Rica remap?

The economy excuse is best used as justification to the 'other half' that what you are considering is sensible. lol I'm averaging 40mpg with the Rica Sport map, I was at 44 with the standard Rica map, but I do have a manual and no AWD. Your auto and AWD will be to the detriment of MPG but the difference in the performance will be considerable. As long as you service your car regularly and look after it there are no draw backs I can see to having a car re-mapped. Re-maps are visible if someone is looking for it so remember to inform your insurance company as the increase in premium can be very small. Best to call them before you do it just to make sure they don't take the mick. If they do wait to renewal time and phone around. If you are interested in the 'sport map' as far as I know it is only available from Volvo Tuning (HLM, Bromsgrove).

Volvo have to build into the standard maps large tolerances for poor quality fuel, lack of servicing, driver abuse, poor quality parts etc etc etc. As long as the car is in good condition, looked after properly and you show a bit of mechanical sympathy there shouldn't be a downside to an off the shelf remap from a reputable company. I have chosen to change the oil more frequently on my remapped car but then she's done nearly 170k. With a geartronic or auto I'd be thinking carefully about changing the transmission fluid depending on it's condition as there's going to be significantly more grunt going through the gearbox. Cheers, John

Rica remap 

Thanks for the input, re the remaps. I'll have to look into the insurance aspects. Regarding the gearbox oil I have had conflicting advice from my two nearest Volvo dealers; one suggesting I should have the oil changed at the 48k service and the other saying i should leave well alone until 80-100k. Also what effect does the extra torque have on other components such as engine mounts? I've seen that you can stiffen up the strut. Is it worth it? Thanks again, Matthew