Anyone tuned their ECU without losing drivability in normal conditions
I have been running the 850 pretty much standard for a while now, but I am curious about what a proper tune could do for the mid-range power. The thing is, I drive this car to work and around town, so I do not want it turning into some peaky monster that is horrible to live with day to day. I have heard people talk about custom tuning versus one-size-fits-all maps, so I am wondering what experiences people have had with keeping the car usable while still gaining some real power.
I haven't gone down the tuning road with my XC90, but I've seen mates push their older Volvos pretty hard. The trick seems to be finding someone who understands these engines rather than just bolting on a generic map. A proper custom tune that keeps the low-end responsive will still let you drive it sensibly around town. The risk with off-the-shelf maps is exactly what you're worried about; they can make the car feel twitchy and unpredictable in everyday driving.
custom tune's the way to go mate, standard maps are too conservative. got mine done by a bloke in frankston, cruises smooth as stock but pulls properly in the midrange. cost me about 600 bucks, reckon its worth every cent for daily driving.
The 850 T5 responds quite well to a mild tune that keeps the boost curve relatively stock. You'll gain mid-range without sacrificing driveability; the key is avoiding aggressive ignition advance changes that upset the daily driving characteristics.