just fitted Rica 280

[jez.w]

I just joined the VP club yesterday. I thought i would let you know about the Rica 280 remap ecu i fitted on Tuesday. I had been looking at previous posts about Rica remaps and decided to get one myself. I looked around on the net etc and spoke to a few different places. HLM gave me the most helpful advise over the phone, and I saw the £150 deal HLM were doing so i went with them. Hamish sent me by post a remapped exchange ecu which i fitted myself in 2 minutes. The results are supurb, gauge now boosts and holds just of the end of the white and car pulls very hard. I told Hamish what i was looking for, he advised me the Rica 280 as this gives more bottom end pull than 304, and you can use normal unleaded fuel. The 304 remap requires superunleaded to be used and has more agressive power at the top end. My car is an auto, as most of my driving is around 2k to 4k rpm it made sense for me to get the 280 Rica. Hamish said i can have 304 on an autobox but the power will be more in the high rev range which i didnt want. Also my autobox box now changes seamlessly and much quicker. I dont know why the autobox would be better but it is, much better! I think its the best £150 i have ever spent. Also mpg has gone up too, i got 33 mpg on a run yesterday at a steady 60 which i didnt get before. So thanks Hamish for your advise and help during the phone calls etc. Im well pleased!!

[DuncVolvoTurbo]

Thanks for posting this Jez. I'm quite tempted to get one myself now!

[matt_t5]

wish i got that kind of mpg out of my car!!!

[jez.w]

You should get one. Check your motor is serviced and running well first with no problems or leaks etc. For £150 you cant really go wrong. If you want a more powerful car i think this is the best way to do it safely. I didnt want to start messsing about with boost controllers or bleed valves and cutting into vac hoses etc. Just fit remap ecu and job done.

[Liddo]

Be VERY carefull though. I had one done a couple of years ago, but I didnt do any leak checks, and I bent a rod on my S70. It cost me nearly £900 to put right.

Apparantly, an elbow on my boost valve (i think) had split, causing a leak, which created too much preasure within the engine, and me being a t*t, didnt notice that the car was spluttering with overboost on full throttle, and I kept my foot HARD down, and thus, bent the rod.

PLEASE make sure you check for leaks when doing a mail order ECU upgrade, or it may cost you more than £150 (which is a bargain btw ;) )

[jez.w]

I think some 850 t5 use alot of fuel because they are not running well, high mileage and a little worn, or they are driven hard which i know is difficult not to do sometimes. The best i have ever got before the Rica was fitted is 430 miles from a tank which was all on the motorway when i went up north and had a clear run. Even going to work everyday with some quick driving and overtaking etc i always got at least 380 out of a tank. I will let you know what i get out of the tank now it Rica'd, but so far i have noticed an improvement in mpg on the drive to and from work (33mpg average on a 30 minute run as per dash display). Every little helps!

[matt_t5]

i dont even get 200 miles from a full tank, no warning lights not spluttering nothing, just and sounds sweet as a nut, rica 304 chip, straight through decatted exhaust so i dont know what the problem is. i do give it some boot but in towns and villages the speed limit is obeyed.

[jez.w]

Really, 200 miles per tank is only 13mpg i think. That is very thirsty but sounds alot of fun with the mods you have. But really nobody would buy a t5 if they wanted good mpg. They are meant for high speed cruising!

[saf1972]

Is it possible to obtain contact details for HLM? (please)

[jez.w]

HLM contact number is 01527 577710

www.hlmtuning.co.uk


ask for Hamish

You pay £250 but get £100 when he receives your ecu back.

[saf1972]

Many thanks!!!

[stainesy]

what is the normal mpg for a t5. i have4 the t-5R and mine always says 18 mpg no mater how many times i reset it it always end up at 18 mpg

[MIKESC70T5]

my old t-5r manual which had the rica304 would get 27-29mpg around town and up to 34mpg cruising.

[Tomcat]

Around town mine used to give about the same 18-19mpg, haven't clocked it properly yet but so far it's around 25.

[BigV]

Does anyone know if this remap is the same price (£150), on a C70 T5........ 1998 model..........


thinking about having this done

[Wombatbomb]

Does anyone know if this remap is the same price (£150), on a C70 T5........ 1998 model..........


thinking about having this done

Nope, no good for your car.

[hamish]

Does anyone know if this remap is the same price (£150), on a C70 T5........ 1998 model..........


thinking about having this done

If your car is an early '98 and has a throttle cable then the answer is yes.
If it is the later car with the ME7 ECU (Drive By Wire) then we have a cracking deal with those too.

Hamish.

[hamish]

Nope, no good for your car.

Dear Wombatbomb,

You really are a special case. Please could you pass on my best regards to James Ingram and tell him I will send a reply when I have a few spare hours and a 2nd class stamp.

Best Regards,
Hamish.

[Rob_ioClean]

If your car is an early '98 and has a throttle cable then the answer is yes.
If it is the later car with the ME7 ECU (Drive By Wire) then we have a cracking deal with those too.

Hamish.

Whats the deal on these Hamish?

Thanks
Rob

[hamish]

I just joined the VP club yesterday. I thought i would let you know about the Rica 280 remap ecu i fitted on Tuesday. I had been looking at previous posts about Rica remaps and decided to get one myself. I looked around on the net etc and spoke to a few different places. HLM gave me the most helpful advise over the phone, and I saw the £150 deal HLM were doing so i went with them. Hamish sent me by post a remapped exchange ecu which i fitted myself in 2 minutes. The results are supurb, gauge now boosts and holds just of the end of the white and car pulls very hard. I told Hamish what i was looking for, he advised me the Rica 280 as this gives more bottom end pull than 304, and you can use normal unleaded fuel. The 304 remap requires superunleaded to be used and has more agressive power at the top end. My car is an auto, as most of my driving is around 2k to 4k rpm it made sense for me to get the 280 Rica. Hamish said i can have 304 on an autobox but the power will be more in the high rev range which i didnt want. Also my autobox box now changes seamlessly and much quicker. I dont know why the autobox would be better but it is, much better! I think its the best £150 i have ever spent. Also mpg has gone up too, i got 33 mpg on a run yesterday at a steady 60 which i didnt get before. So thanks Hamish for your advise and help during the phone calls etc. Im well pleased!!

I'm glad your v. happy with our service at HLM.

Hamish.

[hamish]

Whats the deal on these Hamish?

Thanks
Rob

Please call

[Rob_ioClean]

No problem, number?

[Torch S70R]

excellent, so my '98 S70R with non ME7 should be ok then?
if it passes the MOT then i'll give you a bell m8 :)

[johntheace]

i get 130 mile to £20 of super at £1.10 a litre but i must admit i do sit on 60mph veery very regular, its a strange feeling that i seem to have nothing to prove so i just take my time 95% of the time

[Tomcat]

Sadly (depending on how you look at it), I'm still driving like a maniac yet as I've not gotten use to the extra grunt.

[Alan M]

The service is excellent going by the products, tea and chat I had when getting my car Rica'd at HLM, cheers Hamish.

[BigV]

If your car is an early '98 and has a throttle cable then the answer is yes.
If it is the later car with the ME7 ECU (Drive By Wire) then we have a cracking deal with those too.

Hamish.

No, my car does have a good old fashioned throttle cable, same as my previous 850t5 to look at.....

So I can get the remap for £150?

Can you do a cambelt change at the same time, if so what is the price.....?

thanks for the quick reply to my previous post.

EDIT: can someone point me to the website or telephone number for this HLM garage?

As I assume this is an off the shelf map, I want to get it done asap.

[Torch S70R]

HLM contact number is 01527 577710

www.hlmtuning.co.uk


ask for Hamish

You pay £250 but get £100 when he receives your ecu back.

from previous page :)

[y2blade]

£150?????? is that right?

[Torch S70R]

so hamish i could send you my ecu and you can tune it, what sort of turn around times are available? although at that price id be willing to keep my car off the road for a while ;)

[Alan M]

£150?????? is that right?

Yep. Thats how much mine cost, plus a little extra for a more than generous amount of before and after runs on the dyno.

[t5 pete]

hi alan have you just got the 280 or 304 on your car also what changes did you get from the dyno run?
cheers pete

[Alan M]

I had the 304. My car achieved 186whp and 302Nm before the work and after it managed 249whp and 416Nm all at the wheels. I have a few mods on mine though so it may have reached a different figure to yours. the thing is the figures don't really bother me to much as I think with a better BCS my car will perform better still. I am more than happy with how it turned out and glad it didn't go pop on the rollers.

[t5 pete]

What other mods has your car got?
Thats the reason i didnt put my car on the dyno was too worried of some thing going wrong

[BigV]

Hmm, seems I can get the C70 done....... £150, bargain.

I can't wait now, I am waiting for a phone call back from Hamish........ I'm hoping I can drive up there and get it done while I wait, as it will work out easier for me than posting it- especially as they are only about 25miles from me.

[Wombatbomb]

Dear Wombatbomb,

You really are a special case. Please could you pass on my best regards to James Ingram and tell him I will send a reply when I have a few spare hours and a 2nd class stamp.

Best Regards,
Hamish.

James Ingram? The only James Ingram I know of (thanks to wikipedia) is a US soul musician, but I'm guessing that isn't who you're talking about?

So, in the meantime, come on Hamish, tell us all, are these remaps genuine RICA products? From things I've seen on several other forums, websites etc, not everyone thinks that they are. Care to clarify?

[cookie]

Can someone (Mods or Hamish) clarify the origins regarding these re-maps, as it is implied in this thread that this is a genuine RICA remap, are these prev purchased and genuinely licensed copies (possible belonging to previous customers) or pirated/bootleg versions, or a totally different map giving similar results to RICA.

Hamish has not at any point stated that these are not RICA, however it appears that RICA themselves WILL NOT honour any warrenty given or implied regarding these remaps or acknowledge thier validity.

I am not questioning the quality of the map(s) but if it goes tits up AFAIK RICA aint gonna help.

[Yosser]

FWIW I have had one of these upgrades from HLM, and - so far - I'm a happy camper :)

Hamish answered my questions on the phone, and I found him to be helpful and his answers plausible.

I don't feel too inclined to get involved much further in this as it does seem to be an issue that is quite volatile, but I would suggest those of you that have any questions or concerns then you should probably phone HLM direct and make your own minds up.

As for warranties and liabilities, I'm no Philadelphia lawyer but I guess your contract is with HLM and not RICA or anyone else. Also, if something went 'wrong' I can imagine so many variables coming into play that liability would be very difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt, so the 'backing' of a RICA warranty may well be worth nowt in any case.

Lastly, use your credit card - that way you have extra protection under the terms of the Consumer Credit Act (for purchases over £100)

[Justin]

Can someone (Mods or Hamish) clarify the origins regarding these re-maps, as it is implied in this thread that this is a genuine RICA remap, are these prev purchased and genuinely licensed copies (possible belonging to previous customers) or pirated/bootleg versions, or a totally different map giving similar results to RICA.

Hamish has not at any point stated that these are not RICA, however it appears that RICA themselves WILL NOT honour any warrenty given or implied regarding these remaps or acknowledge thier validity.

I am not questioning the quality of the map(s) but if it goes tits up AFAIK RICA aint gonna help.

Hi cookie,

What Hamish is selling is nothing to do with the admin team on here. However Hamish be careful with your posts as they are bordering advertising.

I'm sure if you ask nicely, as you have he will tell you. Or perhaps not....

[BigV]

Just thought I would add to this thread that I had my car tuned yesterday, I have the 280 software, mainly because I don't want to mess about always looking for optimax fuel.

There was quite a bit of messing around required as the car had a misfire at WOT, but after having a new distributer cap and arm the car is running lovely.

I am very happy......... the car now drives better (how Volvo should have made it stock IMO), the throttle response is instant, just like my previous 850's which I had MBC'd, I would say you can probably launch faster because you don't get as much wheel spin.............also I know the remap is safer for the engine AND the power doesn't hold back as you move up the rev / speed range.

£150 quid well spent IMO.

I'm having my cambelt changed next week, as Hamish quoted nearly £100 quid cheaper than nationwide.......

I'm really going to have to watch out for speed cameras now as the car just accelerates like a rocket from 30mph onto highly illegal speeds.

[Wombatbomb]

I'm sure if you ask nicely, as you have he will tell you. Or perhaps not....

Looks like he is taking the ""Or perhaps not" option. However, looks like someone couldn't be bothered to wait, so they asked RICA themselves for the answer.....

http://www.volvoforums.org.u (http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showpost.php?p=410657&postcount=7)k/showpost.php?p=410657&postcount=7 (http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showpost.php?p=410657&postcount=7)

[hamish]

Looks like he is taking the ""Or perhaps not" option. However, looks like someone couldn't be bothered to wait, so they asked RICA themselves for the answer.....

http://www.volvoforums.org.u (http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showpost.php?p=410657&postcount=7)k/showpost.php?p=410657&postcount=7 (http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showpost.php?p=410657&postcount=7)

Dear Wombat/Nuisance/Don/any one else/Roel Jr,

There seems to be a bit of confusion as to the origin of these tunes, that we are selling as 280 or 304 for £150. They are Rica tunes that we purchased in good faith from Rica and hold good title to. From approx 2002 to 2007 we were the distrubtors for Rica in the UK, in the course of our business we purchased many tuning files from them and we still have these tuning files and are perfectly entitled to sell. What we are no longer allowed to do and do not want to, is promote Rica or pass off as a Rica agent.

These files are genuine and not pirate copies or altered as some people have tried to suggest. We have a stock of Rica files that are ours to sell for what they are and for what price we like. We are selling these tunes as 280 and 304 because that is what they are known as, we are well aware that these are not representative power figures.

If you require any further clarification or discuss the product please contact us at HLM Bromsgrove.

Regards,
Hamish