V50 D5 Geartronic engine re map

[John B]

Hello everybody, I have recently bought a V50 D5 Automatic estate and I am going to have it re mapped in the next few weeks, could anybody on this forum please share there experiences with me if they have had a re map done, it would help me an awful lot for when I decide which company to use for the re map, Thanks a lot. John.

[Ettienne]

Possibly get a polestar map for that.

[John B]

Have you had any engine remaps done with any company?

[Biff]

I'd be weary of any tuners from outside the Volvo circles, best sticking to the tried & tested tuners on something so new, you might even be able to get an upgrade on the geartronic software?
I'm afraid most of us on here have older cars so our advice may be a bit foggy. ;)

[John B]

Thanks for that Biff, so who would you say are the tried and tested tuners ? I'm new to this re mapping thing, Thanks.

[John B]

Has anybody on here ever used Shark for an engine re map?

[Blackdog]

Has anybody on here ever used Shark for an engine re map?
Yep. Shark did my old (61 plate) V70 D5 auto.

[John B]

Could you tell me how you rated it? power differences you felt and any improvement on M.P.G.?

[AAnickmac]

I had my 2006 S40 2.0 d remapped by super chips. Huge improvement in power and mpg. Would think the d5 would be great after a remap. Although when I had mine done they had to take it to Buckinghamshire to super chips hq as it was an odd ecu or something. 62 mpg on a run.

[Biff]

I would speak to don at Kalmar Union first to see if an MTE map is available. That's just me as I had mte on my old car & have heard nothing but good things about them. Also polestar is volvo's Motorsport dark side, both maps would be at a premium but worth it in my eyes.
Other companies like Rica, Shark etc are all reputable tuners but I have read horror stories. You'll find bad press on most companies really, tuning engines is a minefield, get a duff one & it gets expensive & you want someone to blame.
Well not you personally. Lol
I will be taking mine to a local tuner but my car is worth less than £1500. :)

[Ettienne]

I'd go for a mte or shark and avoid the rica or any unknown maps.

Polestar do the Volvo upgraded maps for showroom cars I've driven a polestar mapped d5 6sp auto and it was good

[Blackdog]

If you do go to Shark make sure they are re-mapping and not fitting a tuning box.

When they did my last car (Twin Turbo D5) it was re-mapped and gave 238 BHP and 538 Nm. Which I think is about the limit for the geartronic box, but I could be wrong on that.

When I contacted them for my new car (same engine but newer engine management system) they could only offer a tuning box solution which they have teamed up with DTUK to supply. Having had a bad experience with a tuning box on a 1.9 CDTI GM unit in the past I declined their offer and went down the Polestar route.

Sadly this only gives 235 BHP and more importantly only 460Nm of torque making the new manual car actually slower than my old auto.

[Doingitsideways]

Can only echo above really.

Polestar will maintain any remaining warranty on the car, as it's the only "Official" map.

MTE are brilliant but not cheap, although probably comparable to Polestar tbh on price.
I have an MTE map on my T5 and it's flipping awesome.
Does depend what you're after though, as MTE's tend to be nice progressive maps with a smooth delivery. Cheaper maps like Rica etc tend to be a little more aggressive and harsh, making them feel quicker than they actually are. Also being harder on the driveline.

[Biff]

Can only echo above really.

Polestar will maintain any remaining warranty on the car, as it's the only "Official" map.

MTE are brilliant but not cheap, although probably comparable to Polestar tbh on price.
I have an MTE map on my T5 and it's flipping awesome.
Does depend what you're after though, as MTE's tend to be nice progressive maps with a smooth delivery. Cheaper maps like Rica etc tend to be a little more aggressive and harsh, making them feel quicker than they actually are. Also being harder on the driveline.

My old v70 was mapped for 8 years without bending any rods or throwing a wobbler. That's testament in itself I think on a 2.3.

[John B]

Thanks for that Blackdog, the information is much appreciated.

[John B]

In fact thanks to everybody for replying to my post, John.

[Mcpx]

I have this car and you need to do your research before you go ahead and if you do, proceed with great caution.

Firstly, the Volvo supported Polestar update is only available on post-facelift cars, so after late 07. The software on the earlier model is not compatible. If you have a facelifted version then the Polestar upgrade is available from main dealers, fully warranted but costs in the region of £7-900 depending on the dealer. I'm not sure when they switched over from the Geartronic gearbox but I suspect the Polestar option will not be applicable to you.

Secondly, the D5 engine in the V50 is not the same D5 that is fitted to the larger V70. Because the V50 is smaller Volvo had to fit a smaller intercooler which means the power output of the V50 D5 is less than the V70, any subsequent remap will also produce a lower figure,. Remapped V50's usually get 215bhp, not the 245 or so that most companies quote for the engine.

Thirdly, the Geartronic V50 D5 engine is also different afain from the manual transmission version because the auto box has a lower torque limit, the engine in the Geartronic version is therefore de-tuned from the normal 450nm all the way down to 350nm. The general consensus is that putting more than 400nm of torque through this transmission is a bad idea. A recon gearbox is something in the order of £1500.

If you do decide to go ahead then make sure you get a custom written map for your individual car, not an off the shelf one. MTE seem to be the most respected option. However, because of the reasons listed, a remap is probably not the best option for this car. Save your money.