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What to do to my 02 AWD!!!

41K views 171 replies 33 participants last post by  Quin 
#1 · (Edited)
Never ending S60 project!

IN LOVING MEMORY


2010
Hey fellas! I finally got the car ive been wanting for a long time about a month ago or so. Its a 2002 S60 AWD. Cosmetically its been better but mechanically it is at a perfect stage 0. My very first Volvo was a 94 850 t5 with over 275k on engine tranny and turbo, i ran 15.5s up here in Colorado. After that I had a 98 saffron c70 that i actually purchased off here wrecked but ended up selling it to my father, Then i finally got a 98 s70 t5m which was awesome! Loved that car but still just was in love with the shape of the S60s. So finally i couldn't say no to a smoking deal on this baby.
My problem, coming from a line of T5 Volvos, this LPT and extra 400+ pounds is a whole different animal. What have people here done to spunk these drive-trains up? Any idea what power, or boost they can handle safely? I love how fast it spools up, beating Rs to about 50mph, After that it falls on its face. Will chipping it help a good amount with this?

Heres pics

Just got stock R springs on, feels weird but sits nice. Got my 05+ Rear bumper with R lower valance in the background.


Before doing too much to it!






Needless to say, i LOVE this car so much.
Thanks for any help!
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2011

Installed train horn in trunk


Painted satin black


Custom 3" with electric cutout downpipe


Experimental stage


Getting the Brembos ready to install


Right before being painted sonic blue

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012

After the new color!


Trying out some lighting combos with leds


Car put down 251HP and 321TQ to the wheel on a mustang II, and runs 14.4 at 3200' on 90 degree days. Weight with me is at 4236lbs

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013

One elevate hood vent installed


Port/polished exhaust manifold


2004 S60R donor car for my manual swap


Rear Valance project start


Semi final product


Built front axles


Custom wrapped B Pillars

19t and manifold In


Methanol Injection


Getting her back together


Power Steering Cooler

SPACEBALL!

A pillar Gauges


Buttoned up minus the bumper!


--UPDATE--
Current mods

-Exterior:
Sonic blue painted
Led Projector headlights
CF Roof spoiler
CF Trunk Spoiler
S60R front bumper
05+ Rear bumper conversion
Custom rear valance diffuser
Full R bodykit
Elevate hood grills
04+ Side mirrors
175db train horn
17% tint
Mesh grill with Motorsport badge

-Interior:
3 pedals, instead of 2 ;)
R Steering wheel with Airbag
05+ Dash
Dolby speakers with 10" parcel shelf mounted subwoofer
R Cluster blue gauges
IPD Boost gauge
AFR gauge
S60R nordkap interior swap
05+ center console and dash
bluepower nav unit
Custom Black suede and Carbon fiber cloth wrapped A,B,C pillars and center console.
07+ Dash vents

-Performance:
19t with piston style CBV
ARD Blue tune
2.5 extrude honed/ceramic coated exhaust manifold
31x12x3 FMIC - Custom
3" catless downpipe with electric cutout - Stock R Catback
Green injectors
Blue Brembos
25mm Sway bars
Snabb intake pipe
Evolve Intake Box
Rear shock tower brace
Blue silicone turbo hoses and brake booster hoses
Blue ceramic coated intake manifold
Eibach lowering springs
10mm front spacers, 20mm rear spacers
Heavy duty axle joints with blue silicone boots
Poly intake spacer
Methanol Injection
Speed sensitive steering rack
R P/S cooler with 05+ P/S resv and suction hose

Current projects:
04 2.5 lpt block with forged internals, port/polished 02 head
Sequential tail lights with LED's
R headlights with dual projector retrofit
Quad exhaust

 
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29
#4 · (Edited)
??? for Toby, some weird posts lately bro.

OP, I have an '02 S60 2.4T AWD myself and would be happy to offer some input.

Impulse is right on when he says the R suspension is way different, the shocks and springs are meant to work together and will be mismatched if used separately. Get some Eibachs or H&Rs meant for 2.4T AWD if you want lower ride height, I've been running Eibachs on mine for ever it seems and they still please me today.

The LPT has nice spool but lacks that top end pull you've mentioned. What I and some others have done is swap turbochargers to the higher output TD04HL-16T from the T5 models. You will need all the supporting mods and a good custom tune to go with it. Check out the 16T swap thread here where we discuss the limits and feasibility. I'm running a tweaked RICA Stage 2 tune settling at 16psi on my 2.4T with upgraded 16T turbo, Intake, custom FMIC, IPD HD TCV, ViVA HD CBV, 3" Catless DP and EST R Ctaback along with some other small stuff and it feels great. Way more power and fun than stock trim.

Generally, with a proper tune, you can run 14-16psi w/ the 16T turbo on these LPT blocks with good reliability and excellent improvements in both low end and high end. You'll get close to 300HP in the end with good tuning and all the mods and that's about am much as they can take without risking damage to the bottom end.

Hope that helps, nice to see you keep coming back to Volvo, good luck with your project and keep us updated.

Some reading for you, enough to get confused and then straightened back out:

Tuning the LPT for more HP :p
http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?143690-Tuning-the-LPT-for-more-HP-P

2.5T 14T turbo upgrade or swap to 16T or larger....anyone ever do this??
http://forums.swedespeed.com/showth...-swap-to-16T-or-larger....anyone-ever-do-this

-NJGB
 
#5 ·
My problem, coming from a line of T5 Volvos, this LPT and extra 400+ pounds is very unpleasant to drive. What has people here done to spunk these drivetrains up? Any idea what power, or boost they can handle safely? I love how fast it spools up, beating my fathers 06 S60R with all possible mods to about 50mph. After that it falls on its face, will chipping it help a good amount with this?
Chipping will help a lot, but you will still run out of oomph at the top end eventually. The cure for the top end is a bigger turbo.
 
#6 ·
@ Toby, Thats what my 850 aka first car was for HA.

Definitely should have done my research before throwing R coils on my car, explains why it feels like my rear ends out of control when going over bumps. Ill be ordering appropriate coils shortly... Appreciate your input or i wouldnt have known otherwise!

Just read those threads, thanks! Im sold on the 16t, considering i have a few laying around anyways. Have you ran yours in a 1/4 mile yet? Your pretty happy with the Rica tune? Or would you suggest someone else? Also, what injectors should i go with? I already have a S60R DP and Catback on, so looks like that should be perfectly fine to keep, ill throw on the dual S60R intercooler this weekend then plan on throwing the 16t weekend after. Any other steps or recommendations i need to take before doing this?
 
#7 ·
Yeah I'm happy with the RICA tune but IPD/MTE is also a great choice, they lowered their price on the softloader to match the RICA iSoftloader and the IPD one has datalogging built right in. I had IPD at first and liked it for Stage 1 but opted for the new RICA iSoftloader @ it's low introductory price when I went Stage 2 16T.

I am running a RICA Stage 2 13G tune with the larger 16T and stock injectors. AFRs are good to go @ 16psi, stock Orange LPT injectors will flow low 10 AFRs with a 18T so you have some headroom.

IPD/MTE will cost more for a custom 16T tune but they are willing to work with you and have great customer support. RICA can be hard to get in touch with though Frank @ ViVA has always been great.

You should be good to go with the mods you listed. You can run the 16T with stock software @ stock boost and still make more power while you wait for your tune.

-NJGB
 
#9 ·
Agree with the rest. The stock intercooler from the S60R should not be considered an upgrade. Especially if you plan to do the 16T swap with tune, the S60R "dual intercooler" is still going to heat soak like crazy and simply won't be what you're looking for performance-wise. I have custom S60 Front Mount Intercooler piping for sale right now in the classifieds as impulse mentioned above: http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?146220-S60-FMIC-Piping
 
#10 · (Edited)
Awesome information, think im gonna shoot with IPD. Datalogging is a must i feel. Ill try getting the turbo on next couple of weeks, would like to find a 03+ Manifold first though if im going to be at it.

Why dont you think so? I assumed if it was good enough for a 300 hp R it would be more than enough for my car? FMIC had occured to me, but only if i really need it.


Edit:
What front mount intercooler are your pipes good for?
 
#11 ·
Awesome information, think im gonna shoot with IPD. Datalogging is a must i feel. Ill try getting the turbo on next couple of weeks, would like to find a 03+ Manifold first though if im going to be at it.

Why dont you think so? I assumed if it was good enough for a 300 hp R it would be more than enough for my car? FMIC had occured to me, but only if i really need it.

Edit:
What front mount intercooler are your pipes good for?
The pipes are based off the Phuz Front Mount Intercooler Kit, so the piping will fit the Yonaka 10 Intercooler and similar.
 
#12 ·
If you already have the R parts they will work and are better than what you have currently. You can also buy a 2.5" piping kit and CXRacing core for less than $250 and do the whole thing yourself with better results than the R parts. You don't really need it but you don't really need the 16T either, obviously both will end in more power and more fun for you.

-NJGB
 
#13 ·
Well i just snagged a 03 t5 with manifold for $350 shipped, seemed like a good deal? Should have it next week. I think ill throw the R intercooler on for now then either go for methanol injection or one of those FMICS once summer starts coming around. Anyone done a E85 conversion on these before?
 
#15 ·
Nah 16t. I wouldnt bother doing an engine. Plan on getting an R eventually anyways. Yea i spoke with Elevate already, but they wont tune my 16t on a LPT so that rules out the E85 from them.
 
#16 ·
Got my 16t and 03+ Manifold, Thinking about getting them ceramic coated, anyone have opinions on that?
Taking my car to get painted flat black next week so ill have some time to get my turbo and other stuff prepped, also got some Eibach lowering coils for free! Customer didnt like how rough they were so i traded labor and my stock springs for them.

So i can run the turbo with no tune without breaking anything? And if i had it tuned to 18 psi, would that be too much or okay? Im really looking to squeeze as much as i can out of this car.
 
#18 ·
Thanks! Yea it really improves the look from those bulky tail lights. Probaly wouldnt look good on any other color than black i think though. Go up to advance or checkers and buy a can of their VHT nightshade spray, im sure you can find it on the web as well. But its specific for tail light tinting.

Easy process though, just tape off the red section (going a little bit higher so none of the white plastic can be seen from a higher angle still), i lightly used a scotch bright pad over the section i sprayed then cleaned off with brake cleaner and wiped off with microfiber towel. Then spray away to however dark you want. Mine was about 2 coats, be sure to pull the tape off right after spraying so it doesnt dry and then brake off uneven when removing the tape. The can also suggests doing it away from sunlight which i did. But when i did my S70 i did it in broad day and didnt notice any difference so thats your call.
 
#19 ·
What do you guys think of this? I threw it together real quick to get an idea. Figured hood scoops look like crap on these and the elevate grilles arent quite enough for my taste. Any other ideas? Just trying to get things prepped for the flat black paint job.


Found these on Ebay here
 
#21 ·
What else can i do to spruce it up a bit? I feel very plain next to these evos and their 40 hood vents, and BMWs with their very aggressive buldges on the hood.

Wrapped in CF vinyl. Nothing fancy sadly.
 
#22 ·
Have you looked into a V8 swap and blower install? That would make it stand out.

I mean if you like the vents than go for it. I'd like to see what the end result looks like compared to the photoshop, they seem huge to me @ 12"x30" but maybe it will look sick.

As for the more important power mods, a 16T is going to be running out of steam at a sustained 18psi. Your tuner will determine the max psi and it will most likely be closer to 15psi, though spikes up to 18-19psi not uncommon. I'm running mine at 16psi and it's great on the LPT. I'd suggest getting the turbo rebuilt and balanced and install a new OEM or HD CBV kit while it's out. Make sure you have good intercooler clamps and couplers to hold that higher boost.

-NJGB
 
#23 ·
Well after researching the V8 swap and discussing with my boss, we decided a small block chevy v8 with a shmedium sized blower can realistically be accomplished. While checking into it, i determined that a front axle delete would be a necessary, along with the addition of a beefed driveshaft, rear axles, and rear diff, and elimination of the viscous coupling. Thus making it a rear wheel drive s60 V8!!

As tits as that would be, i think i shall settle with the hood louvers for the time being. Ill get them ordered and test cut into a wrecked s60 at my work to see how it fits before hacking into mine. They were the only decent ones i could find, be nice if they were a bit smaller and could fit on the lowered section of the hood behind the headlight. I agree on the size of them, but we shall see.

Makes sense, 16 it is then. Being a lower compression block id imagine it would have a bit more output than the t5 with the same turbo? Possibly making up for the extra weight of the AWD. Ill be VERY happy if i can make this faster than my s70 t5 hah. My dad just ordered an upgraded K24 from Viva for his R so had them throw in the piston style cbv upgrade in the same box to save on shipping. Hopefully will get that sooner than later. Im exited to get this turbo in the car.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Well after researching the V8 swap and discussing with my boss, we decided a small block chevy v8 with a shmedium sized blower can realistically be accomplished. While checking into it, i determined that a front axle delete would be a necessary, along with the addition of a beefed driveshaft, rear axles, and rear diff, and elimination of the viscous coupling. Thus making it a rear wheel drive s60 V8!!
Aside from needing to weld an entire extra sub frame on to handle the torque, it would be very cool.

Have a look at the Volvo XC90 taxi they did a couple years ago, takes a lot of welding.
http://www.gatebil.no/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5571
 
#26 ·
Did the 16t swap few weekends ago, and WOW did it make a difference. All i did was the turbo and manifold, went from getting stomped by my dads C70 t5m to almost keeping up with it! Same with my friends 95 t5r running 18lbs. Im looking at doing ipd stage II i suppose, looks like my best option. Installation went as smooth and possible, from start to finish took me about 3 hours. Went very smoothly despite a turbo oil return o ring getting pinched and leaking but that was a quick and easy fix.

Got the hood vents from ebay, showed up and they were cracked along with requiring numerous hours of dremel work to make them look decent. So they were returned and i am back into looking for something to add to the hood before sending to the paint shop next month.
 
#27 ·
Sounds like good progress to me, your still on the stock tune right? You should definitely make the tune your next priority, IPD should be fine but they will charge extra for custom mapping for the 16t. Their regular stage 2 should be fine for the 16T though and won't cost near as much as their custom software. Great deal with their data logging software right now. The turbo alone provides a small increase but nothing compared to turbo and tune for higher psi.

Quick question for you, did you swap the turbo from the top or bottom of the car? how did you reach those oil line bolts with the angle gear in there? I've been doing turbo swaps from the bottom, pulling the AG every time but last time I thought it might be easier from just the top.

Thanks and enjoy your car,
NJGB
 
#28 ·
Ipd was telling me for a custom tune im looking at almost 2 grand for my car. Which i think is crazy. Ill do a stage II tune and try a boost mod similar to one i did on my 94 and 98s. My car is a whole other animal as it is, just from simple things. Handles AWESOME with the eibachs i got and the rear S60R sway bar. But that turbo has made a crazy difference. Yea data logging is sweet, a must have i feel.

Well i did some from the top and some from the bottom. I did NOT pull my Bevel Gear though, and i pulled the turbo from up top. Im fortunate enough to have a lift to work for whenever i want, which makes it much easier.
 
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