Let’s make that non-turbo 850 Faster!
Performance discussion on Lightweight N/A car vs. Turbo car
A brand new US spec 850R wagon ran a 15.5 second 1/4 mile in the video I posted previously. I assume an 850 turbo automatic wouldn’t be far behind. An NA 5 speed 850 wagon will run will an identical 15.5 second 1/4 mile with a lightly modified intake as previously outlined in this thread. The 850 turbo and 850R sold in the US were never real performance models in stock form. They simply made life bearable with an automatic transmission and a boat load of luxury goodies.
chuckcintron » Sigh. Yes, I know all about the damper on one side of the NA throttle plate. Sure, you remove it and you get a bit better throttle response for the first few degrees of rotation. At WOT (which is where you’ll be most of the time in your 15.5 run) it doesn’t make a smack of difference.
Why did Volvo put the plastic wedge on your NA TB plate? So the soccer moms wouldn’t spin their tires pulling out of Wal-Mart on a rainy day. You want me to dig up the phone number of the engineer from Sweden I talked to several years ago about this?
You want the same effect as your magic plastic plate mod? Change the cable guide at the throttle from a round disc to a cam. You’ll tip the throttle open at a faster rate for the first few mm of cable travel — whoo-ha! My car FEELS faster now!
File these kinds of mods in the fart can exhaust category.
Justin, I’m glad you like to experiment with your car — that’s good stuff. But to come here and tell us that removing your plastic wedge from your throttle plate and installing (gasp) corrugated laundry room pipe in front of your air cleaner is going to get the OP’s gift-given NA 850 on par with a similar turbo vehicle is just silly. Do you know anything about fluid/airflow dynamics? Do you realize that putting corrugated ANYTHING in your intake path is doing nothing more than RESTRICTING your net throughput? Why do you think guys remove their heads and polish the combustion dome and intake/exhaust paths? Friction is your enemy.
And YOU are the guy who said “turbo penalty is 170 pounds”. Not me. You want the facts? The turbo and associated hardware weighs 45 pounds. How do I know? I WEIGHED THE STUFF. You want to talk about sunroofs, third row seats, air conditioning..ok, let’s talk about that. But not as a comparison of turbo versus NA.
My advice to the OP: Sell the NA and get a turbo.
Your advice: Remove the sunroof, remove the air conditioning, remove the third row seat, remove every bit of option that adds weight. Then stick a $2 piece of plastic tubing in front of your airbox and remove the plastic wedge from your throttle plate. Oh, and convert the car from an automatic to a 5-speed.
OK, I give. If he takes your advice he’ll have the car he always wanted.
You’re right…I’m looking like a fool here. I’m arguing with a guy who is using a $1.99 application on his cell phone to measure quarter mile times.
I’m done with this conversation, my friend.
850 (non-turbo) 1997 – Making It Faster
The Volvo 850
Volvo unveiled an entirely new model series in June 1991, the Volvo 850 GLT. The Volvo 850 GLT was launched under the banner of “A dynamic car with four world-beating breakthroughs”.
The four new features were: transverse 5-cylinder engine driving the front wheels, Delta-link rear axle which combined the dynamics and ride comfort of independent suspension with the security of a live rear axle, the SIPS integrated side-impact protection system, and the self-adjusting front seat belt mechanism.
The exterior design of the 850 bore a strong Volvo identity, and its 740 and 940 heritage was immediately apparent.
Volvo 850 GLT received a tumultuous welcome; seldom has a new car reaped so many awards as the 850.
Over the intervening years, the 850 series has been expanded with additional variants, among them turbocharged petrol versions and a direct-injection turbo-diesel.
The Volvo 850 was also the first car in the world to offer side-impact airbags, which were introduced in autumn 1994.
In model year 1997, the S70 replaced the 850 Sedan car.
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Last Updated on May 1, 2022
