Volvo Owners Club Forum - View Single Post - S80 Remap

greyanglia · Feb 8th, 2011, 11:50

Hi Benkitto,

I have a 2009 XC70 VOR D5 Geartronic with the same engine as you (185bhp Euro IV) and I went for the RICA 226bhp upgrade which cost around £600.

I looked across the various forums as this subject seems to generate a fair amount of interest, not least from the suppliers of the upgrade! I went with the RICA 226bhp as it seemed a half way house between a bit of a tweak to 205bhp and a full blown sports upgrade to 240bhp which made me a bit nervous as to whether the engine components could handle it in a couple of years time.

The other thing that swung it for me was that it was carried out by my local Volvo dealership so I have some comfort regarding any possible warranty implications.

I must say I am absolutely delighted with it after nearly six months of motoring and another 10k on the clock. It has removed the awful turbo lag when pulling away from standstill at junctions and gives the car a nice kick down when you need it on the motorway.

I have also seen a slight improvement in fuel consumption although this has been my one criticism of the car overall. My 80 mile daily commute of country lanes, M25 and crawling in traffic in East London gave me no more than 28mpg (via the computer) and it has risen to 30mpg which is in line with RICA's claim of a 5 to 10% increase. I know this is not the most scientific way of measuring fuel consumption but neither is dribbling diesel all over the forecourt trying to brim the tank!

All in all if £600 is within your budget and you do a decent annual mileage I would go for it.

By the way I am sure the other tuning specialists are just as good as RICA but I have explained my choice and I would highly recommend it.

As a ps it was a crying shame Volvo did not get that 3.0 diesel used by Land Rover Jaguar when they were all part of Ford as it is a peach of an engine and way superior to the old D5 which is showing its age in terms of mpg and emissions!

Feb 8th, 2011, 11:50	#14
greyanglia New Member Last Online: Jan 12th, 2012 17:12 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tunbridge Wells	Hi Benkitto, I have a 2009 XC70 VOR D5 Geartronic with the same engine as you (185bhp Euro IV) and I went for the RICA 226bhp upgrade which cost around £600. I looked across the various forums as this subject seems to generate a fair amount of interest, not least from the suppliers of the upgrade! I went with the RICA 226bhp as it seemed a half way house between a bit of a tweak to 205bhp and a full blown sports upgrade to 240bhp which made me a bit nervous as to whether the engine components could handle it in a couple of years time. The other thing that swung it for me was that it was carried out by my local Volvo dealership so I have some comfort regarding any possible warranty implications. I must say I am absolutely delighted with it after nearly six months of motoring and another 10k on the clock. It has removed the awful turbo lag when pulling away from standstill at junctions and gives the car a nice kick down when you need it on the motorway. I have also seen a slight improvement in fuel consumption although this has been my one criticism of the car overall. My 80 mile daily commute of country lanes, M25 and crawling in traffic in East London gave me no more than 28mpg (via the computer) and it has risen to 30mpg which is in line with RICA's claim of a 5 to 10% increase. I know this is not the most scientific way of measuring fuel consumption but neither is dribbling diesel all over the forecourt trying to brim the tank! All in all if £600 is within your budget and you do a decent annual mileage I would go for it. By the way I am sure the other tuning specialists are just as good as RICA but I have explained my choice and I would highly recommend it. As a ps it was a crying shame Volvo did not get that 3.0 diesel used by Land Rover Jaguar when they were all part of Ford as it is a peach of an engine and way superior to the old D5 which is showing its age in terms of mpg and emissions!