posted by
someone claiming to be Francis
on
Thu Jun 27 17:33 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Anyone running the ENGSTROM ECU (BSR) upgrade on a T5 ? The IPD (TME) upgrade looks good but why the $900 price when ENGSTROM's upgrade comes in at $500 !!! I really want lower turbo lag and some serious low end grunt which is rather weak on the T5.
Francis
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RED 98 S70 T5se
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Well I can say that both my cars are running well, and both use the IPD products. I am not economically affilaited with them.
My 94 850 Turbo has the ECU, and is faster. It also has 120K miles and still runs great, no problems.
My 98 R wagon has the IPD power pack, (ECU, exhaust, K&N filter, engine bushing). It runs much faster than before. I also did adjust the wastegate actuator as per IPD's instructions to improve the low end response.
I want performance and reliabilty, which is exactly what I was given. TME (maker of IPD parts) specializes in Volvos, so I would think their knowledge would be greater than a company that modifies anything.
I am amazed at the numerous postings about saving a few dollars on cars which costs $30,000 or more! If you want cheap speed, buy a Mustang/Camaro, and in a few years you WILL NOTICE the differance. I will spend a little more now to save a lot later.
Wills
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Engstrom...who?
You can get more "low end grunt" from BSR and many other companies. If you want reliability, "grubt" that will not place your connective rods under unnecesary stress and smooth delivery of power, TME is one of the very few and safe ways to go.
Yannis
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2001 V70 T-5M SR, Classic Red/Graphite Lthr., ipd ME7 ECU Upgrade, K&N Air Filter, Cold Weather, Dolby Surr. Sound, Rear Spoiler, 17" 'Tethys' alloys
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posted by
someone claiming to be Francis
on
Fri Jun 28 02:19 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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They are Engstrom Motorsport (www.engstrom.net) in Chicago and sell the BSR ECU upgrades from what I can tell. It’s a re-flash of the ECUs EEPROM from what I saw, much like IPD. It’s the $400 difference that troubles me. The IPD solution is serious gouging from what I gather. Everyone else is in the $400-$600 range, not $900.00!! They can claim all they want and the bias folks who have only tried the IPD/TME solution can put out all the FUD they want but it is a simple reloading of code on an EEPROM and the code is already paid for. IPD could even be putting duplicates without telling TME. To try to scare people into spending the extra $400 is stupid at best. If folks have real info on problems, say so, but cut the marketing/FUD crap out.
Francis...
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I have no affiliation with iPd nor a financial stake with that company but there are companies that can claim more HP and torque at the expense of reliability. BSR is a fairly well known company but remember one thing; you upgrade an ECU (from ANY company, incl. iPD/TME) and you are exposing your engine and some other components to increased wear and tear. That is a choice that one has to make. So, taking all that into account, unless you want to pay extra $$$ and modify other internal compnents, you should avoid going with a very aggressive set-up. iPd's set up is average to mildly aggressive compared to others but I will take the kick-in-the-pants differences that such upgrade offers me without the headaches that may (and most likely will) come with another super aggressive company who charges a few hundred dollars less. And most of them will solder a chip which is a HUGE no-no in my book. The best way to go, if you want a very aggressive set up, is to modify the engine internally and the turbocharger, invest in a complete exhaust system and then go to a custom tuner. Until then, I will pay a little extra for the reliability of iPd/TME, the even delivery of increased performance and the reliable customer service. Most times, the lowest price is not the best value (contrary to what many people believe).
Yannis
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2001 V70 T-5M SR, Classic Red/Graphite Lthr., ipd ME7 ECU Upgrade, K&N Air Filter, Cold Weather, Dolby Surr. Sound, Rear Spoiler, 17' 'Tethys' alloys
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posted by
someone claiming to be Wayne
on
Fri Jun 28 03:25 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Ipd gets a pretty good margin on that stuff, heh? They have nice customer service people and nice brochures/newsletters but I have to agree with you about the price. I too would be interested in empirical evidence about reliability of the other ECUs but I doubt it exists. Hopefully by the time mine is out of warranty there will be more real world experience with the other vendors. If that experience is okay, it will force Ipd to lower their prices to remain competitive.
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Like the saying goes... "You get what you pay for."
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Mike H. - 1998 Nautic Blue C70 - minor mods here and there...and HID!!! -- kickin' again!
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posted by
someone claiming to be Francis
on
Fri Jun 28 02:26 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Mike, now THAT is BS if I ever heard it. You must be in marketing or sales... I'm looking for real world experience...........
Francis....
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Francis,
Nope, I'm an engineer, so I'm not promiting the IPD ECU at all. I'm just agreeing with Yannis a bit in the sense that I've never heard of Engstrom before. IPD has been proven to be a good quality chip (as a lot of people have it), unlike the BSR chip that many people haven't tried yet. Put it this way, would you spend the extra dollars to a well known company for a product or an unknown company selling it cheaper? I'm not saying BSR is an unknown company, it's just not a lot of people have tried out their chips. My concern is also quality and not just the price so I weigh both. Someone should sponsor a comparison between all the chips and lay it out all on the line.
--
Mike H. - 1998 Nautic Blue C70 - minor mods here and there...and HID!!! -- kickin' again!
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posted by
someone claiming to be Pat
on
Fri Jun 28 06:30 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Has anyone actually dyno'd any of these ECU programs? I'd like to see the proof on paper before I fork over any cash for a reprogram. I've *heard* that the TME/IPD program changes all the mappings, whereas some of the cheaper ones only change above the stock boost level. I can't substantiate that, though.
Re: low-end response - adjust the base wastegate setting. I found instructions here as well as on www.easternaerospace.com. Free mods are always nice.
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I have a '98 S70 T5M with a factory ECU, I heard that if you make adjustments to the wastegate that within a week or so the ECU will reprogram itself and lower boost in response to your wastegate tweaks. Is this true?
Thanks,
Scott Silverman
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'98 S70 T5-M - Tropic Green w/ tan, Spoiler, Fog Lights, CD-6/CD-3 Changer, External Amp, Cold Weather Pkg, Sunroof
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I heard that adjusting the wastegate too high and adding a chip might cause engine problem.
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Mike H. - 1998 Nautic Blue C70 - minor mods here and there...and HID!!! -- kickin' again!
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posted by
someone claiming to be Francis
on
Fri Jun 28 10:12 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Well, this could all be true.. or not...... we don't have hard facts, just educated guesses at best. I have purchased all of my little upgrade items for my S70T5 from IPD and I really like their money back policy if I am not totaly satisfied BUT again, without a real comparison, I would not know if I am getting real value for my $$$$$ and thus not know if I should be satisfied.
Francis.....
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posted by
someone claiming to be Pat
on
Fri Jun 28 10:03 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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I still have the stock ECU, and the wastegate is only set to 6-7 psi. Above 8 psi is when you start seeing check engine lights.
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