Volvo 850 T5 - automatic Sport Mode/Economy Mode????

Post by **Sperry** » 15 Jan 2010, 05:20

My wife likes the calm, sedate security of Economy mode.
When she is a passenger, that is where it stays.

For me, Sport, because it doesn't use that much more fuel.

Post by **RobTheModd** » 15 Jan 2010, 06:03

I ran economy for the first like 6 months of owning my 854.
But that was just because I was unsure of what the *sport mode* ment.. and if it still worked after 13 years.
Ever sense I flicked that switch to SPORT it has never gone back!
there has been a noticeable increase in acceleration.
As well as not being restricted to 4krpm and lower makes me happer!

Can anyone confirm that econ mode restricts you to 4k and lower rpms?
As I could never get it over that mark when it was in econ.
Sport I can get 6k if I really want to.

I believe our engines max HP is at 5900 rpm as well so if your running in econ you will never really experience the full force of your T5.

Put it in sport and gun it! tell me how much you like it!

Gas mileage between sport and econ only differs upon how you drive it.
think of sport as a gateway to your FULL motor.
and econ as a limiter.

850 Turbo1 · Post by **850 Turbo1** » 15 Jan 2010, 06:07

Rob the gateway has been opened...I shall never again drive in Economy mode again...T5 Pleasure here I come!!!

Post by **RobTheModd** » 15 Jan 2010, 06:12

850 Turbo1 wrote:Rob the gateway has been opened...I shall never again drive in Economy mode again...T5 Pleasure here I come!!!

Welcome to the club!

Post by **kcodyjr** » 06 Feb 2010, 12:40

I was always able to run my 96 850 NA over 4K in economy mode, but my foot had to be sticking out through the grille. In sport mode, it would wind up much more willingly on much less throttle.

With the 97 GLT, it actually feels better in economy mode. I'm not sure if that's a tuning issue or a consequence of the LPT design. There just seems to be more grunt available after the shift, if it does it at a lower RPM. Also, the shifts are smoother.

- Kevin

Post by **jblackburn** » 06 Feb 2010, 13:02

Can anyone confirm that econ mode restricts you to 4k and lower rpms?

It definitely doesn't. Newer, fuel-economy oriented cars do that, but not these. It'll shift right before 6 in E wide-open. I'm not sure how much different the S70 shift programming is from the 850, but my car will shift pretty high even in E mode - between 3 1/2-4 1/2 without a whole lot of pressure on the throttle. I personally HATE sport mode as I've grown accustomed to driving in E, and it's predictable. I use Sport if I have to quickly pass somebody on the interstate or a 2-lane road as it ups the shift-point in 2nd gear to almost 80 mph, but other than that mine stays in E. I like having the torque between 3-4 that the turbo gives me without the engine screaming at the top of its lungs. If you need to quickly pass someone, you can just press down quickly on the gas and it will kick down 2 gears. But the T5 up-shifts REALLY hard in S mode.

I imagine it's a lot different for the N/A models where you don't have that extra turbo boost. My old 4-cyl Saab was pretty gutless through the entire RPM range. It literally took you about 15 seconds to hit 60...which always made merging intersting

Post by **kcodyjr** » 06 Feb 2010, 14:00

I can confirm better behavior with non-turbo in S mode, but it's almost got more to do with driver feel than actual performance numbers.

In E mode, it "feels" conservative. A good hard stomp on the pedal will get it to scream and leap just the same, but there the similarity ends. The slightest back-off on the pedal causes an immediate upshift; the engine is very overtly trying to settle down and save gas.

In S mode, it "feels" like it wants you to go faster. The engine will actually settle down at, say, 4200 rpm, and pause there a moment before slipping into the next gear.

To attempt a generalization, it seems like the E/S switch determines partial throttle shifting behavior. Power output, shift timing, and even roughness, are identical when the pedal is on the floor. Anywhere in the middle, S favors quick response and smooth shifts, where E simply favors keeping the RPM low.

For what it's worth, the 850 NA isn't "gutless" so long as it's above 3K. It has just-more-than-adequate merging and passing power, and the tortured scream from the engine warns others not to try and interfere.

For me and my '97 GLT, I wish it was set statically somewhere in between. E shifts too soon and S revs it too high, so I have to prompt it by modulating the throttle, which often roughens the shift. If I have to do that crap I want a clutch to go with it. The way I see it, the LPT is meant for cruising quietly one moment, raising hell the next, and then disappearing back into the commuter crowd just as suddenly.

Happy Motoring,
- Kevin

Post by **RobTheModd** » 06 Feb 2010, 16:06

hmmm... My 850 wont go above 4k rpm if i have it in economy, its an automatic non turbo.

In Sport it will hit 6k.

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 08 Feb 2010, 06:58

There's really no reason to keep it in sport...you'll go just as fast in econ. The only time sport makes a difference is when taking off from a stop. Even then, economy doesn't hinder performance enough to warrant using sport all the time. Economy simply shifts gears at lower RPMs to increase fuel economy.