Any worries about taking a stock S60 2.4t on the track?

Post by **priapism** » 24 Mar 2011, 08:31

I'm driving to Reno for a race, I don't think the car will be available for testing so I was hoping to use something else to get a feel for the track. I can take my E30 but the girl can't drive stick and it's generally terrible anyways.

Any danger in taking the S60? It doesn't have the tip trans, just a regular automatic. I figure I'll lock it in 3rd for most of the track and just bump it to 4th for the straight. Everything else is stock.

Just wondering about precautions I should take. I know these E30s have an oil pickup line way off to the left, so long lefts will leave the engine dry and kill it. So we run them a quart high, or add a baffle. Anything else I could / should do to it?

Post by **JRL** » 24 Mar 2011, 10:53

I wouldn't, unless you plan to just cruise around SLOWLY
Brakes
Tranny (no cooler)
Tires
Etc.

Post by **jblackburn** » 24 Mar 2011, 12:12

I ran my S70 around the track at a track day for about an hour and a half a few weeks after getting it.

To get it ready, I borrowed a set of racing tires from a 740 my friend had, switched the transmission to a synthetic fluid (ideally, I should have had an external cooler; the fluid was cooked a few months afterward), and used a synthetic oil, running with the heat on high and the sunroof open. She did great; I could outrun the majority of 4-cylinder cars (Miatas, Civics, Celicas and the like) and even hold onto most of the 6-cylinder BMW's on the straights. I ran hard the first few laps to get ahead, then settled back and let the people with real racing cars go at it. Good gosh 911 Turbos are fast.

The OEM brakes faded terribly after about 30 minutes, to the point where I had to start mashing the pedal down as hard as I could in corners and plan way ahead. I took a break soon after that and let them cool, then went back out for a bit and tried to take it easy since a lot of the newbies had dropped out by then.

If you don't have a transmission/oil cooler AT ALL, I wouldn't recommend flogging it - especially with the delicate 5-speed transmissions.

I thought it was hilarious holding off a Mustang GT time and again that afterwards he came up to me and said, "what the hell have you got in that Volvo?" He looked pretty angry when I told him it was stock.

Post by **priapism** » 24 Mar 2011, 12:14

Niiice. I was worried about the trans. Don't these S60s come with a small trans cooler? If not then maybe I should skip it. Darnit.

What if I were to just lock it in 3rd? I'm not all that familiar with autos. It's Reno which is basically two huge sections of esses, so that would be fine I would think.

Post by **jblackburn** » 24 Mar 2011, 12:22

http://www.fcpgroton.com/images/product ... 002407.jpg

That's a cooler on the radiator just like mine, so they do. They're not overly effective though; most people that are towing/racing advise fitting an external cooler - I'm thinking I need to get one before this summer when I plan on towing a U-haul trailer.

I'd say it should be good for a few laps, but I wouldn't run it all day out there. If you notice the temp gauge going up AT ALL, stop immediately - overheating isn't kind to aluminum engines.

RaymanSean · Post by **RaymanSean** » 24 Mar 2011, 19:59

^^^^^ definitely get one before towing a uhaul trailer. Uhaul trailers are not known for being light weight or aerodynamic.

Post by **writer100** » 25 Mar 2011, 11:18

I thought it was hilarious holding off a Mustang GT time and again that afterwards he came up to me and said, "what the hell have you got in that Volvo?" He looked pretty angry when I told him it was stock.

Perhaps his tires were flat. An '05-'09 GT will do 0-60 in 5 seconds, the quarter in 13.3, compared with 6.3 and 14.7 for the S70 T5. (The 2011 GT will do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds!) They handle pretty well, too, not like the cars of yore.

Obviously you are a much better driver than he is!