Tuning the Volvo B200

"Comprehensive guide to performance tuning the Volvo B200 engine!"

We are frequently getting messages about the premier B200 modifications. So let us look into Volvo B200 modifications and outline the best mods that work on this great engine and point out some potential pitfalls along the way.

In this article we detail the best approach to B200 tuning and outline the premier upgrades. Volvo B200 are fantastic to work on and with the best performance mods like remaps, turbo kits and camshafts you will greatly increase your driving enjoyment.

The greatest B200 tuning parts on an engine are obviously the ones that give the best power gain for you spend.

We won't be swayed by popular B200 tuning parts, they need to be cost effective.

Significant gains on the B200 can be made from cam upgrades. Altering the cam profile alters the intake and exhaust durations on the engine and can dramatically change the bhp and power output.

NB: Fast road cams usually raise the performance across the rev band, you could sacrifice a little low down bhp but the top end will be better.

Motorsport and race cams, raise the top end band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

A Race camshaft won't do well if driving in heavy traffic.

You should ideally optimize your torque band to your preferences so for a car used daily stick with a mild fast road B200 camshaft

Each engine responds better to different cam durations so set your engine up on a rolling road.

The map and fuel pump and injectors also will say much on the torque gains you'll get.

Altering valve durations can alter the torque band and on most engines the exhaust and intake durations do not need to match, although most cams and tuners use matched pairs there are some advantages to extending the intake or exhaust durations.

B200 Tuning Stages

Stage 1 B200 modifications: Fast road camshaft, Intake headers, Panel air filters, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Sports exhaust manifold, Remaps/piggy back ECU.

Stage 2 B200 modifications: Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, Fast road cam, fuel pump upgrades, induction kit, high flow fuel injectors, Ported and polished head.

Stage 3 B200 modifications: Engine balancing & blueprinting, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Competition cam, Twin charging conversions, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression.

ECU flashing helps release the full potential of all the tuning mods you've done to your B200.

It will usually give around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and you can expect to see around 15% on NASP engines, but your results often rely on the tuning mods you've carried out and the condition of your engine.

It is the main goal to any tuning project to get air into the B200 engine

Intake headers take the air during the suck phase from the air filter and allow it to be drawn into the engine cylinders.

The shape and flow rate of the Intake manifold can make a noticeable change to fuel atomisation and engine efficiency on the B200.

Most intake manifold are begging for performance upgrades, although a few manufacturers provide decently flowing intake manifold.

Adding a B200 larger valve kit, doing a bit of port work and head flowing will also raise bhp and torque, this will afford you raising the bhp and torque increase on other parts.

Turbo upgrades for the B200

NASP engines need quite a lot of work when you add a turbo, so we have a separate guide to help you take into account the pros and cons of going this route on your B200

The more air you can get into an engine, the more fuel it can burn and uprating the induction with a turbocharger upgrade makes impressive power gains.

When an engine is fitted with a turbo modifications are relatively easy and most turbo charged engines will have stronger components.

There are common areas of failure for every engine, with some being extremely strong and some only just able to handle stock power

Discover these restrictions and upgrade to better pistons and crank to utilize the power.

We see many drivers spending a a stack of money on turbo upgrades on the B200 only to have the whole thing literally blow up soon after it's finished.

Bigger upgraded turbochargers commonly suffer low end lag, and little turbochargers spool up much more quickly but don't have the peak end power band gains.

We are pleased that the range of turbo units is always increasing and we commonly find variable vane turbo units, permitting the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end bhp and torque.

Twin scroll turbo units divert the exhaust flow into two channels and push these at differently angled vanes in the turbo. They also help the scavenging effect of the engine.

You'll commonly see there is a limitation in the air flow sensor AFM/MAP on the B200 when considerably more air is being pulled into the engine.

We see 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor was restricting bhp at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger or additional turbo will make large bhp gains, although more complex to setup. We have this guide to twinchargers if you want to read more.

Uprating B200 fuel injectors

You will need to ensure that the engine is not starved of fuel so will need to increase the fuelling when you start extending past 20% of a torque increase.It is important to be generous with your injectors flow rate.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% capacity when fitting an injector, helps cope with injector deterioration and affords a little spare capacity should the engine need more fuel.

We think this one is common sense, but you'll need to match your fuel injector to the type of fuel your car uses as well.

Best B200 performance exhausts

You should look to boost your exhaust if your exhaust is actually causing a restriction.

On most factory exhausts you should find that the exhaust flow rate is still good even on modest power gains, but when you start pushing up the power levels you will need to get a better flowing exhaust.

Sports exhausts can help equal out the flow of air through the engine.

But if the exhaust is too big, ie: over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose a great deal of the exhaust flow rate and end up lacking power and torque.

Typically exhaust restrictions can be traced to the catalyst and filters installed, so adding a higher flowing race alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the B200

The B200 engines, if regularly serviced and maintained, are generally very reliable and have few issues.

Regular oil changes are vital on the B200, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your B200 engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our B200 owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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We really like hearing from our readers, and hearing about which mods were the most effective for them, it helps us improve our recommendations and articles to reflect current trends in modifications and ensures that our B200 guides and tips are kept up to date.

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This article is flagged for an update, so please pass on specific tips below that I can include. All articles, and content was written by me, Waynne Smith TorqueCars founder. Some outlines are just too general so I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Volvo. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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