A work in progress.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by euromodder

Idle @ 14.5 kPa
Max. I've seen was just over 33 kPa (going up an incline).
Min. 11.5 kPa (engine braking)

I'm suprised it went down, we don't get a vacumn in a Diesel - no throttle. Mine is 14.8 at idle which is normal atmo pressure at sea level (I'm by the coast). No idea about max.

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

Don't expect IGN in a diesel!! I also don't get LP, TFC or FPR either. I'll have to see if I have TPS.

I have IGN (TDI ) and TPS.

*Does little dance.

But I have no idea what it means

Also have LOD but it seems random, as I tapped. Apparently full chat in 3rd overtaking only gets 75, but pottering along behind a truck gets 55.

[euromodder]

I've made good use of the EM downtime

Took the grill off yesterday evening, and slapped together my quick & dirty proof-of-concept grill block using black tape.
It goes a bit further than the 70% Volvo DrivE grill block, but still lets through some air to get to the battery and into the engine compartment as the intercooler is on that side as well.

Time to take it out for a test drive, the weather is rather hot again after a cool spell - we're back to 26-28° C, more than 10°C more than earlier this week.


If it works well, I'll make a more aesthetically pleasing permanent block.

[euromodder]

Though I've always seen Volvo's brochures claim a 1375 kg weight for my car - including a 75 kg driver and fuel - the official weight on its registration papers says 1408 kg.

Official weight here means ready to roll, all fluids filled up.

As I had it weighed at an official testing station, they can't but add the weight of the fuel when the tank is near empty (as mine was, trying to go over 1000km)

The result is that it weighs 1410 kg with a full tank, so it's still very near its official weight despite the 25+ kg of stock items I had already taken out, without a driver inside

[euromodder]

I just got back from testing the grill block - over 150km or nearly 100 miles.

I've tested it mostly at 100, with stints up to 110 and 120 kph to see if these speeds caused a rise in coolant temperature.
3 flat-out acceleration tests to 120 kph were done on the on-ramp of the motorway, 2 of these uphill.

• Warm-up is obviously quicker - even in summer (ambient temp. 25C / 77F), should be even better in winter.
• Coolant temperature is up by only 3 to 4 C (80 -> 83/84C)
• Max. temp. is up by only 2 C according to the ScanGauge2 (83C to 85C)
• No difference is to be seen on the car's temperature gauge.
• Feels like its accelerating quicker, smoother.
• Butt feeling is it coast further, with less aero braking @ higher speed.
• But most importantly, it's definitely reducing fuel consumption !
  1. I've run my normal commute, and FC is lower everywhere.
  2. Previous lows are now the regular thing, while the new lows are pretty stunning - to me anyway
  3. The reductions seen are between 0.3 and 0.5 L/100km less - that's HUGE !
  4. Despite the testing at higher speeds, quicker accelerations, and rather intense traffic, the car's FE indicator dropped from 4.4L/100km down to 4.2L/100km (ScanGauge is still being calibrated), which was usually hard to do but now went without any effort !

Took the car to the DIY carwash afterwards, and it doesn't look like the black tape mod is going to hold up well in wet conditions.
I'll have to make it permanent rather quickly.


I've also debadged the rear of the car.
Soaked the badges overnight with WD40, and got them off using flossing wire. All that remains now is a bit of goo

[Weather Spotter]

looks good! the testing sounds about right from what I have seen with mine.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by euromodder

I've tested it mostly at 100, with stints up to 110 and 120 kph to see if these speeds caused a rise in coolant temperature.
3 flat-out acceleration tests to 120 kph were done on the on-ramp of the motorway, 2 of these uphill.

Hill climbing will almost always raise the temperatures more than speeding, especially with a heavy car. But the best way to raise your temps is a traffic jam on a hot day...

[euromodder]

Bummer
2 traffic jams and 3 days of heavy rain and wind have ruined a tank which looked very promising for the first 250 km.

Despite the grill block, I've only managed 49.1 mpg (4.79 L/100km) .
Oh well, 2 months ago I'd have been quite happy with that

Tyre pressure has been increased to 3 bar (43.5 psi) for a long trip tomorrow.

[Arragonis]

Good luck with the trip, not bad figures for the heavy car. Must get my block done - it is done but not attached as I now have some rust to deal with before the snow and rocksalt come back...

[euromodder]

Well, the trip has set a new record, but not by as much as I'd hoped for.

I ended up at 4.49 L/100km or 52.3 mpg while the car's FE indicator was showing a solid 4.0 L/100km or 58.8 mpg for the last 100 miles.
That's double its usual error.

Around 107 miles were done on the old wheels and tyres @ 3 bar / 43.5 psi.

The remaining 440 miles were on Volvo (DRIVe) Libra 16" rims and new Michelin Energy Saver tyres with unknown pressure (probably 36psi)
They will be inflated to 43.5 psi when cold.


The old rims and tyres went in the boot - a lot of weight !
I've also picked up a used 5th rim that'll serve as a full-size spare on longer trips - adding even more weight.

In Germany, you need a Feinstaubplakette to get into the Umweltzones (vehicle emission control zones), so I got me a green sticker while I was near a TÜV test facility.

[euromodder]

I've also found out that hypermiling at 100 kph / 62 mph is not easy on the German Autobahn