Noob questions: Alloys and ECU flash

BUDFORCE

BUDFORCE

BUDFORCE

Soldato
Joined
3 May 2012
Posts
10,206
Location
Wetherspoons
So from my other thread my current car is kaput.

I am looking at cars and have eyed up a Volvo S60, T3 version which is a 1.6 turbo petrol 147bhp, although the car has more power than my old, it is also 300kg heavier, which baffles me as the car is the same shape and engine size, minus the turbo.

Anyway, the stock Volvo alloys are UUUUGLY, but, I'm kinda embarrassed to admit, but I'd have absolutely no idea where to start in getting replacements? How do you know if they will fit? What are the options, low profile etc?

Second part, the T4 version I believe is the same engine (the car actually uses a ford 1.6 ecoboost turbo) but is boosted to 180hp. So is that just an ECU setup, or will the turbo be different? And either way, would doing an ECU flash be possible, worth it? Outweigh risks? And again, how to you go about getting this done?
 
BUDFORCE said:
Second part, the T4 version I believe is the same engine (the car actually uses a ford 1.6 ecoboost turbo) but is boosted to 180hp. So is that just an ECU setup, or will the turbo be different? And either way, would doing an ECU flash be possible, worth it? Outweigh risks? And again, how to you go about getting this done?
Click to expand...

On some cars there literally is no change other than the Map, but for most cars there are other minor differences e.g. different turbo, different gear ratios etc.

For a relatively "conservative" map, superchips are generally a fairly good bet for what is capable:
https://www.superchips.co.uk/search?make=39&fueltype=3&model=174&variant=3162
 
somewhere like [url]https://www.wheelfitment.eu/car/Volvo.html[/url] will give you the pcd (bolt pattern) and offset. the pcd is the number of bolts and the diameter of the ring for the hub/wheel, e.g. 5x108 is 5 holes on a ring diameter 108mm. So, check for alloys with a 5x108 fit. Next thing to check is the offset/ET is roughly similar - this determines how far out the wheel sticks from the hub, if it's too little/large then it will hit the bodywork when turning... Then check the centre bore is suitable so that the alloy fits on the hub, but tbh, I've been lucky and got away without checking this... I hope that helps.

As for maps, just look on owners club/google for S60 T3 maps and see what people recommend. Just because a company can/will map the car doesn't mean it's trusted and won't throw a rod... Recommended mappers (for that car) are worth looking for, even if they cost more, and someone who's good/recommended for 1 make might not be the best suited for another. (e.g. BBR have a great reputation for MX5 tuning but are mud for MPS owners).

Finally, without sounding boring, remember both of these are mods that need to be disclosed to insurance. So, if your policy/insurer refuses mods then no matter how ugly the alloys are, you're kinda stuck until you change insurance at next renewal.
 
Yea I'm not looking to max anything out, but if it is like computer hardware "a mild overclock" is just free performance right? I'll check that out, 30hp extra would be plenty.
 
BUDFORCE said:
Yea I'm not looking to max anything out, but if it is like computer hardware "a mild overclock" is just free performance right? I'll check that out, 30hp extra would be plenty.
Click to expand...

More of a mechanical system of course so you will see increased wear rates in things like your clutch and gearbox of course.
 
DereksDontRun said:
Finally, without sounding boring, remember both of these are mods that need to be disclosed to insurance. So, if your policy/insurer refuses mods then no matter how ugly the alloys are, you're kinda stuck until you change insurance at next renewal.
Click to expand...

With regards to wheels, the alternative is to fit a different style of genuine Volvo wheels - technically they should still be declared, but realistically how many people have ever checked that the genuine wheels they have on their second hand car are actually the style the car came with?
 
Armageus said:
With regards to wheels, the alternative is to fit a different style of genuine Volvo wheels - technically they should still be declared, but realistically how many people have ever checked that the genuine wheels they have on their second hand car are actually the style the car came with?
Click to expand...

You can't see it affecting the insurance much anyway surely? We'll the ECU flash might, but alloys, really?

Fortunately I live in like an A* postcode for insurance, so my insurance is dirt cheap anyway.

Edit: thinking about it, I will get the alloys, but I'll hold on the ECU until any dealer warranty I get has expired, or least drive the car for a few months first. Probably not a good idea to get that done straight away just in case there is something else wrong, I'm guessing they could use that as an excuse to void any comeback.
 
The insurance will argue that any visual change, such as alloys, will make the car stand out more and thus be a statistically higher risk for theft or vandalism. You could imagine some nice alloys making something really stand out - for both good and bad reasons. Same goes for anything visual like tints, decals, wrap etc. Hell, one of my past insurance companies stated that debadging the car is a visual mod and thus needs to be listed. It may not change the price much, or at all, but it needs to be mentioned, and some policies refuse to have any mods at all, so if you have one of them then you really need/should wait until renewal time and add the mods then.

In the same way as the car manufacturer potentially not honouring a warranty if the engine is mapped, then the insurance company may not honour your policy if you need to make a claim...

All I would suggest is to check your policy wording carefully before paying to change anything on the car. Be careful phoning up to ask, as if they say no and you've already made the mod then what do you do?!? If the car is involved in a claim and they notice the mod that they've already declined then I guess you're potentially in a world of hurt.
 
BUDFORCE said:
Yea I'm not looking to max anything out, but if it is like computer hardware "a mild overclock" is just free performance right? I'll check that out, 30hp extra would be plenty.
Click to expand...

no it's not free performance. you will wear out your brakes, clutch, gearbox and engine and cooling systems quicker.

unless you of course upgrade all those parts too to compensate.

you will also need to declare all modifications to insurance companies. which means you need to pay higher premiums. so no it isn't free at all.
 
Yeyeye I will let them know :)

I have a non standard exhaust on my motorcycle and when I called them about that they didn't care lol, well see. I don't even have the car yet so, but if I get it I will treat myself to some better looking wheels, black ideally Matt black, lower profile tyres but nothing too "blingey"
 
BUDFORCE said:
You can't see it affecting the insurance much anyway surely? We'll the ECU flash might, but alloys, really?

Fortunately I live in like an A* postcode for insurance, so my insurance is dirt cheap anyway.

Edit: thinking about it, I will get the alloys, but I'll hold on the ECU until any dealer warranty I get has expired, or least drive the car for a few months first. Probably not a good idea to get that done straight away just in case there is something else wrong, I'm guessing they could use that as an excuse to void any comeback.
Click to expand...

well if you stick third party alloys on it. it is a modification. if you don't declare them you don't have valid insurance.

it doesn't sound like you have a clue tbh
 
Psycho Sonny said:
well if you stick third party alloys on it. it is a modification. if you don't declare them you don't have valid insurance.

it doesn't sound like you have a clue tbh
Click to expand...

Huh, what part did I ever say or even suggest I am not going to inform my insurer?

I don't know how much it'll affect my premium no, so in a way yes I don't have a clue, but considering I don't pay much anyway I am not concerned at all.
 
BUDFORCE said:
Huh, what part did I ever say or even suggest I am not going to inform my insurer?

I don't know how much it'll affect my premium no, so in a way yes I don't have a clue, but considering I don't pay much anyway I am not concerned at all.
Click to expand...

"You can't see it affecting the insurance much anyway surely? We'll the ECU flash might, but alloys, really?"

Direct Quote

Alloys will effect insurance especially if they aren't OEM. As it's only done by boy racers, etc who like to drive like door handles or another word for them. Therefore putting you in a higher risk category.

An ECU remap / flash will also void any warranty and will for sure put you in a much higher bracket again for insurance as more power = more risk. Especially if it's in a boy racer type car.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
"You can't see it affecting the insurance much anyway surely? We'll the ECU flash might, but alloys, really?"

Direct Quote

Alloys will effect insurance especially if they aren't OEM. As it's only done by boy racers, etc who like to drive like door handles or another word for them. Therefore putting you in a higher risk category.

An ECU remap / flash will also void any warranty and will for sure put you in a much higher bracket again for insurance as more power = more risk. Especially if it's in a boy racer type car.
Click to expand...

Yeye, no doubt about the ECU flash, I'll of course check both first, but I mean even a 10-20% jump for the alloys ain't gonna be a problem. But I'll report back as and when with how much.

Also good points about mechanical wear, although lots of that can be attributed to just driving your car harder (or not) anyway. Things like wear on brakes, clutch, fuel consumption I don't mind, I can sort all that stuff out myself. It would be nice to have the extra power there doesn't necessarily mean you will be using it all the time.

Wear on the engine, and turbo in particular I'd be more interested in, particularly direct affects of map rather than just generally driving hard, but I guess unless you have a pool of people with same car, same map all with 100k mileage or whatever, it's gonna be difficult to ever know.
 
It all depends on what map you get put on there. As mentioned before it's best to get a map from a reputable tuner so you'll have to see what's good in your area.

I had my Mondeo 2.2 remapped from 197bhp to 235bhp which was ok for a day or so but then while sat at 70 on the motorway with cruise control on, I got an engine malfunction warning and an error code that I now can't remember. It turned out to simply be a split turbo hose which I swapped out and it was (sort of) ok for my ownership after that. As the hose had clearly been split for a while it does suggest that even with the car not being thrashed or driven any differently that my turbo was being pushed more than it was at stock since I'd done a good 8k+ miles on the stock map without any problems at all.

That said, I'm not entirely convinced that map was much cop in the first place. The extra power was definitely there but if I was sat on the motorway and I pushed the accelerator right down you'd feel quite a strong judder which suggests it would have trashed the clutch or more before too long if I kept that up :D I got it mapped back to stock before selling it and there was no more judder so the clutch wasn't on its way out. I'll definitely make sure I do proper research if I bother to get any cars remapped again. On the plus side, I did 12k miles with the remap on there (was more sympathetic with the accelerator pedal to stop the judder) and it's still going fine now with the stock map back on.
 
Phemo said:
It all depends on what map you get put on there. As mentioned before it's best to get a map from a reputable tuner so you'll have to see what's good in your area.

I had my Mondeo 2.2 remapped from 197bhp to 235bhp which was ok for a day or so but then while sat at 70 on the motorway with cruise control on, I got an engine malfunction warning and an error code that I now can't remember. It turned out to simply be a split turbo hose which I swapped out and it was (sort of) ok for my ownership after that. As the hose had clearly been split for a while it does suggest that even with the car not being thrashed or driven any differently that my turbo was being pushed more than it was at stock since I'd done a good 8k+ miles on the stock map without any problems at all.

That said, I'm not entirely convinced that map was much cop in the first place. The extra power was definitely there but if I was sat on the motorway and I pushed the accelerator right down you'd feel quite a strong judder which suggests it would have trashed the clutch or more before too long if I kept that up :D I got it mapped back to stock before selling it and there was no more judder so the clutch wasn't on its way out. I'll definitely make sure I do proper research if I bother to get any cars remapped again. On the plus side, I did 12k miles with the remap on there (was more sympathetic with the accelerator pedal to stop the judder) and it's still going fine now with the stock map back on.
Click to expand...

Hmm that is interesting and clearly a direct affect of the map. I think best bet maybe to do some digging research as previous suggested on some volvo specific forums, see waht people have had sucess with. Thanks though.
 
Yeah I just had a rubbish map on my car. I've driven friends cars with reputable maps on and they've been great, and reliable for their ownership too so it just highlights the importance of getting a decent map.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom