t5 / vxr ???
 

i find that my v50 t5 seems massively different in acceleration to my wife's astra vxr. my question is the 20bhp difference that massive of a difference in the feeling of acceleration. just seems so much more rapid/aggressive in the vxr than the t5 and i get its a bigger car. so whats the opinions?

How much Astra VXR weight? what year is it?
I suspect its less heavy than our T5's and it also use high pressure turbo so I reckon it feels quicker and maybe actually is?
not 100% sure... VXR is UK's version of OPC yea?

do you find the acceleration figures are slower than the volvo though? some cars just do it with no drama ...

I think so LOB.

Some cars can feel faster than others even though they are actually slower, all about torque and delivery and refinement I guess.

But in this case the VXR might be mapped (at factory) to be more aggressive at the lower end at the expense of top-end pull, which might make it feel faster as speeds below 70mph, and assuming it has a high pressure turbo might make all the difference too, as said above. And it must be lighter so the 20bhp difference might be more like 30bhp by the time you factor that in.

The VXR will be every so slightly faster as it's got a bit more power (10hp) it's got a high pressure turbo (the best type IMO) so you FEEL the power.

The T5 is pretty boring for 'fun' driving since the power is there all the time - Great for fast cruising and gaining speed quickly, but it's not a 'giggle' car like the older T5's or T4's with their high pressure turbos.

You can have 350+bhp in these T5's are they still feel the same, quick but not a huge amount of fun. Sadly it's just the nature of how Volvo setup these cars, quick motorway munchers, not wheel spinning 'throw in your seat' type cars.

another thing is gearing , a tall gearset will take the edge off anything . how do the two cars compare in top gear at 70 mph rpm wise ?

Cheers lads, it's a nurburgring so a bit lighter than standard vxr and a bit quicker but just seems night and day compared to the t5. Feels more of an immediate torquey kick where as the t5 just doesn't trouble the old neck muscles. Guessing it is just a combination of weight, gearing, map and the turbo. Can't have the wife winning 😉

Good point I'll check.

You can also mod a T5 to be faster than a VXR, the engines are capable of much more....

It just depends how big your pockets are.

The VXR engines aren't the best and their gearboxes are made of cheese, something that can't be said for the Volvo block (once shimmed) and gearbox.

Exhaust, intercooler and a remap and you're at 300bhp....

Not to mention, the T5 will always sound better than a 4 banger ;)

OK, how to describe how your stock T5 should feel.....

Officially, the engine produces maximum torque (320Nm) from 1,500rpm, however even with revs as low as 1,100 rpm in 3rd gear you should be able to gently rest of your foot on the accelerator and feel a big presence of torque grunting you along, barely touching the accelerator.

The car should feel very muscular at these low rpm and it shouldn't feel choked below 5500rpm.

If you put it in 4th gear at 30mph and progressively put your foot down, you should be able to hear the turbo boosting in conjuction with the engine growling, even if starting at 90mph for example.

You should be able to gently pull away from the lights in 2nd gear and (once rolling) put your foot down and absolutely fly to 60mph with no choking or hesitation.

You should also experience moments when you think you're in 2nd gear (because of the torque), then notice you're actually in 4th gear.

As I say, the power delivery should feel very muscular with virtually no effort from you. Whereas the VXR power delivery is more of a "hold on for dear life" kind of top end pull, but laggyness at the lower end of the RPM range.

If your car isn't performing at least as described then you probably have a few sensors/valves that may need changing, e.g the TCV, which degrades over time (100,000 miles or so), or the MAP sensor in the intercooler which can give a incorrect temperature reading and throttle the ECU to withhold boost.

The key thing for me is if you cant hear turbo spool at higher speeds/rpm then there is an issue... When I first bought my T5 at 128,000 miles, it barely felt any faster than my old 180bhp Volvo S60... A few sensor changes later and the car feels pretty fast.