The Good
• The weight loss was very noticeable. In total, to date, I estimate the weight loss to be more than 300 lbs. The car felt livelier than ever before… quicker turn in and less understeer. With trail braking, you can even get the rear to step out to help with turn in. With a lower weight, the suspension is much stiffer and responsive… good for track. Weight loss is definitely the best bang for the buck… it is free.
• Quaife LSD makes a huge difference in tight corners. Where I used to spin the inside wheel, I can now accelerate through. In addition, Quaife helped to reduce understeer. I was able to get on the gas much earlier which resulted in faster lap.
• The Setrab oil cooler did its job. Despite the heat, oil temperature stayed around 230 to 240 degrees. The same cannot be said about the water temperature… more on this later.
• The gutted interior is awesome. I can now use the car like a pickup truck. Four track tires, jack, tools, coolers, etc. all went in without any drama. I no longer have to worry about getting the carpet and seat dirty.
• The Porterfield R4 brake pads did its job. Lap after lap, the brake pressure was solid and the pads slowed the car without fading. I did change the rear to stock pads. The R4 pad’s strong bite make the rear feel insecure during braking. With stock rear pads, the car felt more stable.
The Bad
• Heat – After a couple of laps, the car started to run hot. The water temperature crept up past 250 degrees. I didn’t know exactly how hot it ran since my VDO temperature gauge maxes out at 250 degrees… I should have gotten a gauge with a bigger range. During the session, the needle consistently ran over the 250 degrees mark. The max factory gauge indicated about ¾ or slightly below. I was ready to pull off the track if it ran over the ¾ mark… it always stayed below. I was hoping the do88 aluminum radiator was enough to keep the temperature at check but obviously, it is not. It may be due to the fact that I also have the do88 intercooler, A/C condenser, and oil cooler in front of the radiator. I’m thinking about relocating the oil cooler and getting a different intercooler to force more direct air to the radiator. I’m also planning to close any gap between the units to prevent the air from escaping before hitting the radiator… I’m open to ideas. With the engine running hot, the boost was significantly reduced (~5 lbs). Then again, I’m not even getting the full boost (~ 17 lbs) as programmed. Currently, according to my boost gauge, I’m maxing out at around 9 to 10 lbs.
• Oil Pressure – On long fast turns (Turn 2, Turn 9), I noticed the oil pressure dropping down to 25 to 30 PSI. At Turn 2, the oil pressue of 25 seems a bit low as the RPM is around 3800. I’m assuming that the decrease in oil pressure is caused by the oil sloshing to a side in the oil pan.
• Power Steering – With heat, the oil expanded and spewed all over the engine. After a certain amount, it did stabilize. I am currently running Redline fluid. I may need to think about getting a power steering cooler to address this issue. No strange noise or reduced performance was noticed.
• Boost – As mentioned before, I’m trying to track down why I’m only getting 9 to 10 lbs of boost. I checked vacuum and adjusted the wastegate as recommended… I’m puzzled. I may contact VAST Tuning for a tune and its data logging capability. I think the VAST Tuning technology will be better suited for a track car. I absolutely need to keep a close eye on knock on each cylinder.
• Camber – The assessment of tires (see picture) indicates the need for more negative camber up front. The tires are rolling over more than I like. After the first session, I added more pressure (5 psi) to prevent it. However, the added pressure resulted in less performance. I will need to figure out a way to add more camber. A coilover system with camber plates may solve this problem nicely.
Improvement Needs / To-dos
• Control the heat by allowing more air through the radiator. Prevent escaping air by filling in gaps and relocating the oil cooler. In addition, maybe change the intercooler type/style.
• Address low oil pressure with an oil pan baffle or Accusump. I had two horrible experiences with a baffle. This time I may go with Accusump. Does anyone have experience with Accusump? If so, please share.
• Add power steering cooler.
• Strengthen the engine with new or forged bearings… Any recommendations?
• Add camber up front.
• Retune… VAST Tuning?
• Shed more weight
It is very difficult to turn a Volvo into a dedicated track car. By design, the car is not favorable and there is very little support network. What is motivating is that many people came up and commented on how cool it is to see a Volvo wagon on the track.