95 Volvo 850 auto non turbo glt PERFORMANCE

Hilda95 · Post by **Hilda95** » 29 Mar 2010, 12:59

Yes I have owned a 850 now for 7 months and love it. Is it possible to spend $500-$1200.00 dollars and increase the performance of this car?Or would it be a waste of money? I would love 20-40 more horsepower is it even possible? Thanks Tim

Post by **jblackburn** » 29 Mar 2010, 13:10

Unfortunately, not a whole lot can be done to the NA motors.

One of the easy things you can do is to put a 960 throttle body plate in it.

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 4&p=105556

Make sure the airbox flap isn't stuck to the 'hot' side. This will rob you of power and fuel economy.

Other than that, you can remove the cat. converter (depending on your state, VA and NC don't require emissions testing for cars older than '96) and install a more free-flowing exhaust system. I have heard good things about 2.5" or 3" downpipes and OBX exhaust systems.

I'm going to move your post over to the performance/mod section, where hopefully you will get more answers on what you're looking for.

Post by **shiloh51933** » 29 Mar 2010, 14:21

Hilda95 wrote:Yes I have owned a 850 now for 7 months and love it. Is it possible to spend $500-$1200.00 dollars and increase the performance of this car?Or would it be a waste of money? I would love 20-40 more horsepower is it even possible? Thanks Tim

I am also the owner of a 96' GLT/97'T5 wheels and loaded with everything but turbo. To my knowledge the 97' GLT had
the 2.4liter with a smaller turbo that added about 25 hp. So I have been trying to hook up wit that turbo and get
as much info as possible before I make that move. There is no coldair intakes made that I can find but there are universal
kits

: electric-supercharger-5-psi-vortex_d611fbb4d5e2945749f74d9c1.jpg (13.53 KiB) Viewed 3019 times

: electric-supercharger-5-psi-vortex_d611fbb4d5e2945749f74d9c1.jpg (13.53 KiB) Viewed 3019 times

that I have come across for my 90'Maxima that
could work but I wanted to try the Volvo turbo first like I said. Maybe that might help cause I wanna do the same thing
wit my 850glt . If find out anything else post it so we all can see. Also that 960 throttle plate I'm waiting on myself and I'll
post my results.

Post by **jblackburn** » 29 Mar 2010, 19:02

To my knowledge the 97' GLT had the 2.4liter with a smaller turbo that added about 25 hp.

It did, but my understanding is that the 97-later GLT engine was given better connecting rods that the 2.3 engine has. The extra torque from a low-pressure turbo at such low RPMs will probably destroy your connecting rods.

you could always make a cold air intake:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 1&p=120489

Just don't drive through standing water

NJ95-850GLT · Post by **NJ95-850GLT** » 29 Mar 2010, 19:14

As stated by jablackburn... click on the link and follow the procedure. I'm also new to the Volvo world and spent countless hours reading everything relating to my model. The airbox T-Stat failed as in the link, I propped it open using a stainless screw and nut through the weep hole to keep the fresh air flap open, dropped in a new air filter, and she ran like a raped ape.

Also the Octane level of the fuel you use has a great deal to do with performance... the owners manual calls for Premium fuel and it makes a huge differance. Also consider adding a fuel injector cleaner and follow the instructions carefully, I used one of the more expensive brands and was careful to not over-dillute, repeated after a second tankfull, and it was well worth the investment.

If you're not familiar with the sevice history and you're new to the car... as stated in many of the other postings, Volvos love the parts that they were engineered to use. If the former owner neglected tune ups or tuned her up with "Chain Store" parts to save a couple of bucks... rip the crap out and start fresh!!! Hope this helps, sometimes it's simple common sense.

Post by **matthew1** » 29 Mar 2010, 20:40

Remember the Stage 0.

NJ95-850GLT · Post by **NJ95-850GLT** » 30 Mar 2010, 20:19

A Personal Note: 'Thanks (matthew1) for backing up my observation".

The links provided are from the "Volvo Guru"!!! so take advantage. Newbie's.... (Like I am) Please take the time to read "Everything" related to your vehicle. If you don't need it it now, you'll at least be briefed when it happens. These folk's spend a lot of time answering our questions, (653 Pages as of tonight in our forum). Read first, or enlighten us all....