Remapping a D5

[mcgandalf]

Hi,

I've just bought a reasonably low mileage (50k) 2005 Volvo S60 D5 - the 163 bhp engine.

Is it viable to remap these engines to deliver more poke?

Any recommendations as to where to have it done - Thames Valley/Hants/Surrey?

Cheers.

[Justin S]

Shark Performance are very reputable with Volvo engines. They have a dealer in Wokingham for remapping.

[T4RRR]

I have to agree - the only 2 companies in the UK whom I would trust to satisfactorily remap these cars would be Shark Performance and Kalmar Union (MTE). Both offer good service, results and excellent driveability and it is the latter which really matters.

On the T5D5 forum, a tuner had recently claimed to have remapped a car to 450bhp but yet the owner himself found it to be significantly slower than a standard car - please do be careful as there's lots of cowboys out there!

[mcgandalf]

Thanks guys - will definitely look into Shark Performance.

Any major pitfalls to a (good) D5 remap? Increased likelihood of knackering the injectors or similar (at a blind guess)?

[T4RRR]

As with everything, if there's any components which are right on the edge of their service life, putting an additional demand on them may just push them over the edge. That said, most of the guys I know run tuned Volvos and just need to keep on top of regular maintenance and wear and tear items so assuming the car has low mileage and has been well looked after by its previous owner(s), then you should be just fine!

[anonymous-user]

It does put a lot of extra strain on the clutch. The later Euro 4 cars have a larger clutch plate and are less known for clutch problems but when I had my C70 D5 remapped at about 57K I started seeing clutch slip within about 3000 miles. I paid for a new clutch with a smile though, the performance improvement is very pronounced. I went from 180bhp -> 225bhp (claimed) and it feels it too. I think the Euro 3 cars go from 163bhp to 200bhp ish.

[T5R+]

Apart from clutch the majority of people end up replacing the intercooler.

[martinrpeachey]

Sod the difference in BHP - it's the torque that counts when these are remapped.
My mate had a 163 with a DTi tuning box fitted (makes the fuel pump work harder basically) and it made 175bhp and 343ft/lb on the rollers. That was from a poorly serviced 1999 car with 165k on it

[HuzaifaY]

Hi,

Firstly, apologies for reviving an old thread.

I'm looking for some direction on remapping my Volvo S60 D5, 2004 Euro 3 model.

Mileage is still very low, currently sitting at 65000.

I got in touch with Don, from Kalmar Union, but he no longer offers remaps for my car. Shark performance were another recommended company but they have been bought out.

Any suggestions on the next best option for a custom remap?

Cheers,
Huzaifa

[anonymous-user]

As I said back in 2015 I had my 2008 C70 D5 manual remapped from 180bhp to 225bhp with a lot more torque. Within 3000 miles the clutch was slipping and I replaced it. This was maybe 60,000 miles.

At 120k I had to replace:
Gearbox
Both Driveshafts
Clutch
DMF

It's extremely rare to hear of issues with this gearbox, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Volvo knew what they were doing when they set the limits and calibrated the engine. So many "it's fine, you don't know what you're talking about, tuners are well skilled innit" posts use 20 or 30,000 miles without problems as "proof" but I think over the long term if you actually use the power you need to accept that you're going to break your car.

[HuzaifaY]

Understood. Probably not worth the risk in that case.

I had in mind something that would bring the performance in line with the upgraded Euro 4 engines, although I understand they have a larger clutch. Do the Euro 4 models have any other notable parts upgrades?

[anonymous-user]

HuzaifaY said:

Understood. Probably not worth the risk in that case.

I had in mind something that would bring the performance in line with the upgraded Euro 4 engines, although I understand they have a larger clutch. Do the Euro 4 models have any other notable parts upgrades?

Loads. Electronic rather than vacum control of the VNT, higher pressure injection system, more sophisticated engine management, swirl flaps for better emissions and fuel mixing, slightly shorter stroke, lower compression ratio, water cooled turbocharger, different EGR system. They are far nicer to drive.

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 4th November 23:31

[ucb]

Euro 4 v50 D5 manual.
Remapped by MTE via Don at Kalmar Union about 5 years and 100k miles ago.
No issues since with clutch, DMF, gearbox, driveshafts.
It's proving a bit difficult to replace now I need something bigger.

[Stedman]

ucb said:

Euro 4 v50 D5 manual.
Remapped by MTE via Don at Kalmar Union about 5 years and 100k miles ago.
No issues since with clutch, DMF, gearbox, driveshafts.
It's proving a bit difficult to replace now I need something bigger.

Good to hear. Don's maps are well regarded

[S100HP]

Timely thread. Been toying with doing my XC70. Got a quote from Eco tune who use Celtic tunings map. £325 or £285 if you go to them iirc. Undecided myself.

Edited by S100HP on Thursday 7th November 09:25

[anonymous-user]

S100HP said:

Timely thread. Been toying with doing my XC80. Got a quote from Eco tune who use Celtic tunings map. £325 or £285 if you go to them iirc. Undecided myself.

If you want to play it safe then Volvo themselves offer a polestar map on many cars. I think they take the Euro 4 XC90 up to 205bhp with the usual mid range torque improvements - not as high as aftermarket but you can be sure that it's as safe as OEM.

[XRMike]

Since Shark performance seized trading the one trustworthy mapper who is well respected is Shem Green aka 'Shemtek'.

https://shemtekautomotivesolutions.epageuk.com

He mapped my mates late V70 2.4 T5 along with some hardware upgrades and its been excellent. It really is a different car.

Mike.

[XRMike]

Also, if its a small power increase your after, there are a few 'plug and play' options for the D5. I've had great success with these on D5 engines.

[HuzaifaY]

XRMike said:

Since Shark performance seized trading the one trustworthy mapper who is well respected is Shem Green aka 'Shemtek'.

https://shemtekautomotivesolutions.epageuk.com

He mapped my mates late V70 2.4 T5 along with some hardware upgrades and its been excellent. It really is a different car.

Mike.

Thanks for this. I looked up Shemtek online and he seems to be quite reputable. I reckon I'll get in touch and see what he has to offer.

[Moonpiemagic]

There are really 2 Volvo specialist mappers within the UK
- Tim Williams
- Shemtek Automotive

Outside of that you can go to Hilton tuning who also have great results in the US market.
BD Performance have also recently started doing mapping for Volvo's as well.

I have used both BD Performance and Shemtek automotive, great bunch of guys and highly recommended.