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Volvo S40
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Comments
Any comments/suggestions out there would be greatly appreciated.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I've got 205 55 R16 Michelin MXV4 Energy tires on my s40 T5. Does anyone know if these tires are that great? I've been a little jealous of some A4's I've seen with 17 inch 225s. I like the look of the wider treads, but I'm not sure if these kind of tires can be put on an s40. Can you put 225's on an s40? Are there gains to be had in the performance department?
Will different tires increase performance much on a t5?
Any and all input is appreciated.
thanks in advance!
It would probably fit, but a 225 width tire is wider than I would try on your standard wheels, which are only 6.5" wide. The type of tire you choose is much more important to performance than width, but if you want the good looks of a wider tire, 215/50-16 would be a better choice.
Whether you stay with a 205 or go with a 215, if you want to improve performance, you'll want either a high-performance all-season, or better yet, a high performance summer tire.
A well regarded high performance summer tire I'd try is the Kumho ECSTA Supra 712. It will dramatically improve your S40's acceleration, braking, and handling, but it's not a good choice if you need all-season performance. Check out the Tire Rack website for a wealth of resources in choosing the best tire for your needs.
Anyone know of third party accessories that can solve this problem for me?
Thanks for the input. I didn't realize I'd be able to put a wider tire (215 instead of 205) on the wheels I have. That's good to know and definitely would save me some money since I wouldn't have to buy a new set of wheels. I live in LA right now, so I'm guessing summer tires aren't a minus given the climate and conditions here.
Is it true that high performance summer tires will dramatically improve the performance of a car? In layman's terms, what can I expect?
Also, last silly question: Is there a performance advantage to wider rims? Or is it for the most part a visual aesthetic?
Thanks in advance:)
The tire contact patch on the ground is basically what transfers power from the engine to movement of your car over the earth. A wider tire will offer better performance because it will have a larger contact patch, but the difference between 205 and 215 is negligible.
If you truly want to upgrade your wheels too, going with a 17" wheel that is 7" or 7.5" wide will allow a 225 width tire. You'll get better handling from this combination because of the wider contact patch, but also because of the shorter tire sidewall. This is the way to go if you want to spend the extra money for wheels, but I don't think you need to go there. Of course, you'll also get an increase in unsprung weight, which will have some negative effect on performance. It's basically a trade-off. My advice is to step up to a summer tire either in original 205 width, or 215 width as this will give you a dramatic, seat of the pants improvement for not much money. If you like the improvement, you can think about other upgrades later.
A max performance summer tire is designed to give ultimate dry pavement traction, so it will improve your cars ability to transfer accelerative forces to the ground without losing grip. All accelerative forces are affected by having grippier tires, so straight-line acceleration, cornering, and braking will all improve.
Living in California, there's no real reason to handicap your car will all-season tires. The only reason you might not choose summer tires is because of increased tread wear, which means you'll be replacing them more often. In all other regards, they are a must for a sport sedan such as your T5. You'll definitely feel the difference.
You really broke that down in a way that I could understand. From the advice you've given, I think I'll probably opt to just get some new 215s and save the 17inch upgrade for later.
This forum is really cool, especially because of helpful individuals such as yourself. Thanks again for taking time out of your day to help me out.
Enjoy!
The common causes for this problem is the fuel pump, replacing the leak diagnostic pump should resolve the issue.
The right mechanic/dealership should be able to identify and fix it correctly.
If problems persist find another place to service your vehicle.
The problem does not affect the driving characteristics of the car, but there is the annoyance and inconvenience of having to make multiple trips to the dealer.
Its really sad when salespeople feel they need to degrade the competition in order to sell their own product.
I've been having this same argument/discussion for years with many many people. I have owned domestic/japanese/european vehicles and I have worked on all of them myself. I CURRENTLY own 2 japanese and 2 euro vehicles. I can tell you, without a doubt, maintenance is no more expensive for my Volvo than it is for my Honda or Nissan. As a matter of fact, what I just paid for a brake job on our Honda Pilot was even more expensive than for my Volvo.
The only thing I have noticed is that my dealership's service department charges too much to do the work on my volvo. That's why I go to an independent volvo mechanic (for those times i don't have the time to do the work myself, that is).
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I was a bit torn between the Acura TSX and the Volvo S 40. Both cars are excellent and at a first glance, the Acura seemed to have an edge over the Volvo. From a maintenance/repair point of view, both seem to be as reliable and the parts of both are equally expensive. However, I usually keep my cars for more than five (5) years and I thought that in the long run, a Volvo would look classier than Acura.
I'm interested in either a 2005 or 2006 S40 and wondering if a FWD with the DSTC would be what all I need ? I guess the disadvantages of AWD is the lower gas mileage, price and heaver weight. Advantages would be safer in snow/ice for winter time.
I previously own a 98 grand prix GT and then when to a 02 Honda Civic with 14" tires and miss the performance factor. The nice thing about the S40 is that you can buy a Power Chip for the Volvo that gets 248 or 252 HP( 269/273 LB.FT of torque respectively), and cost $990. Has anyone used this chip with any difference in performance ?
I'm considering keeping my Civic for the summer time since I get 38 MPG and using the T5 for winter months and for road trips. Any info/ideas would be great. Thanks
:confuse:
When you first said the name, I thought it was that bunk chip sold on Ebay for $10 (or whatever the price is), but your price obviously says otherwise.
Personally, for that kind of money, I'd wait for IPD to finish developing theirs. The latest I read in their brochure/flyer is that they are getting very good results and hope to have it on the market soon. If I recall correctly, they mentioned AT LEAST 250 HP. And, of course, you have the advantage of getting a flash upgrade rather than an add-on, AND you are getting it from a shop that specializes in Volvos.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I have one of their programs in my S60R's ecu.
ipd sells TME's programs.
All Volvo's have ecu's that need to be reflashed. You can't just install a chip in the ecu.
250 hp is probably the limit for the T5 engine. At least for safe, long term operation.
The haldex AWD system actually doesn't hurt mpg much. A difference of 1-2 mpg in the city and a little more on the hwy.
My R 6 speed average 23 mpg and I don't drive slow.
If anything mileage has improved since I had Evolve flash my ecu.
Actually, not all Volvo ECUs need to be reflashed. There are plenty of companies that solder chips onto the ECU. Not that I'm condoning it or saying whether its a good idea or not, just pointing it out.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
In the first place, its a dead giveaway to the Volvo tech that you car has been modded. Second, its dangerous to the ecu. If its not done perfectly it can fry the ecu.
As far as the tech goes, it really doesn't matter on my 8-year-old car. And, since I can have it done in person by an authorized dealer, they fry it, they buy it. But, Yes, if you own a new S40, this is going to be a bad idea if you have warranty issues.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Care to read about a problem we had with our 2000 S40 yesterday? The car appeared to be accelerating when it was coasting and no pedal was pushed. My husband pulled into a parking lot; the car began revving its engine up at 4500 RPMs when it was in park. He shut it off and had trouble restarting it. Then, he got the car started and driving again but then smoke started billowing out from under the hood and coolant was obviously leaking. He had the car towed the rest of the way to the dealership; the service advisor said the temp sensor went bad and caused the engine to rev because it perceived the engine was not hot enough. He says we need to change the temp sensor, thermostat, lower radiator hose and replace all the antifreeze and reset the OBDII to account for the new components. He also said it was time to do a transmission flush and I knew that was something we'd do at the next service interval so I gave him the ok. He estimated the total bill at $650-675 and that includes $110 for the transmission flush. Any thoughts?
yea, that sucks... :sick:
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
What I've gathered:
No more greens
no select package on the T5's
2.4i Audio control in str. wheel - std.
no more optional moonroof - select (2.4) or premium (T5 & AWD) packages only. **
** but, found two pdf files via google on the volvocars.us website. that make me think otherwise... any one have an idea about what's going on? I missed ordering my 2005 T5 by a week in April. (why nobody has a DSTC volvo on the lot in Ohio is beyond me...)
any comments? any clues? any hints?
2006b V50 Fleet and link S40 Fleet
Mistral and Safari Green are gone.
Brilliant Blue and Electric Silver are the new colors.
Moonroof on the T5 is only available in the Premuim pkg.
I just purchased a t5 awd and I can't seem to find anything on maintaining the turbo engine. Do I need to do anything differently when starting up the car or turning it off?
Any comments on why I should go with the S40 T5 over the Audi A3 ? I'm still leaning toward s40 because of the overall look of the car, but not sure I'm making the right decision.
thanks
Mark
Hoping for a quick answer, as I just found out my T5 has arrived and am picking it up tomorrow.
Volvo is trying to sell me on some sort of clear coat treatment for the paint job, claiming that it means you don't have to wax the car for 5 years. Anyone have insight on this? Is it worth it? Does it look funny?
Thanks in advance!
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
What have you been hearing? Based upon scanning through the other forums the majority of posts (but not all) appear to me to be saying that teflon based pastes/waxes are not worth it. Dealer wants $327 for what appears to me to be a wax job.
The original unit's CD player skipped quite significantly. More on hitting a bump
than on hitting a hole. But it will skip under BOTH circumstances. It skipped just about every day....multiple times.
My friends have told me that their car CD and DVD players almost never skip.
The Volvo dealer agreed it should not skip and they put in a new unit.
The new unit is just as bad.....maybe worse.
Is this a standard S40 CD player problem?
Isn't the anti-skip system basically all read-ahead electronics?
Shouldn't this prevent it from skipping when you hit a bump?
Anybody have this experience?
Comments?
Is there an aftermarket cd/am/fm that fits in these cars?
Thanks.
You may actually be better off by simply waxing your car every month, as I chose.
I was surprised that the dealer said no break in period was required (as he put it, try and keep it below 100 mph). The online owner's manual doesn't make mention of one either (didn't get a chance to look at the book they gave me).
Thoughts?
Also, your gas mileage won't stabilize for the first 2-3000 miles.
Otherwise, have fun
I ask this because after my first test drive I was feeling the same thing...pedals were too close together and my foot was getting caught. After thinking about this and analyzing my driving habit/style, I noticed that I was accustomed to placing my right heel in front of the brake pedal and pivoting it towards the accelerator. This was not physically possible on the s40 due to the pedal placement but because I knew that the s40 was the car I wanted to buy, I began to train myself to drive with my right heel closer to the accelerator pedal and pivot less. After a week of that in my 1990 Honda I went to test drive the s40 again, no problems. I'm ordering an '06 s40 real soon!
I do have other concerns. Quality and the no satellite oversight they need to come into the age of audio already. I’ve heard the pro-logic system and it’s fair. Not the quality of some of the others car lines and you gotta fork over significant $$ for the stock sub-woofer that can be installed in the trunk.
Although Vovlo took it on the chin in the latest quality survey for 05, know that overall none of the European lines had across the board good numbers, only selective models within. And I believe Volvo’s undoing rested in its S60, 80 and XC90 models but I can't find anywhere to really substantiate, only heard grumblings of these three and nothing on the 40. Most on-line sources list the 05 S40 as moderate to poor for troubles. That’s what really has me concerned. Regardless of the quality of service, I (as many others) cannot take time out to have the car in the shop all the time. Regular service is enough. I’m concerned but my custom order is still on the way.
28,375 sticker (Base Model + Climate + Premium Package)
X-Plan Pricing of 27,581
- Dealer Incentive for NOT using Volvo Car Finance (STRANGE) $2,500
- Volvo Loyalty Credit $1,000
- Dealership picking up my last lease payment ($313) + Disposition fee from VFNA ($385)
Payments are $341.21 w/ 15k miles per year and a drive away payment of $1,006.21 (first month +
"aquisition fee" of $595 + Title/Licence)
All in all -- I think I ended up with a pretty good deal. Why would volvo be asking dealers to NOT use VFNA?? The dealer told me it was because Volvo was getting hit hard on high residuals and that their portfolio was "full of s40's"
Money Factors w/ third party was .00204 w/ a residual of $14,977
vs VFNA's money factor of .00216 w/ a residual of $14,187