challenge is what drives me, not the pure ROI, which is probably hard to justify for your typical aftermarket mfr...

 

Is there any aftermarket for these cars?

not really, no. If you'd like to pioneer it, go ahead.

that's all that needed to be said.