Tag: boost

Fast Friday Volvo Performance and Tuning

Octane And The Turbocharged Engine

Any time you compress air it’s going to increase in temperature, with a turbo charger it’s no different. The more boost you run the more heat is imparted to the air going into the engine. This heat along with latent heat from the previous combustion cycle can increase enough that the fuel can actually ignite before the spark plug lights it off, which is called pre-ignition or ping. Pre-ignition can be very damaging to an engine if it is severe enough or occurs over a long enough period of time. So higher octane fuels help avoid this.

Fast Friday Volvo Performance and Tuning

Fast Friday #6 — Injectors, MAFs, and Power pt. II

As performance levels rise so too do the necessary supporting components of the engine to reach the power goals you might have. Most fuel system upgrades are pretty straight forward and only consist of a fuel components I.E. Fuel pump, Injectors, and fuel pressure regulator. For the most part the Walbro series of fuel pumps are a popular cost effective option when it comes to replacing the factory pump.

Fast Friday Volvo Performance and Tuning

Fast Friday #4 — The Boost Variance Problem

Boost pressure issues seem to be the #2 issue in the Volvo Performance world beaten out only by vacuum leaks. Boost pressure control in the 1994-1998 models is a pretty simple system but for the ECU to manage boost correctly it relies heavily on known base values and settings. If these settings are off or if there are mechanical issues then the boost control system can be out of whack.

Front Mount Intercooler Install

I was close to getting a treadstone intercooler and while they claim to support more power for the money, the precsision IC’s have a much higher quality from what I’ve been told and are better engineered. Besides, I don’t plan on making over 350 whp any time soon anyways so this will do well… and when I do an engine build, the wife’s T5 will get my IC setup.