Is the polestar upgrade on d5 worth it ?

morgan wroteWill a polestar upgrade on 2007 xc90 d5 improve the performance from stand still ? It's great when up and about but hesitant off the mark which can be quite frustrating when pulling out at intersections and nothing happens for the first 1/2 a second , also what is a Volvo dealer likely to charge ?

Tunes not from volvo work better on an 07 than the volvo tune, that said... cant make but about 15% extra power without killing the trans...

Polestar tune on the D5 is nice but it will absolutely not fix the hesitation you speak of. Alex is 100% correct, it is just the characteristic of the vehicle.

I noticed it at first but my driving style changed slightly to make up for it. It is not a concern at all.

Sounds like an issue of the vehicle mass, because the D5 in my V50 has absolutely no hesitation, in fact will squirm and chirp the wheels off the line if you floor it. To overcome high mass you probably need a major upgrade and it sounds like the box won't handle it.

No tune will fix that hesitation from standstill, they will improve your midrange power but don't push for a peak number as that is what can damage a gearbox. Quality flash tunes (such as Polestar) will work within set safety limits to prevent any damage, poor flash tunes remove many of these limiters. Piggy back tunes just add fuel (and sometimes boost) by tricking the ECU into thinking it hasn't delivered enough fuel.

On the latest generation D5 diesels they now have a compressed air tank to dump air into the exhaust on take off as an environmentally friendly "antilag".....cool stuff :) https://youtube.com/watch?v=IDpsR3LDnMk

Hesitation is probably the wrong word.

It is more a slight delay between first touch of the pedal and the vehicle starting to move when compared to a petrol engine. It still has ample power.

Every D5 I have driven does it.

Does it feel like the engine revs haven't changed at all or that there is an insufficient increase in power (turbo lag)?

Does bigger exhaust help them for free flow?

I know what you mean @Rob but have only experienced this on other diesels. The original Captiva diesel you could go and make a cup of coffee while waiting for takeoff, my old Octavia had a bit but not much due to the DSG taking up the slack quickly. But, as I said, there is no perceptible lag in my V50 D5 - it just goes hard off the line like a good petrol car.

The hesitation/delay reminds me of our (petrol) Passat with the auto stop/start feature. It can switch the car off before you come to a complete stop at times making it hesitate while it restarts on take off. This can be annoying when approaching an intersection, pulling out into gaps in traffic and turning right through traffic. Fortunately in comparison to diesels this can be turned off each time you get in the car.

AlexS;97130 wroteDoes it feel like the engine revs haven't changed at all or that there is an insufficient increase in power (turbo lag)?

If its like Mike's car. Its better than an automatic truck, the only way to go around it is to brake and accelerate at the same time, slight load on the box to allow takeoff instantly.

It feels like no engine revs change. It is because they haven't as the engine hasn't seen any fuel as diesels don't use a throttle body and control the air going in. Just the fuel.

I wonder what if the Aisin Warner gearbox is partly to blame for the initial dead pan response.
Wouldn't surprise me if the electronics needs to wait for numerous parmeters to be met before deciding its finally Ok to open a valve and let you go.

After experiencing the near perfect PDK 7 speed gearbox used exclusively by Porsche and the ZF 8 speed used by Jaguar and others (no lag with diesel), the AW is not the best choice Volvo could have made.

Like I keep saying my V50 D5 has no lag. It has the auto box. It's a mass issue

Chris;97283 wroteLike I keep saying my V50 D5 has no lag. It has the auto box. It's a mass issue

I think its just overcoming the inertia - it is nearly 2 tonne after all.
I recall noticing this lag with a T5 as well when first test driving one. You do adjust your driving style and anticipate / plan maneuverer differently. The trans may learn differently if you have a heavy right foot. I don't notice it anymore at low speed (only when it gets breathless overtaking).

morgan;97280 wroteSo @Philia_Bear , who would you recommend for the tune ? Also pm me your address and I'll post wheel on Friday

http://www.rica.nl

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