D5 (D5244T to 2005) MTE remap

[RobbieH]

A short write up of the MTE remap on my V70 D5.

After much research on diesel upgrades I decided that remapping was the way to go. What I like about the D5 is the torque driven performance at 2000rpm and above but like most of us, more is always nice to have, particularly if the economy is not affected adversely. The MTE maps have always been described as progressive, which I liked the sound of as well, no nasty boost or power/torque spikes to catch out clutches, DMF's, intercoolers and other bits. Having a map also means I keep all the built-in safety features of the engine management system.


So after a few pm's, emails and phone calls to Don I received I received a softloader cable via post and the MTE VID (Vehicle ID Tool) software via email. I already had an HP TC4200 Tablet laptop which I decided would be used for mapping, data logging and GPS Navigation. All I had to do was drop a copy of Windows XP onto it (dual boot with Windows 7) for the MTE software to run on.
Installed the USB drivers and the VID software, plugged the softloader cable into the cars OBDII port and a USB port on the tablet and the VID tool read the ECU in seconds, giving a 865kb text file to email directly back to MTE.

A couple of days later an email comes back from Don with a new attachment - the "Softloader" package with my standard and upated maps embedded .

Connect the cables, fire up the Softloader software and press "Stage 1 remap".

Turn ignition to II.

And "click", the whole dashboard goes "dead" as does my heart .
Not a light in sight. A definite "oh $**t" moment.

But off goes the green updating indicator on the Softloader in 0.1% steps (each about 1s). Then at 99.6% a slight delay (heartstopping), then 99.9% and another slight heartstopping moment. 100% Done.

Disconnect everything. Turn off ignition, then back on. Dash lights up, as does the ABS light (oh heck comes the thought). Then off go all the warning lights except the usual oil pressure, etc. Turn ignition and the engine rumbles to life.

Now call me paranoid, but there might be a slightly different sound to the tick over and I'm still sure it's still so. So a quick prod of the accelerator and I can definitely hear the turbo spool up, a low multitone whistle. Ooooh, that's different .

By this time it was late on a Saturday evening with no chance for a test drive. That had to wait until Sunday .

So midday we're off to a Sunday lunch time meeting, seat belt on and away we go.

I live at the end of a long cul-de-sac with at least a dozen tank traps on the way to the main road so I tend to just bumble along in no more than 2nd gear. Get to the main road junction, indicate left, clear, so pull out. Can't plant the foot yet as still on urban roads and there's another larger tank trap just a few yards away but we get over this and just prod the go pedal like normal. Strewth, the turbo definitely spools up and I'm off quicker than I should be... cue one big very silly grin, this is gonna be fun. Mrs H wonders what I'm giggling about .

Take it easy through to the roundabout above the nearby motorway (more tank traps en-route and several sets of traffic lights) so we're nicely warmed up.

Last set of traffic lights turn green and we're off. Easy in 1st to avoid instant red-line, 2nd similar but into 3rd on the slip road and does it begin to fly. Oh my, does it and we are we OFF. It pulls much, much harder than stock and seemingly all the way to the red-line. Legal speed limits appear very quickly.
The performance in gears 3, 4 and 5 is just brilliant, a wave of torque that goes on and on. Acceleration in 4th and 5th from 50 or 60 is a joy to behold.
It has not lost any driveability for trundling around town but if you need to get a move on you can really "make progress". Overtaking is so much easier. A very progressive map indeed .


Fortunately, this all happened the weekend before Don had organised a rolling road day at Marlin Motor Engineers in Milton Keynes so this would give a chance to see exactly what I had done to the engine.

After the weekends driving the rest of the week was spent trundling to work and back plus a couple of runs to various meetings I needed to go to but no chance to check things out any further. But on the day of the RR it had a good work out on the M6, A50 and M1 plus the wonderful road system of MK. All in all some 400 miles of driving so I guess the engine could be considered "adapted" to my style of driving.

My "butt dyno" had already told me that the performance had similar characteristics to the stock map but pulled better and up to the red-line. The whole experience is very much "as stock" but the speedo winds up a lot, lot quicker than previously to the extent that illegal speeds are achieved much quicker than expected. But the whole experience is so understated, in a very positive way that Mrs H has made no comments at all. If the performance had not been so progressive, I'm damn sure she would have asked questions.


First some detail and then the results of my diseasel run.
V70 D5 (2004), 69k miles on the clock. No previous engine mods.
D5 is the EuIII version. Volvo specs are 163bhp and 340Nm as standard.

Clean air filter (Genuine Volvo convoluted paper) fitted back in August and vac'd out on Friday evening (looked clean enough to me). Standard Volvo exhaust, etc. Running on BP standard diseasel fuel.
Goodyear Excellence 225/40/17's on the front running at 34psi (checked on Friday evening).

Anyway, the graph:


and the figures:


The run was made in 5th gear all the way.

I personally think the results speak for themselves. Thanks to Don and Marco for a fine piece of software engineering. I love it!

[iantowil]

Hi RobbieH
I've read your post quite a few times - always make me smile. Just wondering how the car has performed given it's been a year ot two since the remap.
Cheers
Ian

[RobbieH]

Coming up to 18 months since the reamp and now up to 80k miles on the clock so 11,000 miles driven remapped. Someone asked a similar question on another forum 8,000 miles ago so I've pinched and requoted what I wrote:

Still get a silly grin every time I get in the car, except for when MrsH gives me "the look" when I get a bit tooo enthusiastic

To date I've racked up (3000) 11,000 miles since the remap across a wide range roads and I can say the map is brilliant. It's still not the vehicle for sprints away from the lights, especially in the damp, it's just too easy to light up the front tyres. Old git in wheelspinning Volvo diseasel gets some amused looks though . But pick your moments and the local chavs are easily suprised .

Get it in third gear though, and above, and things definitely start to happen and it will pull to the redline without running out of puff as the stock map did. Overtaking is so much easier on all sorts of roads. No gear changing, no fuss, just a waft of torque that makes the speedo wind up very quick.
And driving "whilst making progress" on other roads in just, erm, so much more enjoyable.

I'm still very very pleased with the map. Well recomended for a D5 EUIII.

This all still stands. Yes, the intercooler has been changed but I really don't think this was the maps fault, it merely hastened the end of the well known weak OEM item.
(http://forums.t5d5.org/topic/13471-a...nt-end-part-1/ and http://forums.t5d5.org/topic/13472-a...nt-end-part-2/)

I must get the car on a dyno again as I'm sure the new FMIC has opened up the mid-range a bit more, the turbo seems to breath much better and spool quicker. I've also had the ARB's uprated to IPD ones so it goes round corners well now as well

The car will be at the T5D5/MRG track day at Castle Combe in July and then it's due for a good run down to the French Alps at the end of August. Two extremes of driving, bombing round a twisty track and then cruising down the autoroute. That will give two more examples of driving styles to add to the picture.

[iantowil]

Marvellous stuff! Be good to know how its gone on the track and down to France.
Cheers

[iantowil]

Originally Posted by RobbieH

The car will be at the T5D5/MRG track day at Castle Combe in July and then it's due for a good run down to the French Alps at the end of August. Two extremes of driving, bombing round a twisty track and then cruising down the autoroute. That will give two more examples of driving styles to add to the picture.

Robbie, how did the track day and drive to the Alps go?

[RobbieH]

Track day was fun despite the weather .

I don't think I disgraced myself and the barge performed well. It was a good opportunity to really see how a big lump like a V70 can go round corners without worrying about smacking curbs, road furniture, etc.
Some piccies, discussion and film on the T5D5 thread http://forums.t5d5.org/topic/16229-c...2011-pictures/

Given that the EUIII D5 has an oil cooled turbo I stuck to the advice to only run flat out for 10-15 mins at a time and allow proper cool down laps plus not switching the engine off as soon as I got back to the pits. Also had the oil and filter changed about 2 weeks before the track day plus new brake fluid.

All is OK and the car has just delivered us safely there and back to the French Alps over the last two weeks. Just shy of 1800 miles, mostly motorway stuff but with a few shorter blasts round the twisty bits (and they are twisty!). No drama or fuss at all and all is well.

The main difference I noted was that the car was much, much better the uphill bits with the remap compared to stock, and even with the outside air temperature at 38degC! With the engine now pulling to the redline it made uphill pulls and overtaking much, much better.

Using a cheapo bluetooth ELM doodad, logging the IAT's showed at no time it going much above 2degC above ambient so the intercooler was definitely doing it's job. After one comfort break on the A40 near Geneva, the IAT registered over 80degC after standing for about 1/2 hour in the blazing sun but in less than 2 minutes after starting off again it was back down to ambient +2, ambient being 38degC!

I'm still a happy bunny

[RobbieH]

Well I thought I'd pop an update on here. Dyno plot from yesterdays meet down at Marlin Motor Engineers on the same MAHA dyno used to generate the first plot just after the remap.

So this is now with the TWR monster FMIC plus a Ferrita cat-back exhaust recently fitted.



Ok not a huge change, certainly not statistically proven but if I have to get in a willy waving contest I can claim 195bhp and 450Nm, up from the earlier 191bhp and 433Nm.

Interestingly I asked Marlin to overlay a boost plot taken using the OBD output. Some discussion on the differences in remapping an EUIII against an EUIV on T5D5

[y2blade]

Do you have any videos of it since fitting the Exhaust please?

[RobbieH]

Originally Posted by y2blade

Do you have any videos of it since fitting the Exhaust please?

Updated info for you

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showth...87#post1030787

[iantowil]

Robbie, bit of a stupid question given the remap is about performance, but how has it affected fuel economy - they always say in the blurb that economy is better for the same driving style - what's your take on it?