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I've been reading a lot of posts lately about people complaining about their non-turbo 240/740/940's lack of performance. There have been suggestions about aftermarket cams, exhausts, and whatnot. These modifications no doubt yield more power, but are often expensive and time consuming.
I want to suggest a way to get more power out of your brick that doesn't require any money or modification to the engine or other systems. This really only applies if you have a stick (m46/m47). I don't mean to be flippant, but...learn where the shiftpoints are! Most U.S. Volvos are geared insanely high. My '86 is equipped with a 3.31:1 final drive ratio, which allows me to cruise on the interstate at a relatively low engine speed (~2500rpm@70mph). Volvo probably did this to up fuel economy, reduce engine wear and tear and cabin noise. But the "side effect" of this gearing is that the car is a slug off the line.
If one looks at the specs for the B23/230 engines, one finds that they don't make peak torque until almost 2800rpm. I believe that the b230f is rated at 136 lb.-ft. @ 2750rpm. Insufficient low end torque is an inherent problem of small displacement motors, and the tall gearing means that the motor is often running below or "outside" of the powerband. After installing a tach in my '86, I discovered why the wagon was so miserably slow: I had been shifting at around 2200-2300rpm. I also discovered that the motor pulls very strong between 2500 and 4500rpm.
So now I let her rev to at least 3000rpm before I upshift, and when I need to overtake another vehicle, I simply downshift. I have found that this makes passing on even a two-lane road a less dramatic and stressful event. I've had 3rd gear up to 60mph, at an indicated 4000rpm, and it still pulls hard. Most people wouldn't do this, because the engine makes an incredibly annoying degree of noise above 3000, but the car seems to handle it just fine.
So, that is my "idea for the day." I'm sure that I'll be flamed by some people who disagree, but, hey, whatever...
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