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FCP Euro Service Kits

FCP Euro Kits

HP, CV, HK, CH, KW, and PS are all abbreviated measures of engine output, and without supporting mods or proper preparation they are all meaningless. It's one thing to use speed in a straight line. It's another to do so with the ability to safely control and direct that speed. Many people ask, "How can I get more power cheaply from my turbo Volvo parts?" What no one seems to ask is, how can I better use what power I already have? Brakes, suspension, tires and a stage zero are the four places to start before ever turning a wrench in the name of power.

To go fast you need to stop fast

Stopping the car is always important but becomes even more critical when adding speed and seeking better performance from your Volvo. The Volvo S70 and Volvo V70 weigh approximately 3300-3700 pounds depending on how they are configured, add in one to two people then some luggage and you're pushing over two tons of swedish metal flying down the road. The stock brakes are sufficient for everyday driving, its when heavy repeated use starts that the problems occur. This heating and degradation of the brakes is known as fade. There are a few bolt on ways to combat this type of issue.

Upgraded / New rotors and pads

The first way to get yourself a base performance increase is with upgraded and or new brakes. Having had personal experience with the Zimmerman rotors, I can say they do an excellent job in terms of wear and tear and as they aged they rarely accumulated oxidation from moisture in the air due to their cryogenic treatment. They come in two main variants drilled and the standard solid. The idea of drilling holes through the rotor is to promote better air flow and faster cooling of hot brakes under heavy load. With that in mind the holes can cause some level of increased wear on the pads themselves so keep that in mind when selecting your discs.

There are two size variants on these cars for front discs, 280mm (11") and 302mm (12"). Without measuring you can be sure that if your car has 15" wheels it most certainly has 280mm front discs. My personal 99 Volvo V70R came with the 302mm variant and 16" wheels, if you can find the brackets specific to the rotor size upgrade it is a very easy and quick upgrade to perform. Unfortunately these 302mm brackets are currently not available.

Next is the choice of brake pads, and thankfully you're spoiled for choice here. Some of the best reviewed pads FCP has to offer are the Akebono Euro Ceramic. They are designed to cut down on dust and increase the life of the rotor. Other noteworthy and quality brands, are Textar, PBR, Bosch, and the OEM Volvo variants. Though in my experience, the OEM pad produces an incredible amount of dust.

While you measure your front discs it is always important to check for cracks in the brake hoses. The rubber sleeves will crack over time and should be replaced before failing.

Suspension

Starting, stopping, and turning are all affected by your cars suspension. By renewing your Volvos suspension, you can see a noticeable improvement in both the acceleration and stopping abilities of your car. This my not immediately make sense but consider briefly the movement of you and your car when you hit the gas. The object at rest wants to stay at rest, the forces pulling forward are causing the back to squat and the front to lift. The farther out of line the front and back go the more force needed to bring them back to the proper location and get them going in the right direction. I experienced this first hand, before and after replacing the front struts on my 98 S70. I opted for the Koni Yellow  because adjustability was and is important to me. The soft and firm settings do make a difference in performance with the softest akin to that of a OEM strut, and the firmest was just that. The S70 is also a fairly front heavy car so keeping the engine, transmission, and front axles all in check is a big job. With the new struts there was a substantial decrease in forward lean when stopping and the opposite when accelerating. Proper shock function also plays heavily into proper corning. Hopping or walking out while cornering is caused by worn shocks that are not properly mitigating bumps in the road. Not only is this detrimental to performance it's also rather unsafe.

Tires

All season tires aren't. Proper summer tires will keep the car starting and stopping faster by allowing for maximum grip during the season they were designed for. The relatively small contact surface on your tires are all that contact the ground and should be respected as such. From experience you get what you pay for in the tire world, there are good reasons for costs that vary from $63-$196 per corner on tirerack.com (when looking at 205/55/16 tires for a 99 s70 t5).
Tires are also less effective when near the limits of their wear bars. Most new tires come with 10/32" tread and its time for replacement at or around 3/32".

Stage Zero

Stage zero entails replacement of spark plugs, plug wires, cap & rotor, air filter, engine oil, coolant, possibly the fuel filter, and potentially worn turbo charge pipe hoses. With these internal components uptodate you'll be ready to enjoy your Volvo to its fullest.

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Written by :
Anthony Peacock

Anthony Peacock is a small business owner and Volvo DIY enthusiast. He is an experienced videographer and editor with a long running reputation for owning and promoting Volvo cars and their many excellent qualities.


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