MTE remap - 2004 V70 D5

[RobbieH]

A short write up of the MTE remap on my V70 D5.

After much research on diesel upgrades I decided that remapping was the way to go. What I like about the D5 is the torque driven performance at 2000rpm and above but like most of us, more is always nice to have, particularly if the economy is not affected adversely. The MTE maps have always been described as progressive, which I liked the sound of as well, no nasty boost or power/torque spikes to catch out clutches, DMF's, intercoolers and other bits. Having a map also means I keep all the built-in safety features of the engine management system.

So after a few pm's, emails and phone calls to Don I received I received a softloader cable via post and the MTE VID (Vehicle ID Tool) software via email. I already had an HP TC4200 Tablet laptop which I decided would be used for mapping, data logging and GPS Navigation. All I had to do was drop a copy of Windows XP onto it (dual boot with Windows 7) for the MTE software to run on.
Installed the USB drivers and the VID software, plugged the softloader cable into the cars OBDII port and a USB port on the tablet and the VID tool read the ECU in seconds, giving a 865kb text file to email directly back to MTE.

A couple of days later an email comes back from Don with a new attachment - the "Softloader" package with my standard and upated maps embedded .

Connect the cables, fire up the Softloader software and press "Stage 1 remap".

Turn ignition to II.

And "click", the whole dashboard goes "dead" as does my heart .
Not a light in sight . A definite "oh $**t" moment.

But off goes the green updating indicator on the Softloader in 0.1% steps (each about 1s). Then at 99.6% a slight delay (heartstopping), then 99.9% and another slight heartstopping moment. 100% Done.

Disconnect everything. Turn off ignition, then back on. Dash lights up, as does the ABS light (oh heck comes the thought). Then off go all the warning lights except the usual oil pressure, etc. Turn ignition and the engine rumbles to life.

Now call me paranoid, but there might be a slightly different sound to the tick over and I'm still sure it's still so. So a quick prod of the accelerator and I can definitely hear the turbo spool up, a low multitone whistle. Ooooh, that's different .

By this time it was late on a Saturday evening with no chance for a test drive. That had to wait until Sunday .

So midday we're off to a Sunday lunch time meeting, seat belt on and away we go.

I live at the end of a long cul-de-sac with at least a dozen tank traps on the way to the main road so I tend to just bumble along in no more than 2nd gear. Get to the main road junction, indicate left, clear, so pull out. Can't plant the foot yet as still on urban roads and there's another larger tank trap just a few yards away but we get over this and just prod the go pedal like normal. Strewth, the turbo definitely spools up and I'm off quicker than I should be... cue one big very silly grin, this is gonna be fun. Mrs H wonders what I'm giggling about .

Take it easy through to the roundabout above the nearby motorway (more tank traps en-route and several sets of traffic lights) so we're nicely warmed up.

Last set of traffic lights turn green and we're off. Easy in 1st to avoid instant red-line, 2nd similar but into 3rd on the slip road and does it begin to fly. Oh my, does it and we are we OFF. It pulls much, much harder than stock and seemingly all the way to the red-line. Legal speed limits appear very quickly.
The performance in gears 3, 4 and 5 is just brilliant, a wave of torque that goes on and on. Acceleration in 4th and 5th from 50 or 60 is a joy to behold.
It has not lost any driveability for trundling around town but if you need to get a move on you can really "make progress". Overtaking is so much easier. A very progressive map indeed .


Fortunately, this all happened the weekend before Don had organised a rolling road day at Marlin Motor Engineers in Milton Keynes so this would give a chance to see exactly what I had done to the engine.

After the weekends driving the rest of the week was spent trundling to work and back plus a couple of runs to various meetings I needed to go to but no chance to check things out any further. But on the day of the RR it had a good work out on the M6, A50 and M1 plus the wonderful road system of MK. All in all some 400 miles of driving so I guess the engine could be considered "adapted" to my style of driving.

My "butt dyno" had already told me that the performance had similar characteristics to the stock map but pulled better and up to the red-line. The whole experience is very much "as stock" but the speedo winds up a lot, lot quicker than previously to the extent that illegal speeds are achieved much quicker than expected. But the whole experience is so understated, in a very positive way that Mrs H has made no comments at all. If the performance had not been so progressive, I'm damn sure she would have asked questions.


First some detail and then the results of my diseasel run.
V70 D5 (2004), 69k miles on the clock. No previous engine mods.
D5 is the EuIII version. Volvo specs are 163bhp and 340Nm as standard.

Clean air filter (Genuine Volvo convoluted paper) fitted back in August and vac'd out on Friday evening (looked clean enough to me). Standard Volvo exhaust, etc. Running on BP standard diseasel fuel.
Goodyear Excellence 225/40/17's on the front running at 34psi (checked on Friday evening).

Anyway, the graph:


and the figures:


The run was made in 5th gear all the way.

I personally think the results speak for themselves. Thanks to Don and Marco for a fine piece of software engineering. I love it

[p fandango]

glad your happy with it, but can i ask why the dyno-run was done in 5th & not the usual 4th gear?

[RobbieH]

I'm led to believe it was down in 5th. I may be wrong though.

Given my nerves (1st ever RR where I've run a car), I spent most of the run peering through clenched eyes. I did ask around and got the impression the run was in 5th although I didn't actually check (nerves again, I forgot so many questions I wanted to ask ). At the end of the day, whatever gear was used it proves the upgrade and what my rear already told me. This thing goes some

[timbo_1975]

Looks to be a great result.

Econonmy will probably not be affected when driven in your usual manner, it may even improve.

[cornclose]

Enjoy Robbie, if it's anything like my Rica you'll be grinning for some time yet!

[wegal]

Good Choice Robbie, had my stage 2 for a while now and it NEVER ceases to make me grin.

It is nerve wracking doing it yourself though, but the MTE software is good. Just make sure that you have the battery connected to a battery charger when you do the up or downgrade, if the battery dies half way through it really will be a heart stopping moment.

Did you get the monitoring software as well ? so you can drive it and see what the engine is doing /

The MTE stuff is good.

[RobbieH]

Every time I get in the car I've got a silly grin. The guys at work think I'm barking mad, driving Volvo, then a Volvo estate and then a Volvo estate diseasel. And doing the mods I've done .

I made sure the battery was fully charged (brand new one as well) plus I can power it from the main car battery. I only borrowed the softloader from Don so haven't got the MTE diagnostics or logging packages (yet). Might see how the pennies pan out next year. I'm still experimenting with the cheapo fleabay ELM cable plus suitable software from other sources. Seems sufficient at the moment but who knows in the future.

Not sure about long term economy. My right foot seems to have gained weight or grown a lead boot .

Thanks for the positive comments .

[Jaseb77]

nice write up mate and glad your well pleased with the D5,

I reckoned also instantly that after my Rica sports map was applied that the
D5 exhaust tone changed.

[cameron]

Shame you cant get an MTE for your Bike

[RobbieH]

Shame you cant get an MTE for your Bike

Nah, cheaper just to loose some of my winter fat and pedal harder LOL.

Anyway, 1 car = 1 MTE map. Couldn't afford to map all 8 of my bikes (and God forbid MrsH's 5 if she wants to go quickeras well).

[cameron]

You cant be like James and let the Mrs be quicker than you are

He's not looking is he ?

Glad you like the upgrade, glad to see its worthwhile.

Always useful to know when i eventually get an oil burner

[Gouldy]

sounds interesting! good results too. if you dont mind me asking, what is the approx cost of having this work done?

[RobbieH]

sounds interesting! good results too. if you dont mind me asking, what is the approx cost of having this work done?

The exact price I paid is £435 for the map. There was also a fully returnable deposit of £155 for the softloader cable doodad (OBDII to serial cable, Softloader box of tricks, USB A-B cable for linking to laptop).

And I didn't get any discount or favouritism's from Don for this write up in case anyone asks. The price is on the tin and that's it

[Gouldy]

thats a very good price!! and at least your safe in the knowledge that its running a safe mixture

[Pliskin]

Do MTE do a plug and play option?

[RobbieH]

Do MTE do a plug and play option?

Remapping such as practised by the likes of RICA, MTE, BSR and others is not "plug and play" like the alternative "tuning boxes", if that is what you are referring to.

Remapping takes a copy of the software on your ECU (including any software updates you have had done) which is then modified to uprate the performance. This means when the map is loaded back onto the ECU (via a "plug and play" OBDII connection either from a laptop - MTE softloader, or a PPC - RICA, BSR) all the protective systems of the engine system are still in place and operational.

Not something I think the "plug and play" tuning boxes are capable of (AFAIK). If I'm correct they just adjust the fueling (and maybe boost) but basically they are intercepting and altering the signals between ECU and fuelling (injectors, etc). I would not want to take a chance with a more modern engine, such as the D5, and a tuning box. The older Audi lump maybe.

AFAIK, most of the remapping options also allow you use the laptop or PPC to store multiple maps. So you could keep a copy of your standard map for servicing or even have a downrated "service" map plus a copy of the performance map or maps and load / unload as required.

[Piles]

Robbie, you've had the map a while now. Any issues? I've heard intercoolers, intercooler pipes and clutch issues are not uncommon with some (other) maps? How's the MTE, and more importantly, your D5 bearing up?

Cheers fella,

[p fandango]

Robbie, you've had the map a while now. Any issues? I've heard intercoolers, intercooler pipes and clutch issues are not uncommon with some (other) maps? How's the MTE, and more importantly, your D5 bearing up?

intercoolers & DMF (dual mass flywheel) failures are issues even on standard cars, its not related to any remaps which some like to make you believe

[RobbieH]

Robbie, you've had the map a while now. Any issues? I've heard intercoolers, intercooler pipes and clutch issues are not uncommon with some (other) maps? How's the MTE, and more importantly, your D5 bearing up?

Cheers fella,

All 5 of us (MTE, D5, IC, clutch and me) are bearing up well thank you

Still get a silly grin every time I get in the car, except for when MrsH gives me "the look" when I get a bit tooo enthusiastic

To date I've racked up 3000 miles since the remapacross a wide range roads and I can say the map is brilliant. It's still not the vehicle for sprints away from the lights, especially in the damp, it's just too easy to light up the front tyres. Old git in wheelspinning Volvo diseasel gets some amused looks though . But pick your moments and the local chavs are easily suprised

Get it in third gear though, and above, and things definitely start to happen and it will pull to the redline without running out of puff as the stock map did. Overtaking is so much easier on all sorts of roads. It's been amusing to have ar$eholes up my bootlid in the various roadworks around here on the M60/M6/M62 in the 50mph zones and when I get to the end I can simply drop my right foot and just watch them convert into a pin***** in the rear view mirror. No gear changing, no fuss, just a waft of torque that makes the speedo wind up very quick.
And driving "whilst making progress" on other roads in just, erm, so much more enjoyable.

I'm still very very pleased with the map. Well recomended for a D5.


As V70t will attest, even with a standard car it's possible to pop an i/c
http://www.vpcuk.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17123
Touch wood, mines OK but if it does go, then an FMIC conversion would be a probable route.

One added bonus of the remap is that when I can get round to just letting the car cruise, mpg has definitely improved by up to 4mpg. If we go to France this year for hols, that will be a good test, 1800miles cruising at 80-85mph

[cornclose]

Isn't France where intercoolers like to go 'pop' ?