Upsolute

[fireplums]

I know everyone seems to favour the Rica ECU here but has anyone gone with the upsolute upgrade they have a pretty solid reputation. I'm thinking of getting it as my car has around 100k and auto box, just know +300 bhp will nuke me box so to speak

[Mrsmopp]

The upsolute is really good value for money and they claim 275bhp for around £280 which is a tidy increase. They also come to you to do fit the chip which is an added bonus. There after sales appears to be very good too. The only thing that put me off was the fact that it is a chip soldered onto your ecu so a) its detectable by insurers etc and b) I dont like the idea of someone playing with my ecu with these things being extremely sensitive.

I believe it to be a good product and know a couple of people who have had it done with no complaints.

x

[fireplums]

Thats cool just what I wanted to hear
I have just spoken to simon at cc-tech I am going to send my ecu upto him, should have it back in a little over a week. Will let you all know what I think.

Rica in a perfect world but the added cost of petrol, a day off work, the increased cost and an older car weighed it out this time.

looking forward to joining the modded club

[Mrsmopp]

Let us know how you get on - and we want a full report of how well she goes with it

x

[fireplums]

just pulled out the ECU , comes out really easy. How much does the standard volvo item cost?

[fireplums]

Just got my ECU back from Upsolute. The most worring thing about getting the upgrade for me was the royal mail breaking or losing the ECU in the post.
As it turned out they were spot on, as was Simon at CCCtech.

So just popped it back in the car and went for a spin. Took it easy through the town letting the engine warm up as I did'nt really know what to expect.

I'm a bit of a typical old skool volvo driver in town so headed for the A30 for the test flight. Before getting the upgrade the most impresive acceleration was when crusin along and 50 then stamping on it... big kickdown / turbo 1 2 combo. The car did'nt feel so brisk at accelerating from other speeds though, still quick but lacking just a bit.

Now it accelerates with the same kind of urgencey at 60 70 80 90 100 110.... chickened out trying at 120.

Seemed nicer to drive about town as well not sure why but seemed the turbo was working more and did'nt need to kick down.

one amusing little incident that occured when I was out.. a big burly geezer in a brand new nissan crew cab 4x4 thing tried to undertake me at 90 miles an hour?! umm i dont think so
he had a pink plaster cast on his arm too, very fetching

[monsterdark]

Fireplums think you may have convinced me to get that as i also have 150K mileage & with the RICA may just blow me engine apart 275bhp seems nic & they conme to you even better

[fireplums]

as I said before Rica would probably have been my first choice everyone raves about them and the service / input from the guys there appears spot on. I think they are the specialists if you like. However its worth knowing theres other good products out there and I think alot of people would be worried about such big power hikes on old cars. Having said that theres plenty of high milage rica cars about with no problems.
For me it was all about money and convenience really , I live hundreds of miles from the Rica garage. Anyhow I'll give it some more tests and let you guys know what I think. .....cant wait for the drive home

[Murphy]

The rica is a good product, and i know Justin has 170000+ miles on his car and has one of the fastest cars on the forum returning mid 14's 1/4 mile and happily pulls of the speedo (as in the later 160 mph one). The only major replacements i believe he has had is new clutch and new turbo and that is it.

My Car has done 87000 miles and thus far (15000) the rica has been fine as has the box etc etc......

Andy

[Bracer]

Guys you really dont need to worry about the engines so much.

A nice Stage O Tune Up will prepair your cars for anything Rica will throw at it.

I've been running mine now for 20k harder than a Rica chip ever would and SAM's fighting fit still now with 140k on her.

Yes Upsolute is a Good product but so is RICA, so the only question you really have to ask yourselves is how much to I want the extra power and how much do I really want to spend

Regards

Steve

[Justin]

Quite right mate, she has done 175k now and still holds 1.1-1.2 bar of boost, the turbo's are good for about 150k max, although some die earlier, some later!

Ive had a new clutch, and new turbo as my original one would only hold 0.9 bar of boost. My car will do 158mph (via gps) and goes well past 160mph off the clock, thats at the limiter in 5th gear.

Other than that i have an ITG filter and thats it, she is also still for sale people

[Bracer]

Quite right mate, she has done 175k now and still holds 1.1-1.2 bar of boost, the turbo's are good for about 150k max, although some die earlier, some later!

Ive had a new clutch, and new turbo as my original one would only hold 0.9 bar of boost. My car will do 158mph (via gps) and goes well past 160mph off the clock, thats at the limiter in 5th gear.

Other than that i have an ITG filter and thats it, she is also still for sale people

Still looks so wrong figures like that when you think about it, your talking about 10 year old 4 door saloons which are made by Volvo for God sake.

Dam I love the Bricks

[fireplums]

yep it all comes down to cash at the end of the day.
reckon the t5 must be the performance bargin of the moment, cant think of a 150mph+ car for the same price say £3k including chip at the cheaper end.
what would the competiton be?
vr6?
g60?
vectra omega v6?
old jap nightmare
stolen 911
a diy rocket

[Bracer]

yep it all comes down to cash at the end of the day.
reckon the t5 must be the performance bargin of the moment, cant think of a 150mph+ car for the same price say £3k including chip at the cheaper end.
what would the competiton be?
vr6?
g60?
vectra omega v6?
old jap nightmare
stolen 911
a diy rocket

I dont think any of the above can be classed as competition for a T5

[fireplums]

there must be something out there as competiton at the same price?
what about an old saab 900 16v turbo with chip?

[Bracer]

there must be something out there as competiton at the same price?
what about an old saab 900 16v turbo with chip?

I dont think there's anything even close really when you look at factors such as:

Initial cost
Initial performance
Upgradability / cost
Reliability
Space / Size / Comfort
Safety
Running costs (insurance / mpg etc)
Depreciation

[lance]

I dont think there's anything even close really when you look at factors such as:

Initial cost
Initial performance
Upgradability / cost
Reliability
Space / Size / Comfort
Safety
Running costs (insurance / mpg etc)
Depreciation

I couldnt agree more as theres nothing else decent out there with a 5 pot apart from old Audi Quatros. Otherwise youre looking at souped up 6 or 8 cylinder and massive costs to get close to a T5 but miles away from the price and running costs and the stealth factor.

[Bracer]

So thats decided then T5 is No.1