RICA remapping newbie questions

[Lyfe]

Hi Guys,

I'd like to ask the opinion of what appears to be an experienced lot of T5 drivers what they think of RICA remapping.

I had an issue with a couple of cylinders misfiring and drove to the nearest dealership only to find that it was a Volvo "Specialist". The misfiring turned out o be a false issue, but while I was there they started talking about what they've done with a D5 and the RICA remap.

I'm very tempted, mainly by the claimed improvements in MPG, but obviously, the only stuff I've heard of so far is a salesman and the RICA website.

after reading this forum, I've started treating myself to Esso RON98 and Optimax, rather than my vanilla Esso 95 that I've been using for years in my Y-plate new shape V70 T5. I've had some recommendations for Optimax for a while, but have never actually got around to trying it. 78.9 verus 84.9 my way. Still... a few extra MPG goes a long way to off setting that.

Anyway, I'd like to know...
Does the RICA really increase MPG?
Is it worth getting a non-standard airfilter - a K&N or something?
How much did everyone else pay for their RICA remap?
How much better are the Brembo discs and Ferodo pads than Volvo standard?
Do you need to declare discs and pads to insurance companies?

Anyway, I'm going to be hangging around these forums from now one, now I've found I'm not a lonely T5 fanatic anymore.

:)

[Murphy]

Hi there - welcome to the fold !

The Rica upgrade is an improvement to the drivability to the car. There are lots of options out there with various upgrades, but RICA is proven. Volvotuning recomend an ITG panel filter as a suitable upgrade aswel as the brembo brakes. Having owned my car for 13 months 12 of which it has been rica'd i am now fed up of putting 98 ron in it. It is inconvinient and the fuel consumption doesn't improve, but may get worse. The theory is that it will do more to the gallon but with a 25%+ power upgrade under your right foot it is hard to drive economically. The cost is up to £600 i believe.

Good luck with whatever it is you decide to do.

Andy

[Mrsmopp]

Hiya!

I assume you have been to Volovtuning and spoken to them?

A fair few of us have chosen to RICA our T5's the drivability of the car is much improved and although I haven't seen a marked improvement in my mpg (partly due to it not running 100% at the moment) it certainly hasn't reduced.

Having just replaced my standard air filter for and ITG I would recomend the swap - however the standard air filter seemed good enough until I had the swap.

You will be able to get a discount of the RICA upgrade by being a member here - I cant remember how much I paid for mine it was a long time ago but I definately believe its a value for money product.

As for the brakes - the standard set up is perfectly adequate I have felt no need to upgrade but many other have done and there have been no adverse reactions to them.

If I were you then I would go for it.

Welcome to the forum - stick around we aren't a bad bunch! :wink:

x

[lance]

I can only echo the above coments, It is possible to get slightly better consumption on a long run but only if you drive to speed limits and hold the higher gears as long as possible ,but that defeats the object of rica!
Brakes are down to personal choice ,Im very happy with my brembos and ferados !
Get rica!

[Lyfe]

Many thanks guys.

Still unsure, but at least I'm confidently unsure :)

[Mrsmopp]

Is there anything specific you are unsure about?

x

[Lyfe]

I'm always a little unsure when moving into an area that I know nothing about.

I'm a tad concerned that it'll be an expensive upgrade that will affect the car at sale time, end up tempting me to write off unlimited numbers of tyres, the long term effect on the car and maintainance cost - although I dont intend to drive the car until the end of its life - and since I was thinking of RICA as a way of getting an extra MPG or so, most of the feedback appears to be that it doesnt effect MPG as much as the sales guys say it does.

Of course, a lot of that comes down to the way you drive. Strap a breezeblock to your foot and you always end up with less fuel and more grin.

I was very interested in Murphys opinion of RON98 getting upsetting.

At the end of the day I may well let fate decide - I have an outstanding invoice I'm not sure will get paid. If it does, it'll cover the remap costs quite nicely :)

Many many thanks for all the feed back I've received today. Shame none of you are my way *sob*

[Mrsmopp]

We're here to help!!! :wink: (now who sounds like a sales pitch LOL)

x

[Wobbly Dave]

If you cover my petrol then I am happy to come down to M'head and show you a RICA'd T5

I am sure you will not be disappointed

[mulletboy2]

Hope this isn't going to show my naivity of geography, but isn't Maidenhead in Kent, and isn't there a Kent mini-meet this saturday? :)

[GuyD5]

Ummm .... I think it's Maidstone that's in Kent :beer:

[Babybadger]

Hi Guys,

I'd like to ask the opinion of what appears to be an experienced lot of T5 drivers what they think of RICA remapping.

I had an issue with a couple of cylinders misfiring and drove to the nearest dealership only to find that it was a Volvo "Specialist". The misfiring turned out o be a false issue, but while I was there they started talking about what they've done with a D5 and the RICA remap.

I'm very tempted, mainly by the claimed improvements in MPG, but obviously, the only stuff I've heard of so far is a salesman and the RICA website.

after reading this forum, I've started treating myself to Esso RON98 and Optimax, rather than my vanilla Esso 95 that I've been using for years in my Y-plate new shape V70 T5. I've had some recommendations for Optimax for a while, but have never actually got around to trying it. 78.9 verus 84.9 my way. Still... a few extra MPG goes a long way to off setting that.

Anyway, I'd like to know...
Does the RICA really increase MPG?
Is it worth getting a non-standard airfilter - a K&N or something?
How much did everyone else pay for their RICA remap?
How much better are the Brembo discs and Ferodo pads than Volvo standard?
Do you need to declare discs and pads to insurance companies?

Anyway, I'm going to be hangging around these forums from now one, now I've found I'm not a lonely T5 fanatic anymore.

:)


I have had no complaints about the RICA upgrade, I had the 304 upgrade and its made the car a lot more fun and easier to drive in town. I find that the gearbox changes gears at the right time and doesn't always change down when overtaking , taking advantage of that massive torque. My average MPG has gone up by about 8-10%ish (still juicy in traffic) , but as I don't have tracs on mine , I should have considered the 280 upgrade. Check the torque figures on the 280 upgrade as this is what makes the RICA upgrade outrageous. I rarely use the top end of the engine, but the torque is jaw dropping. The 304 is recommended to use optimax and I have had no probs finding it, but I have heard that the 280 is a more sensible upgrade as you can use 95 ron.

Before you go RICA direction and you should...., do the following first. Stage 0 upgrade is always a good start.

1) Get the ITG filter, it breathes better and uses the standard airbox. K&N will use hot air induction and will make the car run hotter theoretically.

2) I would change the plugs to a decent set of iridium/platinum jobs - phone hamish @ Volvotuning for a recommendation , if it don't fire properly whats the point of the upgrade.

3) Change the oil and filter for a good fully synthetic oil, hamish told me, there is a very hot little turbo at the end of the engine, so crap oil will make a
big difference.


4) Check all your pipework ,any leaks will cause backfire, missing, drop in turbo pressure.

I don't think you need to notify the insurance about brake disks and pads unless you are changing the diameter of the front disks to police spec (302mm-standard are 280mm)

[Bracer]

Just do it ! You'll love it !

:wink:

[Wobbly Dave]

Being pro-active (and not wanting you lot to have to think about it too much)

http://www.maidenhead.net/where/uk.jpg

I think you will find M'head is nowhere near Kent!

[Justin]

Its nearer Kent than Leicester is and Moppy went ;)

[Ivan]

Nice to see you labelled Southampton on the map. If you look closely, very closely...i'm waving.

[pikeajm]

where is falmouth on the map lol

[Pedro Fandango]

where is falmouth on the map lol
where is Falmouth full stop? (i haven't a clue)

[lance]

Cornwall I think a bit of the path!

[Goof]

Leicester isn't marked either.

[pikeajm]

cornwall where ellen mcarthy cam back from her record

[Wobbly Dave]

I didn't make the map BTW. I just typed "where is Maidenhead" into Google.

Pedro - even if we gave you a map - it wouldn't help :crazy:

[bish789]

Got my 280 upgrade done yesterday(Mon), and only one thing to say WOWWWW.

Different car altogether. More talk, boost stays on and just pullllls. :sinner:

Played on the M1 on the way home, and its such a smug feeling knowing that you have so much more released power.

Got it done at VT, and those know their stuff. Full marks. :bow_kneel

Any questions email me.

[Bracer]

Told ya so :hidesbehi

[Wobbly Dave]

Bet you wished you'd done the full monty now, eh Bish :wink: ?

280 is still a vast improvement on stock

[Bracer]

Thats it Dave go and spoil it for the poor chap :rolleyes:

[Wobbly Dave]

I am obviously kidding bish. Enjoy the ride!

[Bracer]

:wink:

[fireplums]

pikejam - you based in falmouth? I'm just up the road from you.
Whats your car? Might have seen you about

:thewave:

I'm not alone in middle earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:thewave:

[glock19]

With regards to the RICA upgrade, does or can the air-cond compressor be made to cut once the rev goes beyond 3~4k ? Most of the time, even in standard SPORT mode, I find myself in the 5k rpms region and since I’m in a hot/humid climate, the air-cond is never switched off. No doubt there’s a manual compressor cut-off switch at the dash but I don’t find it practical to switch it off when tail-gated or in the mood for quick launches.

Reason for asking such is that the compressor would not like the high revolutions of the engine and might one day take a walk. So, did RICA considered this in the upgrade or can they include it as an added option otherwise ? Another plus point is that the cutting off of the compressor at WOT could give you some advantage over others, right ?

[phil]

had mine with the full rica for one year now and the ITG panel filter and around 40,000 miles.
I measure my fuel consumption and on average I now get around 29mpg before was getting around 27-28mpg so a small improvement. however this is on long motorway speed journeys.

Best ever was 34mpg at a steady 60mph.

The car feels a fair bit quicker, and driven hard it does use front tyres but i suspect no more so than the original car. They will both spin wheels.

You can get 20K out of the front wheels if you drive entirely on motorways, as i sometimes do, but this can reduce to 10K or less if you hammer it on a regular basis in the low gears.

I use Optimax at all times, and this can be a pain to find in unfamiliar areas but as yet its been ok. I carry a little bottle of RON boost stuff jsut in case I ever need to fiill up on normal fuel.

[mat562be]

Hi.

I'm also a V70N T5 owner. My car is a 2000 MY with a BSR stage 1 upgrade, nominally to 299 bhp. I also run a K&N replacement panel filter in my car, so it probably runs a hp or two more. All else on my car is standard, other than I use a ZX1 treatment in the engine every year, and my transmission fluid is also ZX1'd.

Like you, I invested in an ECU remap. I was looking principally for a bit more oomph, particularly mid range torque in order to make my car a bit swifter at overtaking. I am also a tight fisted Yorkshireman, so I also wanted a bit improved economy if possible.

I have found, with my BSR upgrade, that the car is much more tractable through the entire rev range, but particularly the increase in torque between 2500 and 6000 rpm has made it much more pleasurable to drive. I drove my car as standard for several months beforehand and drive a standard T5 at work - I am a cop - so I am able to compare the two objectively.

I have found that mpg-wise the car has slightly improved in normal driving. However, in the real world the mpg has remained about the same, as you inevitably tend to use the power a bit more. I would say, all other things being equal, that the car now is around 1 mpg better with the BSR upgrade as an all-round figure ( i.e. about 4-5% better)

The K&N filters I have tried (I am a long time user) seem to give a similar increase, even with only a replacement panel being used in my case.

The biggest plus has been the ZX1. It delivers a genuine 10% increase in fuel efficiency and also makes the engine run noticably smoother. I find about 2.5mpg better economy, using it in both the engine and gearbox. In my last car, a Graham Goode Racing modified Escort Cosworth, using ZX1, together with a GGR remap got the regular mpg up to 25-26, which I thought was incredible (it was 21-22 before, as a standard car.)

I only know one person with experience of RICA upgrades, and his modification is on an 850 estate, so it's not directly comparable to mine. Having driven it, it seems pretty similar to my own, the figures being similar, with the RICA having the edge in torque seemingly.

My BSR upgrade cost £550 or so. I am entirely happy with it now, and would recommend it highly to anyone, the advantage being it is essentially a DIY installation.

Hope it helps.

[mat562be]

Forgot to add; I only use a 95 RON petrol (BP) and it works fine with my ECU upgrade.

I have run the car on BP ultimate and Shell Optimax, but the difference only seems to be marginal - perhaps a mpg more, but certainly no more, and not worth the cost differential.

[Mrsmopp]

When you work it out tho there is no cost differential! The extra few pence you end up putting into the tank with optimax actually costs you no more as it returns better MPG!!!

You get out what you put in at the end of the day - I want the absolute best mine can produce so with that i ensure I put in the best i can buy! Simple logic really.

x