Knowledge, experience, customer support and datalogging.
At VAST we have been tuning Volvos as a hobby for 10 years, and as a profession for 7 years. We have spent literally 1000’s of hours not only tuning, but also re-writing, coding and optimizing the factory engine management for 92-98 Volvos. We have handled the tuning for more than 900 cars in 30+ countries, and have hand built many high performance Volvos over 450WHP.
Off the shelf tunes from other companies, such as IPD, Speedtuning or MTE are very simple remaps, based on the dyno tuning of one or only a few cars, by someone with only a cursory knowledge of M4.4. When you purchase a tune from these companies all you get is an ECU with a bottled tune – there is no support should your car not perform to the advertised goals. When you get a tune from VAST you get access to an in depth diagnostic overview of your car through datalogging, aided by the expertise of someone who has been tuning for years.
Over the course of tuning throughout the years, we’ve realized that there is a huge variability in cars. Two cars with the same modifications on paper can perform drastically differently. While one car might be able to push more than 20psi safely, the other may only be able to make 12psi. With a VAST tune you’ll be able to get the most power from your car that it can safely make – no compromise needs to be made between the ‘aggressiveness’ of the tune and the longevity of the engine.
Datalogging
The main focal point of VAST tuning is datalogging. The datalogging routine implemented into every VAST ECU is a custom, non-stock routine that allows the acquisition of literally any ECU parameter at 20-25 samples a second. Datalogging offers the ability to see knock on a cylinder by cylinder basis, boost, coolant temp, airflow and many more! Please see ‘Available Datalogging Parameters’ for more details about the available datalogging parameters.
Other ‘tuners’ on the market offer ‘datalogging’ via OBDII. For M4.4, OBDII datalogging is functionally useless. The maximum amount of variables that can be logged is only 3, at a meager 1-2 samples a second. Any more variables then this and the sample rate becomes even slower. For a complete explanation of the insufficiencies of OBDII datalogging please see ‘Datalogging, and Why VAST Does It Best‘.
Every Tune is M4.4
Every tune we provide is configured for M4.4. M4.4 stands for Motronic 4.4, which is an incremental upgrade over the M4.3 engine management system on 850s. M4.4 comes stock on x70’s and provides twice the program memory of M4.3, thus allowing the use of higher resolution maps and more complex operating routines. You’ll notice quicker starting and smoother running with a M4.4 over an M4.3 ECU. Other tuners charge an arm and a leg for a M4.4 conversion, we don’t charge anything for the conversion!
Boost By Gear
For manual tunes, VAST offers boost by gear. This means that you can have 4 separate boost maps, an individual boost map for gears 1-3 and a boost map for 4th and 5th gear. Burning out can be fun, but it’s not the fastest way to accelerate. The boost by gear maps are designed to limit the boost to match your available traction.
On the Fly Map Switching
Map switching is a software modification that gives the ability to switch between two different ECU map sets on the fly. Want to run E85 on a track day? VAST offers the ability to switch between the two maps simply by depressing the accelerator pedal before starting the car.
Assistive Troubleshooting
The custom software that comes on a VAST ECU allows for advanced diagnostic testing. OBDII codes typically need a run cycle in order to set. Therefore, a faulty sensor that won’t allow your car to start usually will not trigger an OBDII code. The datalogging routine on a VAST ECU allows you to see 83 error-bits that are set as soon as the ECU realizes there is an error, which is usually instantaneously. This advanced troubleshooting can make diagnosing a no start issue a cinch! Please see ‘VAST’s Advanced Troubleshooting Routine’ for more information.
Check Engine Light Flash During Knock
Arguably one of the most important software additions to the ECU is the ability to alert the driver to detected knock/pre-ignition. A new routine has been coded into the ECU, which will actively flash the check engine light in response to actual, detected knock.
Wideband Datalogging
The ECU’s software on a VAST ECU has been modified to ignore the rear O2. The rear O2 input signal has been re-purposed in software to collect information from a wideband controller. The stock rear O2 sensor outputs a voltage from 0-5v based on oxygen content in the exhaust stream, this 0-5v input is reused as an analog voltage signal input. The majority of modern widebands have a 0-5v analog output channel, which can be simply wired into an old rear O2 sensor. With this modification, the ECU will be able to datalog the wideband AFR in sync with the rest of the datalogging parameters, greatly assisting in proper tuning of the vehicle.
Boost Datalogging
Stock, M4.4 has no way to directly measure the boost level. Every VAST ECU comes with a MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor installed in the ECU. This boost sensor allows the ECU to collect and log the manifold pressure along side the other logged parameters, aiding in tuning.
Low Voltage In-Situ Programming
The ECU you will receive is modified at both the hardware and software level in order to provide datalogging and in-situ programming. The switch on the top of the ECU switches on and off ‘bootloader mode’. In bootloader mode the ECU is ready to receive a new tune file. Unlike the ‘learning’ switch provided on other ECU’s there is no need to connect a battery charger while writing a new tune file. Re-flashing of the ECU can be done at as low 11.8V system voltage!