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Oversized throttle body / intercooler piping mods??? 850 1996

posted by  someone claiming to be VolvoNV on  Sun Dec 28 22:01 CST 2003 [RELATED]

Considering an oversized throttle body and/or intercooler piping for performance. I expect "real" hp gains through the throttle body, but significant power via improved intercooler piping? I'm skeptical. The piping would reverse the connections so that half the turns are eliminated. No doubt it's more efficient, but the 20hp gain seems 10x overstated. It seems to me that since the purpose of the intercooler is to cool the charged air, whatever improvements the $300 would get me I'd already be seeing (and more!) just by driving in the cold winter air. Since I don't particularly notice power improvements in 30 degree weather vs. summer weather, the intercooler piping "improvement" seems like a joke. Any experience??? What about the throttle body? It seems like a legitimate 25hp (claimed) improvement at $400. Chips are more pricey and typically need an exhaust.








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    Oversized throttle body / intercooler piping mods??? 850 1996

    posted by  someone claiming to be NateB on  Mon Dec 29 13:32 CST 2003 [RELATED]

    I have a 1995 turbo 850 with an Upsolute ECU upgrade and custom cat back exhaust.

    I dunno about your car, but in Houston Texas I feel a profound increase in power when the temperature drops from 90 F to 75F. I mean tires smoking power.

    Maybe it's the ecu mod.







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    Oversized throttle body / intercooler piping mods??? 850 1996

    posted by  someone claiming to be Frank on  Mon Dec 29 00:21 CST 2003 [RELATED]

    I wouldn't expect anything noticeable from either. The volume and flow is already controled by the size of both turbo and intercooler so even if the TB and/or hoses/pipes are replaced to larger sizes you can't get more volumn. I also doubt that stock bends or length of present OEM piping has a negative effect.

    Ask whoever's selling mods like that for proven test results, like actual dyno tests results from before vs after.








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      Oversized throttle body / intercooler piping mods??? 850 1996

      posted by  someone claiming to be VolvoNV on  Mon Dec 29 08:37 CST 2003 [RELATED]

      Good advice on the dyno request. I'll definitely ask. It was through EasternAerospace.com. Any experiences out there? Maybe the chip is a better solution after all, but if like you say the turbo/intercooler are bottlenecks regardless of other components, then no upgrades would be possible. It still strikes me that a larger throttle body forces everything else to step up (to their capacity, anyway) and keep the ratios. The computer certainly could be a critical path (who knows what arbitrary thresholds it keeps).








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        Oversized throttle body / intercooler piping mods??? 850 1996

        posted by  Erwin on  Mon Dec 29 09:29 CST 2003
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        last visit: Thu Oct 23 10:39 CST 2014
        [RELATED]

        I thought EAS might be who you were talking about. No doubt they've forgotten more about Volvos than I'll ever know but some of their performance claims are laughable. Reading all the claims for their bolt-ons and plug-ins leads one to believe a 500hp 850 is just a phone call away. Recalling old discussions here, 300hp seems to be the limit for the stock rods.

        As far as a bigger throttle body I'd think it would only be effective at wide open throttle. Anything less than that and you could just tip the accelerator in deeper to acheive the same area.

        I've read at other sites that the intercooler is the real restriction. Increasing (doubling?) it's size nets more ponies. Not from more effective charge cooling but by lessening restriction.

        BTW, you're right on the money in your observation about summer vs. winter engine performance. A 70 degree drop in ambient air temp hasn't turned my 855t into a fire breatin' Swedish Rocket Sled either.

        just my .02
        --
        Erwin in Memphis, '88 745t 190,000 miles, '95 855t 92,000 miles








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          Oversized throttle body / intercooler piping mods??? 850 1996

          posted by  someone claiming to be Frank on  Mon Dec 29 13:54 CST 2003 [RELATED]

          I too have seen their site and read opinions from this site in the past and most don't buy their HP claims.

          I can get a larger TB for my older 745T too but havent because I've always doubted that'd it be worth the $$ and it doesn't go cheap either. When I've asked the seller (MVP), they don't give me a definate positive response claiming anything special about it. From what others have told me, it "might" give better throttle response but "might" and "how much better?" don't justify that kind of cash from me.

          As for temp changes, I usually notice a bit more power in colder weather compared to hot humid weather but no, it's nothing great (like an added 50HP+).
          There are some who claim that spraying water on an intercooler will add power too but when driving in rain, again the car doesn't just become an instant rocket.







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