ECU tuning.


The BSR PPC "R" tuning.

A very nice solution for those who want to have control over the state of tuning of their R.
The tuning itself is very easy. Connect the PPC device to the OBD-II diagnostics port and push a button. After 2 minutes the tuning is complete. To reverse the tuning the same procedure must be used. The PPC will recognize if the car is tuned and will ask for tuning reveral. Again one push of a button is all there is to it.

The result...

Well... Ordering the PPC with the promise of a 54 engine HP and 93 Nm torque gain the result is disappointing. The PPC software will bring the R to a level which "should have been" from factory. Some people may have noticed that I am one of those who strongly believe that the stock R is not producing the power Volvo says it has and I already did all kinds of tests to get a confirmation about this opinion.

UPDATE! November 3 I received a newer software version which seems to behave a lot better. The engine power delivery is very smooth and feeling strong. I didn't have the time to test the software but the "butt" tells me that it is fun. Still not the gain BSR is claiming but the R feels alive and the exhaust tells you the horses are at work. Several timing tests showed the overall performance is the same as the previous version but there is better stronger low end behavior and smoother midrange power delivery. After shifting the power comes on very strong without any kind of hesitation. Tuesday November 4 I had the chance to test the R (Movie DivX 10 Mb) at a Volvo organized driving event. There were also RICA tuned R's present and comparison showed that the BSR version was a little slower off the line but performing nearly the same at higher revs.

My advice, First I want to say that I think the R stock setup doesn't leave very much room for huge power gains. This is also why I believe the BSR and also the SCT power claims are way overrated. My believe is solely based on measurements and testing done with the KKK which doesn't show to be the killer turbo app some people want us to believe it is. I even doubt if it is any stronger compared to the Mitsubishi TD04HL-19T. The KKK has better efficiency but this only shows at mid RPM up to approximately 6000 RPM. I think the maximum gain under ideal circumstances with a stock setup will not exceed 30-35 HP and maybe even less. Also the ambient temperatures are a huge factor in the R's power behavior and a lot of people have experienced this first hand already. The R performs unrealisticly better below 6-8º C and even so much better that it almost equals the performce of the tuning at higher temperatures. Acceleration tests showed that the R in stock setup performed nearly 2 seconds fatser at 4ºC between 100 km/h and 200 km/h compared to the same setup at 13ºC. At 4ºC the stock setup was as fast as the BSR setup at 13ºC. Dyno tests showed the R engine producing a whopping 14 HP more when cold (But still not reaching the torque spec!). This doesn't mean the BSR-PPC isn't any fun the way it is now. In any case it takes away the sluggishness of the R at higher RPM. The update also makes the "Sport" setting behave in a much more sportive fashion instead of the "Advanced only" sportive throttle behavior with the stock setup. The BSR-PPC is fun!
UPDATE2! November 20th I had the BSR software tested. One thing for sure and that is that it isn't coming close to the 495Nm and 353 HP advertised. The power feels good like mentioned above, probably some ignition advance and better spool up but there's nearly no gain in raw power figures.
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