thoughts of s60R

[23redblock]

hi all one of my mates is thinking of getting an s60R around the 04-05 reg and he was just woundering what the most common issues are (if any) and things to look out for? also he would want to tune it a little to around the the 400hp mark so the stages in doing this would be helpfull if anybody knows? just like peoples opinion on it and also if anybody knows of any for sale?

cheers guys

nick

[graemewelch]

if he wants 400 bhp then hes better off buy a car already has it. getting 350 is easy though. sports cat exhaust and remap. angle gear spliting liners and 4 c suspension can be expensive fixes on the R but are a nice motor but arnt cheap to maintain. i opted for the 2.4t5 in stead. dosnt suffer from the things ive mentioned above. ill await a ear bashing from R owners

[T5frankie]

i agree 2.4 s60 t5 is the way forward for 400bhp

[stribo]

The 4WD is the weakest part of the car, but if the angle gear is regularly serviced, and kept topped up, then it shouldn't give any problems. That having been said, I wouldn't want to put 400 BHP through it, as I think it'll self destruct. 2.4s are almost as likely to suffer split liners as 2.5's if they're running big boost, and 4C shocks don't normally give problems, and have come down considerably in price (if you buy direct from Monroe instead of Volvo). If you find a good one that has been regularly maintained, they shouldn't cost much more to run than a T5, but you'll have loads more smiles per mile. :D

[Santa]

S60R's are great cars but buying one can be a bit of a mine field and there are issues.

Firstly if you are looking for performance it's best to discount the automatic.

As for problems, to start with as Graeme said AWD components such as the angle gear, DEM and spline are prone to failure, some have experienced split liners on modified cars (not sure on standard ones), shock absorbers can go but Monroe shocks (same as Volvos) are had at half the price.

Wheel Bearings are a bit of a weak point I find, cambelts won't actually last up to 90,000 miles, hand brakes are next to useless, the turning circle can make parking tricky for some, my alternator has had to be recently replaced so probably worth checking that as well, clutches if the cars had a bit of a hard life.............probably enough to be getting on with lol.

As for 400bhp, decent map, FMIC, Larger Turbo, Injectors, Fuel Pump, Exhaust from the turbo back and stupid things like pipes, TCV, Actuator, CBV will start you on your way.

Some will opt for popping in a 2.4 T5 to substitute for the 2.5 T5, some opt for shimming the liners, some opt for replacing the liners with after market ones.

Some recommend Water/Meth Injection as well............others won't.

Not completely exhaustive above I apologise, I'm a bit short on time :)

[silverhorse]

When you say 'one of my mates', you mean you don't you!!!!:biggrin:

[S70T5Chris]

2.4's are not as likely to split liners! Where'd you get that from?!

Angle gear - IF you ever have to do it. It'd only be a one time thing for the time you owned the car. Unless you kept the car a very long time and done a lot of miles in that time. And more often than not, it's the collar that will need to be replaced. But yes, angle gears do go. But it's not as scary as everyone makes out. I've had the collar welded to my angle gear as a precaution, it shouldn't ever fail. Putting a diff in a T5 would cost as much as having the Angle gear replaced in an R, and it still wouldn't be as able to put the power down. I wouldn't have any issues pumping 400+bhp through the awd on an R. I haven't had my car on a dyno, but it's easily 350-375bhp, and it has no issues what so ever. And it's been on track multiple times.

4c suspension - Again, this is more scare mungoring than an actual issue. The shocks won't last forever, no. But what shocks do? And for about £150 a shock these days (if they do need replacing), makes it an incredible value for money system if you ask me. If you were to buy a t5, you'd have to spend £500+ to get an average suspension 'upgrade', and much more to get something anywhere near as good as the standard R suspension. And you still wouldn't have the easy adjustability of the 4c set up, with genuine comfort and stiff options when you want it.

Liners - The 2.5 is the most prone engine to splitting it's liners. But it isn't alone, the 2.3 and 2.4 have also been known to have the problem when pushed too hard. If I was to buy an R, one of my first jobs would be to shim the liners, just for piece of mind. Then you'll have no problems. Some people are lucky, some aren't. I opted for fitting a 2.4 t5 engine instead. I'm pretty certain that Claymore's is the only 2.4 I've heard of splitting it's liners. I know of 4 R's that have the 2.4 fitted, running 350+bhp and are regularly hammered around a track, with no split liner issues.

Other things to consider, the R come's with Brembos all round and a nicer R only interior and exterior. If you picked up a well looked after one, you'd probably spend less money on mods than a T5, as the suspension and brakes are already done!

[smithy]

When you say 'one of my mates', you mean you don't you!!!!:biggrin:

No mate he has a proper engined Volvo a modded 940 with the mighty redblock in it lol

[silverhorse]

4c suspension - Again, this is more scare mungoring than an actual issue. The shocks won't last forever, no. But what shocks do?

Agreed. My 4C front shocks lasted 100k miles. They are a bit steep, but if the new ones last another 100k, then I am a happy bunny.

[stribo]

2.4's are not as likely to split liners! Where'd you get that from?!

Angle gear - IF you ever have to do it. It'd only be a one time thing for the time you owned the car. Unless you kept the car a very long time and done a lot of miles in that time. And more often than not, it's the collar that will need to be replaced. But yes, angle gears do go. But it's not as scary as everyone makes out. I've had the collar welded to my angle gear as a precaution, it shouldn't ever fail. Putting a diff in a T5 would cost as much as having the Angle gear replaced in an R, and it still wouldn't be as able to put the power down. I wouldn't have any issues pumping 400+bhp through the awd on an R. I haven't had my car on a dyno, but it's easily 350-375bhp, and it has no issues what so ever. And it's been on track multiple times.

4c suspension - Again, this is more scare mungoring than an actual issue. The shocks won't last forever, no. But what shocks do? And for about £150 a shock these days (if they do need replacing), makes it an incredible value for money system if you ask me. If you were to buy a t5, you'd have to spend £500+ to get an average suspension 'upgrade', and much more to get something anywhere near as good as the standard R suspension. And you still wouldn't have the easy adjustability of the 4c set up, with genuine comfort and stiff options when you want it.

Liners - The 2.5 is the most prone engine to splitting it's liners. But it isn't alone, the 2.3 and 2.4 have also been known to have the problem when pushed too hard. If I was to buy an R, one of my first jobs would be to shim the liners, just for piece of mind. Then you'll have no problems. Some people are lucky, some aren't. I opted for fitting a 2.4 t5 engine instead. I'm pretty certain that Claymore's is the only 2.4 I've heard of splitting it's liners. I know of 4 R's that have the 2.4 fitted, running 350+bhp and are regularly hammered around a track, with no split liner issues.

Other things to consider, the R come's with Brembos all round and a nicer R only interior and exterior. If you picked up a well looked after one, you'd probably spend less money on mods than a T5, as the suspension and brakes are already done!

I did say 2.4s running big boost, and Claymore has at least 2 2.4 blocks with split liners.

[S70T5Chris]

What would you call big boost? I run 1.5 bar, I know guys running 1.6. My turbo would happily run 1.7/8 bar if I wanted to, and I wouldn't have any worries about splitting liners, if I did.

People have split 2.5's running standard boost .9bar IIRC. Stage one RICA's or MTE's running 1.2 bar, stage 2's or custom maps running 1.4/5bar. I personally think it's inevitable that the 2.5 will split its liners at some point, but some are lucky and some aren't. Having said all that, shim the 2.5, and I'd be more than happy with that.

The reason I went down the 2.4 route, was because my 2.5 engine was Fubar'd (it wouldn't hold oil pressure), and running a 2.4 meant I could use Ashoks custom MTE remap. (you can't run a 2.4 map on a 2.5 or vice versa).

[claymore]

I did say 2.4s running big boost, and Claymore has at least 2 2.4 blocks with split liners.


Lol, to be fair Steve, I was running 35psi boost when I split my liner. lol

[stribo]

Lol, to be fair Steve, I was running 35psi boost when I split my liner. lol

Yeah, that's what I'd call big boost lol.

[V70.R]

Ok first can i say well done in wanting a S60/V70 R. but you need a good bank account to keep these little money boxes going. But if you can handle the big bills then you have your self one of the fastest if not the fastest production volvo ever made. i have had a flash green s60R and now a phase 2 v70R.

THINGS TO CHECK.......

ANGLE GEAR ( AWD SYSTEM )
on test drive throw the car about a bit and you should feel total control from all four wheels through the wheel, its hard to spot but if you have driven Awd cars before you would pick it up. But being an 03 car i would expect the angle gear to have been done but you need to check this.

LIVE ACTIVE CHASSIS ( COMFORT / SPORT / ADVANCED )

PUSH ALL BUTTONS ..... But in advanced mode the car should feel very hard and un comfy, best way to check the system is working is find a rumble strip on the road, and put it in comfort and then in advanced ... you would find a big difference.

MESSAGES. these will come up on the dashboard for exp... ( brake system service) this means there is something wrong and do not left the dealer tell you otherwise.

brakes / exhaust are all very expensive too so these areas need attention, and the cam belt are to be changed around 80k but id have one done anyway for piece of mind.

And then the normal stuff like run the car up to temp and check for oil leaks
and any accident damage ( see if both number plates match up with dealer address and logo)

But even the most experienced person will still over look something as these are really fragile cars and take lots of looking after, but the end result is 300bhp 0.60 5.7 155mph top end (limited) and a volvo badge

So its worth it

Good luck. Regards Matthew.

[WOODY T5]

Just get an 850 that can run 13's lol

[stribo]

Just get an 850 that can run 13's lol

But they're few and far between. ;)

[23redblock]

my mate has just been comparing videos of acceleration of them on youtube and to be fair he is pretty disappointed :( a mapped one is only as fast as his standard astra vxr so i duno what he wants to do now :( why cant sum people make there bloody minds up lol i no what i would be selling lol

[stribo]

my mate has just been comparing videos of acceleration of them on youtube and to be fair he is pretty disappointed :( a mapped one is only as fast as his standard astra vxr so i duno what he wants to do now :( why cant sum people make there bloody minds up lol i no what i would be selling lol

If all he's after is a fast accelerating car then he should be looking at Scoobies, or Evo's, it's not what the R us about.

[T5frankie]

my mate has just been comparing videos of acceleration of them on youtube and to be fair he is pretty disappointed :( a mapped one is only as fast as his standard astra vxr so i duno what he wants to do now :( why cant sum people make there bloody minds up lol i no what i would be selling lol

a mapped one is quicker than a standard vxr mate all day long, if he drove one he wouldnt be bothered about a poxy vauxhall ever again

[V70.R]

If all he's after is a fast accelerating car then he should be looking at Scoobies, or Evo's, it's not what the R us about.

Well said mate, he they guy just wants a fast car go buy a scooby doo or a saxo vts lol, as its wrong to buy and 'R' if you buying it for 'just a fast car' its so much more its not all about the 'R's power its the drive, feel, quality of a volvo :shockedbi