Volvo XC60 Tuning

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We review and look at XC60 tuning and report on the greatest mods that work. Volvo XC60s make a good tuning project and with carefully chosen sports upgrades you can definitely increase your driving enjoyment.

A very practical and well designed SUV the XC60 has wide appeal and is versatile enough to fulfil all your car needs.

The XC60 is popular among our members for tuning projects With the right mods your XC60 can be transformed into an awesome motor. Don't waste money, do your homework and follow our unbiased guides to each performance upgrade to avoid wasting money.

The XC60 is a good project car to carry out. Think carefully and research XC60 tuning to save yourself making the usual disastrous slip ups we typically .

Turning our attention to the engine we need to get a bit more power out of the top end.

Smaller engines do not provide much of a return in terms of power so start with a bigger engine. Engine swaps are a good option if you have a small engine size.

Tuning modifications.

These mods motorsport upgrades are usually carried out by our members, decide how far you want to push your car before you get going.

Getting the correct grade of motorsport upgrade kits for your planned usage of the car is essential. Stage 3 (competition) mods just don't work well on the road hard to control in slow traffic.

Please watch TorqueCars Video tutorial on car tuning. And be sure to subscribe and support our new channel.

Stages of Tune

Stage 1 mods: Suspension upgrade (drop 30-40mm), Panel air filter, Lighter flywheel, Sports exhaust, Alloy wheels, Remap.

Stage 2 mods: Ported and polished head, high flow fuel injector, Power/Sport clutch, Fast road cam, fuel pump upgrades.

Stage 3 mods: Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), Engine balancing, Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Competition cam, Sports gearbox.

You really need to keep as much low end torque as you can and aim to achieve a wide power band across the rev range rather than a narrow top end power hike.

The engine range for the XC60 was quite expansive.

• 2009–2010 B6304T2 285 PS (210 kW; 281 hp) @5600 400Nm(295 lbft) @1500–4800 2,953 cc (180.2 in3)
• 2010–2011 B4204T6 203 PS (149 kW; 200 hp) @6000 300 Nm (221 lbft) @1750–4000 1,999 cc (122.0 in3)
• 2010–2010 B6324S[20] 238 PS (175 kW; 235 hp) @6200 320 Nm (236 lbft) @3200 3,192 cc (194.8 in3)
• 2011–2014 B6324S5 243 PS (179 kW; 240 hp) 320 Nm (236 lbft) @3200 3,192 cc (194.8 in3)
• 2011–2015 B6304T4[23] 304 PS (224 kW; 300 hp) @5600 440 Nm (325 lbft) @2100–4200 2,953 cc (180.2 in3)
• 2011–2016 B6304T4[24] 329 PS (242 kW; 324 hp)[25] @5600 487 Nm (359 lbft) @2100–4200 2,953 cc (180.2 in3)
• 2012–2013 B4204T7 240 PS (177 kW; 237 hp) @5500 320 Nm (236 lbft) @1800–5000 1,999 cc (122.0 in3)
• 2014–2017 B4204T11 245 PS (180 kW; 242 hp) @5500 350 Nm (258 lbft) @1500–4800 1,969 cc (120.2 in3)
• 2014–2017 B4204T9 306 PS (225 kW; 302 hp) @5700 400 Nm (295 lbft) @2100–4500 1,969 cc (120.2 in3)
• 2015–2016 B5254T12 254 PS (187 kW; 251 hp) @5500 360 Nm (266 lbft) @1800–4200 2,497 cc (152.4 in3)
• 2012–2015 D4162T 115 PS (85 kW; 113 hp) 270Nm(199 lbft) @1750–2500 1,560 cc (95.2 in3)
• 2012–2015 D5204T6  150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp) 350Nm(258 lbft) @1500–2750 1,984 cc (121.1 in3)
• 2012–2015 D5204T4  177 PS (130 kW; 175 hp) 400Nm(295 lbft) @1750–2750 1,984 cc (121.1 in3)
• 2015–2019 D4204T8  121 PS (89 kW; 119 hp) 280Nm(207 lbft) @1500–2250 1,969 cc (120.2 in3)
• 2015–2019 D4204T9  152 PS (112 kW; 150 hp) 320Nm(236 lbft) @1750–3000 1,969 cc (120.2 in3)
• 2015–2019 D4204T14  192 PS (141 kW; 189 hp) 400Nm(295 lbft) @1750–2500 1,969 cc (120.2 in3)

Diesel Engines

• 2009 D5244T4 185 PS (136 kW; 182 hp) @4000 400Nm(295 lbft) @2000–2750 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)
• 2009 D5244T5 163 PS (120 kW; 161 hp) @4000 340 Nm (251 lbft) @1750–2750 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)
• 2010–2011 D5244T10 205 PS (151 kW; 202 hp) @4000 420 Nm (310 lbft) @1500–3250 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)
• 2010–2010 D5244T14 175 PS (129 kW; 173 hp) @3000–4000 420 Nm (310 lbft) @1500–2750 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)
• 2010–2011 D5244T16 163 PS (120 kW; 161 hp) @4000 420 Nm (310 lbft) @1750–3000 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)
• 2011–2011 D5204T2[23] 163 PS (120 kW; 161 hp) @3000 400 Nm (295 lbft) @1400–2850 1,984 cc (121.1 in3)
• 2012–2015 D5204T3 163 PS (120 kW; 161 hp) @3500 400 Nm (295 lbft) @1500–2760 1,984 cc (121.1 in3)
• 2012–2015 D5244T11 215 PS (158 kW; 212 hp) @4000 420 Nm (310 lbft) @1500–3250 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)
• 2012–2017 D5244T17 163 PS (120 kW; 161 hp) @4000 420 Nm (310 lbft) @1500–3250 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)
• 2012–2015 D5244T15 215 PS (158 kW; 212 hp) @4000 440 Nm (325 lbft) @1500–3000 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)
• 2012–2015 D5204T7 136 PS (100 kW; 134 hp) @3500 350 Nm (258 lbft) @1500–2250 1,984 cc (121.1 in3)
• 2014–2015 D4204T5 181 PS (133 kW; 179 hp) @4250 400 Nm (295 lbft) @1740–3250 1,969 cc (120.2 in3)
• 2014–2014 D5244T12 181 PS (133 kW; 179 hp) @4000 420 Nm (310 lbft) @1500–2500 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)
• 2016–2017 D4204T4 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp) @4250 350 Nm (258 lbft) @1500–2520 1,969 cc (120.2 in3)
• 2014–2017 D4204T14 190 PS (140 kW; 187 hp) @4250 400 Nm (295 lbft) @1740–3250 1,969 cc (120.2 in3)
• 2016–2017 D5244T21 190 PS (140 kW; 187 hp) @4000 420Nm(310 lbft) @1500–3000 (manual)
• 2016–2017 D5244T21 190 PS440Nm(325 lbft) @1500–2760 (automatic) 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)
• 2016–2017 D5244T22 220 PS (162 kW; 217 hp) @4000 420 Nm (310 lbft) @1500–3480 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)
• 2016–2017 D5244T20 220 PS (162 kW; 217 hp) @4000 440 Nm (325 lbft) @1500–3000 2,400 cc (146.5 in3)

The whole aim of our guides is to give a starting base of modding upgrades and point you in the right direction, our forum is the place to go for detailed advice and tips on your modified car project, the best uprated modifications and all aspects of modding cars.Fast road cams offer one of the biggest power gains for your money as far as a single uprated modifications goes on a NASP engine.

The exhaust & intake flow play a large part in your cars power band, but be careful here, getting this wrong can upset the idle and make the car difficult to drive in traffic. You'd need to follow a camshaft upgrade with other mods and finish with a remap to fully release the power gain.

When pushing up the power you will need to increase to the fuelling. More power needs more fuel.

Most power losses, and erratic idling after performance modifications are done can usually be traced to timing or fuel delivery issues.Uprated injectors will enable you to supply sufficient fuel to the engine.

Uprate the fuel pump to cope with the extra fuel requirements of your tuned XC60s uprated injectors.

Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

The next area for modification is the intake and exhaust. Induction kits only help to increase performance if the air intake is struggling! Adding an induction kit to most standard engines will see NONE OF A LOW END POWER GAIN AT ALL. If you have heavily modified your engine and it's need for air INCREASES DRAMATICALLY then an induction kit is the answer and will help remove this restriction.

Maximum power gains come from a full induction kit with a cold air feed on heavily tuned engines, this can be sited within an air box but a panel filter should suffice for most applications. TorqueCars suggest you use a panel air filter as these are easy to clean and maintain and generally perform better than paper ones.

Do not go with the biggest exhaust you can find this will slow up the exhaust flow rate - the best exhausts for power gains are usually between 1.5 to 2.5 inches. It is the shape and material more than the bore size.

Airflow through the head can be dramatically increased with some professional flowed (porting and polishing). These should match and be setup to take into account any other engine mods. Your clutch can slip as you increase the power if it starts to complain and the standard clutches are only ever good for power gains of up to 46%. Fit a sports clutch to avoid power loss through the transmission. The best mods in our opinion for your XC60 are fast road camshaft, remap, induction and exhaust, suspension.

NASP engines do not achieve big power gains if you remap them, unless you have done extensive modifications. With turbocharged engines this is another story. A remapped turbo will give large power gains and fully release the potential power of the engine. Despite the large cost involved adding forced induction to a NASP engine will give large power gains. Superchargers are often easier to add than a turbo. It is harder to map a turbo as the boost comes on exponentially with revs.

Superchargers, however will give a boost which is directly proportional to engine speed so is simpler. Alternatively you could fit water injection to reduce the risk of knock.

Handling/Suspension upgrades

Improving the handling for car owners first priority in your XC60 tuning project.

Good suspension tweaks that dramatically improve handling for the XC60 include a couple of degrees negative camber and 1-1.5 degrees of toe out on the front wheels.

Drop the car by as much as 25mm - 36 mm and fit sports stiffer dampers, bigger drops will need other modifications in most instances.

Alloy wheel upgrades.

Alloy wheels can help the brake cooling and are generally less heavy than steel ones. Pay attention to your choice of tyres (tyres) for your car, a good directional tread pattern tyre can really enhance your cars handling. Please note that although they can look cool on the XC60 large alloys will actually decrease your performance. The larger you go the lower your acceleration will be - this to the change in your effective final drive ratio.

Because of this we would advise sticking to a maximum wheel size of 17 inches, although we know some of our members have installed larger rims with no problems other than a harsher ride, vibrations and tramlining on the 18's.

There is a more updated version of this Volvo XC60 Tuning article on TorqueCars.com.

For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss XC60 options in more detail with our XC60 owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Volvo tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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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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