I have a 96 855 turbo that now will be used on occasion by a teenager in the family. The car is too much for a young driver and I have heard that there is a way to lower the turbo output by adjusting the wastegate so way. I want to keep the car (it's a nice platinum wagon) but think a turbo is too much for a young driver. Any suggestions is greatly appreciated?

Yes, you can adjust the wastegate, but the car will run badly under power.

Your best alternative is to educate the young adult and then trust him to do the right thing. Using 5 lbs of weight to depress a gas pedal doesn't take testosterone.

Do like some states: no teenage passengers, no driving after 6pm unless to/from work. Disable the radio!

Klaus
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My advice is free, so you got what you paid for...

All those rules already apply to my son. Compared to the 168 hp in the NA cars it is like a rocket boster for a young driver. Then again the family minivan has 265 hp and more unstable mass so maybe not a bad thing.

In dialing down the wastegate what type of issues arise? You say it performs badly, is that the obvious drop in performance or issues that potentially damage the engine?

The problem is that you're messing with the fuel map. Because the fuel system is computer controller, you can't just throw fuel and air at it forever and expect it to figure things out. It has pretty strict limits. This is why people get new tunes when they get a bigger turbo, bigger injectors, or even if they install a manual/electronic boost controller.

Klaus is right, the best way to protect your son is to teach him to respect your car for the machine that it is. If he can't drive responsibly he shouldn't be driving at all. That's something you and your family need to work out. Kids do stupid things (I know I did. And still do!) esp with peer pressure, and you can be sure he'll make mistakes.

I suppose you could buy a datalogger/lojack (GPS?) or something that will log what the car does and you can hang the threat of constant monitoring over his head?
http://www.carchip.com/


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1998 V70 AWD->FWD->AWD Turbo 220k+

Get an Eco Tune from ARD . . . he tunes the engine for maximum economy/minimum power. He took it off his site but when he had it up he was only charging $200 or less for it, as I recall. Easy to swap back out later if you wanted to.

http://www.ardideas.com/volvo.html

I only know about ARD because I did an auto to manual swap in my 850 and he did my tune so it would all run properly. It was night and day difference over stock, I'm surprised by how much better the car runs every time I drive it. I'd love to try one of his EcoTunes on my auto 850 turbo for long road trips.

http://www.ardideas.com/volvo.html

I have been giving up on the idea because of what I have been told here and my mechanic, that the car will run badly. But this seems to take into consideration every component so it should run properly. I will have to give them a call and see what the eco-tune does. I really hate to cut power but with younger drivers I don't want to take chances. Thanks for the idea.
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1996 855 TL Platinum Ed., 1995 854 GLT 5 sp, 1995 854 (RIP), 2005 V70R (badly missed)

Wait, it is a low pressure turbo. Almost 200bhp. Nothing like a high pressure turbo, you don't even feel the boost come on with the LPT. The car/engine is safe even for a teenager. Just impress on him that the tranny is weak; any shifts from R to D or D to R with the car still rolling will result in a broken tranny.

My 1995 854T was fast, but I remember there being a speed warning of sorts in the radio section of the owner's manual. Current online manual does not have radio controls.

Klaus
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My advice is free, so you got what you paid for...

For not much money you can get a slow Volvo 940, the kid won't be able to go as fast and if it gets totalled you still have your 850 Turbo. Hopefully you can properly store the 850 and bring it back out when you ship the youngster off to college. Sure you'll have to drive the sluggish 940 also, but it's only for a year or two. BTW my kid put 2 big dents in my 850 and I replaced tires when the tread went down to 50% as they don't understand what hydroplaning is. Low power and new tires is the key.