Again, we're talking abut my 1998 C70 Turbo B5234 Engine - Same as quite a number of S/V70s. 221K miles, with some bolt-on upgrades and some IPD equipment.

OEM Strut Tower Brace
OEM R-Type Exhaust Manifold
IPD Poly engine stabilizers - upper/lower/firewall
IPD Heavy Duty Endlinks
IPD Turbo Control Valve and Silicone Vacuum hoses
IPD Aluminum Oil Cap
IPD Turbo Air Inlet Kit

Anyway, my intercooler hoses are old and filthy, but seem to be serviceable.
I'm considering upgrading to a Blue Silicone Intercooler Hose Kit - both to get fresh hoses, and to make the engine a bit more "blue."

I'm looking at these two kits.

IPD's Samco Silicone Intercooler Hose Kit for about $250.
http://www.ipdusa.com/products/7998/tcs53-blu-samco-silicone-intercooler-hose-kit-850-70-blue


-OR-

FCP's No-Name Volvo Intercooler Hose Kit (850 C70 S70 V70) Silicone Blue for $115.00
http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-intercooler-hose-kit-850-c70-s70-v70-silicone-blue



I've read that one of these kits fits poorly and requires some modification, but aside from some minor trimming, I'm not sure why there's a $135.00 price difference. I'm not even sure which one has the better fit. Generally, I'd rather give my cash to IPD, but sometimes the FCP price is so much better (plus free shipping + 10-15% discount), it's hard to justify buying from IPD.

Has anyone had experiences with one (or preferably both) kits?? Is the Samco kit really worth an extra $135??

FCP was selling one of its kits on eBay. I snagged it for $70.00 including shipping. That sort of savings makes the decision pretty easy. It may be junk after all, but it's a much cheaper test now - plus I can try to make my own RIP

I did notice that Viva Performance also sells a nearly identical kit to IPD for a $199.00...

My FCP Silicone intercooler hose set arrived mid-week. I didn't have a chance to install them until this PM.

My overall assessment is this (1) the hose are just a little bit different from stock in length and shape and (2) the hoses are extremely difficult to fit to the stock intercooler pipes.

What's the real difference on these kits? My best guess is that the extra $115 that IPD charges and the extra $85 that Viva Performance charges is for the extra hand cleaner and loud swearing that you *maybe* avoid with the SAMCO kit.

I only went with FCP because I snagged the kit for $60.00 off of eBay.

---

The top intercooler hose fits pretty easy. After that it starts going downhill quickly.

The Turbo to Pipe fitting is a little bit difficult to get on the pipe, but it slides right on to the turbo.

The dog-leg piece that joins the top intercooler pipe to the lower intercooler pipe is where the swearing starts. It is *very* hard to get it to fit. hot water, soap, etc... None of it does the trick. Getting the hoses aligned after you get it together is equally difficult.

After a huge fight on the dogleg hose, I gave up on the bottom elbow and put the old rubber one back on. The FCP hoses are just a little bit longer, and that coupled with the difficulty in adjusting them makes this *very* frustrating.

I hope that after the engine's been run for a while the hoses will at least be more adjustable. I'm driving in fear of the silicone hoses popping off while driving and being impossible to put back on.

As far as installation, there was no light left and it was raining, so I didn't bother with the silicone throttle intake hose. I'll revisit that hose and the lower elbow after my IPD replacement airbox kit arrives.

Final note - to be perfectly fair, the IPD turbo intake kit is also difficult to install and adjust after you get it on.

Unlike the FCP silicone kit, at least the IPD kit has hoses with the correct size for the fittings. One reason I'm upgrading to the new air filter intake kit is because it is so difficult to get the turbo pipe off the MAF.

These guys also have silicone: http://www.stylinmotors.com/volvo.html

The blue ones are being made this month.

Don't forget to look around for the reverse flow intercooler. A foot less of piping and better throttle response. Too tired to look tonight.

Klaus
--
Did you do your Random Act of Kindness today?

http://www.ipdusa.com/products/4673/ripkit-r2-reverse-intercooler-piping-rip-kit-for-1995-1998-p80-850-c70-s70-v70-turbo-models

Yeah, I've looked at that... at $395, It's pretty far down my list - plus it would make the more affordable silicon hose kit complete irrelevant.

Uhhh, make your own?

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=98547

Klaus
--
Did you do your Random Act of Kindness today?

Hummm... I'm not keen on cutting up my original hoses and pipe.. but a trip to the pick-n-pull may be in order tomorrow...

Folks over at TB seem a bit critical of the whole enterprise.

The reverse flow kit is available from FCP and IPD. I have used the FCP in the past.

dick