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T5 vs T6...

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aka-Turbo

aka-Turbo

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Dec 10, 2008
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Citrus Heights, CA
T5 vs T6 vs SI6!

What's the difference in power output between these engines? You know, with bigger turbo, stand-alone management, etc... I'm fairly new to Volvo but like any other car I've owned, there will definately be a swap in my future... Basically wondering if the T6 is worth the headache of making room for the extra cylinder or not.
 
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each of the choices has its pros and cons.

factory manifold choice is better for the t5.
but you need to modify the 960 oilpan for clearance.

Factory manifolds for a t6 aren't as versatile.
The 960 oilpan should bolt on without need for modification.
 
Good to know on the oil pan deal, thanks... Manifolds shouldn't be a problem, I'm pretty handy with a welder. Anyone done enough on these to be able to reliably give me numbers? Would really like to shoot for something in the 500hp range.
 
With h-beam rods, 500hp is achievable on an otherwise stock T5 longblock (probably won't be super reliable though). The general consensus is that 100hp per cylinder is doable on stock pistons and stock ports. I would get forged pistons for a 500hp goal with a 5, but with a 6 you should be perfectly fine with the stockers.

I would recommend the T6. It takes much less work to install, the EMS issue is greatly simplified, you have more displacement, and it's just such a smooth motor. The 5 pots are also pretty damn smooth, but they're like redblocks compared to the sixes.

Ben, what's your reasoning behind the manifolding issues for a 6? The newer ME7 manifolds are basically identical.
 
aka-Turbo said:
Good to know on the oil pan deal, thanks... Manifolds shouldn't be a problem, I'm pretty handy with a welder. Anyone done enough on these to be able to reliably give me numbers? Would really like to shoot for something in the 500hp range.
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For a 5 cylinder you will need stronger rods, some say that the t6 hardware is pretty strong but a stronger rod couldn't hurt with those numbers. Alot of people think that the stock pistons are pretty decent, but forged wouldn't be a bad idea.

The head design is pretty good but you can get a nice improvement in flow by doing some porting on the heads and smoothing out the passages.

The 6 cylinder isn't that much longer then the b230f motor so physically packaging it shouldn't be a big deal
 
Has anyone tried to use an standalone EMS to control the variable cam timing on the T6 head?
 
Karl Buchka said:
Ben, what's your reasoning behind the manifolding issues for a 6? The newer ME7 manifolds are basically identical.
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I think the ME7 intake for the 6 is actually pretty decent and could easily be made to work I guess my main concern would be the exhaust manifold.

The 5 cylinder motors have the option of running "R" manifolds which i think most of the turbo cars got post 2004? I thought the 6 cylinder manifolds have integrated exhaust housing turbos, right? Its definitely been a while since i have seen them so I definitely could be wrong.

Other issue is you want to just run one larger turbo, i don't think volvo made a manifold for that. Obviously someone could make their own manifold but we can't assume everyone has that option in their skillset
 
MrDoug said:
Has anyone tried to use an standalone EMS to control the variable cam timing on the T6 head?
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yes.

i control the cam using the second injector bank in megasquirt, so it is tuned as the fuel is with a "ve" table
 
blkaplan said:
I thought the 6 cylinder manifolds have integrated exhaust housing turbos, right?
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some did, not the 1999 though.
unfortunately they still suck.
uglyass tiny flanges and ports, nearly log manifolds ... but better than nothing i guess, bmw headers are a damned close match though (identical ports,just the bolt holes need moving), so ebay has some very cheap options - good as a temporary fix
 
kildea said:
some did, not the 1999 though.
unfortunately they still suck.
uglyass tiny flanges and ports, nearly log manifolds ... but better than nothing i guess, bmw headers are a damned close match though (identical ports,just the bolt holes need moving), so ebay has some very cheap options - good as a temporary fix
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yea, i guess there are some factory options but they aren't any where as good as the factory options for the 5 cylinder cars. The plumbing for intercooler and exhaust will be more difficult if you running 2 turbos on a 6 versus 1 on a 5.
 
blkaplan said:
yea, i guess there are some factory options but they aren't any where as good as the factory options for the 5 cylinder cars. The plumbing for intercooler and exhaust will be more difficult if you running 2 turbos on a 6 versus 1 on a 5.
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yeah two turbos is just silly, i used just one on mine.
edit: it's not a factory option, all of the t6's came with manifolds and turbos for the first couple of years, they then went to the integrated jobby eventually.
if you are swapping it anyways it seems silly not to go to a single turbo, and though the bmw headers are not uber fancy they work well enough to break traction when it maybe shouldn't.
the packaging is a pain in the ass with the stock t6 turbos also because the front one gets in the way of the 960 engine mount.

if you are going to do it though the t6 is simpler and produces a ridiculous amount of torque, it's pretty shocking really.
 
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Rockmonton said:
yeah, that and i guess some of the mounting bosses aren't drilled but still...
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the mounting bosses are the least of the worries of course, they have pilot holes anyways so drilling them is cake.

so, yeah, you are right to wonder - maybe it's that the early engines are easier to find in a junk yard :e-shrug:
 
true. i'll know more when it warms up a bit. i've got a 2004 and a 1998 both sitting in the garage, we'll see how things go with mocking it up to the 960 mounts and such.
 
Rockmonton said:
true. i'll know more when it warms up a bit. i've got a 2004 and a 1998 both sitting in the garage, we'll see how things go with mocking it up to the 960 mounts and such.
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does the 2004 have vvt on the intake side?

:-D

it would be just plain crazy not to use it in that case, you want the torque at the bottom and the vvt should help you get it ... the engine mounts are a few hours of work regardless of bosses and whatnot, my t6 bosses needed drilling but it is nothing and there should be pilot holes there anyways ...
 
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