C70 D5 - Just done an MTE remap

[dme123]

As there seems to be lots of speculation about remaps I thought I'd contribute my experience with MTE, and update the thread over the long run as I will be putting at least 1500 miles a month on my remapped car.

I have just recently bought a 2008 C70 D5 with a manual gearbox, and also own a 2003 V70 T5 automatic. I love many things about the C70 but the diesel was very much a "head" decision rather than "heart" - I wanted a T5 but with the mileage I do it is hard to justify the additional cost. I also found the automatic versions I drove strangely flaccid in comparison to my V70, far more so than the 25bhp deficit should account for. I might have been persuaded had a manual T5 turned up in the right spec but it wasn't to be.

Right from the off I found the performance of the diesel "OK" but it really isn't quick, although it has the usual turbodiesel whoosh of power sensation that can lead you believe it is much quicker than it really is. I enjoyed the clear off boost/on boot character of the engine though, and really love the dirty 5 cylinder growl that is so much more vocal than with the petrol. Obviously if you get caught in the wrong gear it's hopeless, and the weight of the car combined with a rather modest 180bhp conspires to deliver very hum drum performance. I dread to think what the automatics are like with their detuned 350NM, torque limit in 1st and 2nd and wasted power in the torque converter!

What really made a stark impression was how hilarious the V70 felt to drive after a week in the C70. After some research I settled on an MTE remap, as I will be doing proper mileage and so I felt that a progressive and sympathetic map was essential. It came down to that or the Polestar map in the end.

The ordering and delivery process was smooth, no "next day delivery" fix as with some suppliers but I was happy with that. I have just installed the map and had a relatively brief drive, and the first time I got the chance to give it full beans in 2nd gear it got a "****ing hell!" out of me. The car seems totally transformed, to a much greater extent than the headline power figures would suggest (225bhp 480NM of torque). It hits the limiter in 1st and 2nd even more annoyingly quickly than before, and the actual speedo (rather than seat of the trousers) performance is much improved. Going down a slip road onto my private dual carriageway I found that it could tear up to very serious speeds very very much faster than before. Acceleration in 5th and 6th is miles better for overtaking etc.

Additionally if you keep it off boost it is as docile as ever, and the long throttle travel and progressive map seem to lead to no unruly behaviour as I have experienced in other tuned cars. As you may have guessed I am pleased, although the off the line performance is still limited by the short 1st and 2nd gears I think it is delivering very similar performance to my V70. I monitor fuel economy very closely so should be able to give an accurate idea of any impact the map has on that too. I could find very little real information from people who have had their car remapped and then put real mileage on it, so I hope that other people find my experience useful. Someone saying "it's been fine for 10,000 miles" is close to useless and nobody seems to be reporting back on reliability over higher mileages.

[Brianmor]

Hi,
I will be very interested to see how you get on with this remap. Did you do a dpf or EGR delete or just a straight remap?
Mine is a 2007 s80 d5 auto. 185 bhp too but just feel it needs more. Also for a relatively modern diesel car the economy is terrible.
Last question, is the map you got a "fit it yourself" or was it specifically tuned on your car.
Regards
Brian.

[Missing Lincs]

Hi dme123

How much has the modification added to your insurance?

[dme123]

Hi
No DPF or EGR delete. Some remappers offer the option but not MTE. I was thinking this morning that it will probably be a lot more sooty when using the extra power as diesel engines need to overfuel to give their best. I am torn about binning the DPF based on moral grounds - do I really want to be an even bigger part of the problem of filthy diesel fumes in cities? We will see how the DPF fares and go from there.

Insurance only added £50 but some quotes I got back for a modded car were absurd. I think the companies assume that if you want more power you probably drive like a tool. Probably something in it.

I am not sure what to make of the economy of the D5. It doesn't get 60+ mpg on the motorway like the 170bhp ish 2.0 TDI repmobiles in work, but then my C70 is a fat old thing. The D5 is an old engine now and totally replaced in Volvos lineup, and compared to similar cars available in 2006 when my car launched it is competitive. Progress has been rapid this last decade. The payoff, I suppose, is that for a diesel it has a lot of character.

With regard to your last question, Don sent me a OBD port device and some software to read some data from the car. This was sent to MTU who then send out a program to run to flash the car. Not a full rolling road proper map I guess, but hardly seems necessary with no hardware mods.

[RPB]

I've been pondering the very same remap, but I'm going to get my service done first which is now due. After that I'll get in touch with Don Norchi again.
I'd be interested to here how you're mpg fares.
I've been torn over getting a DPF delete or not too, but it's my everyday car and an MOT failure knocking me off the road is just not worth entertaining. I reckon it's going to eventually block off at which point I'll have to see whst options I have.

[marccowley]

How much did it cost?

[RPB]

I think Don quoted £395 plus £155 refundable deposit for the software loader.

[Proghound]

Originally Posted by dme123

Going down a slip road onto my private dual carriageway I found that it could tear up to very serious speeds very very much faster than before. Acceleration in 5th and 6th is miles better for overtaking etc.

Sounds interesting! So what has the map done, added more boost at the lower end of the range, or towards the top? Is there still the big wait before anything at all comes in?

I saw your post on the D5 mpg thread where we seemed to get much the same experience on economy prior to your re-map. Please do post back on its effects in that area, I'd love to know.

[dme123]

Originally Posted by Proghound

Sounds interesting! So what has the map done, added more boost at the lower end of the range, or towards the top? Is there still the big wait before anything at all comes in?

I saw your post on the D5 mpg thread where we seemed to get much the same experience on economy prior to your re-map. Please do post back on its effects in that area, I'd love to know.

The big wait is still there, but the power builds much more quickly and seems to continue to far closer to the redline. Once I've spent longer in the car I should have a more comprehensive view of it. I'll be dawdling up the motorway from Cardiff to the Midlands very early Monday morning so that'll be my first test of long distance economy.

Where are you located? I travel around a lot and I'm happy to swing by for you to give it a go if you're considering getting it done.

[Proghound]

I'm in the corners of Bucks/Herts/Beds most of the time. That's very kind of you to offer, but at this stage I'm more curious to hear what the differences are like on the same car/engine/transmission as mine, rather than actually considering getting it done.

My biggest issue is that wait to get on boost, particularly in 3rd unless I rev it harder in 2nd (which as you noted seems too short) than I feel comfortable with before it's fully warmed up. Just so happens to occur mostly on a very short slip road, straight after a sharp 90° bend, joining an often busy dual carriageway up an incline!

The lousy junction design I can't do anything about. Sounds like the same might unfortunately also be true for the lag. Oh well, there are worse things to live with than a large turbo ;-)