which T5 is best
 

as a former 850 T5 owner, I have an urge to buy another T5 variant.

a couple of simple questions for you;

1. Been looking at 850 T5, 850 T5R, 850R, V70 T5 & V70R.
Which is the most powerful?
Which has the best engine?
Which would you recommend?

Thanks in anticipation

It has to be the post 2006 V70 T5 265 bhp and a considerable boost in performance and refinment to what you are used to with probably similar or better fuel consumption .
If you are sticking to the 850 based cars the latest V70 R is the one to have with the twin tail pipes and vented rear disc brakes , that is 265 bhp too .

Stick to pre me7 cars, so pre '98, throttle cables are much better.

If you want refinement, got for a V70, you know what the 850s are like, the v70s are more powerful in standard form but they also weigh a bit more.

Best T5.
 

In the widest sense the post '05 MY 2.4 litre T5s have the best, and final development of these engines; basically a narrower bore, bomb proof version of the fragile 'R' engine, sharing its KKK turbo, bigger injectors etc., that is if you have that sort of budget. With a simple MTE stage 1 software upgrade you will have a 330bhp car....wee bit more if you fit a full replacement Ferrita exhaust system and stage 2 software.

With budget limitations in mind, the earlier 2.3litre T5s are bombproof too but it does take a great deal more consideration and money to match the outputs I have mentioned for the 2.4litre....

Regards, Don.

a free one....

I had a V70R 1999 phase 2, with ME7 and a remap. It was good but as comments above heavy and no throttle cable so the electronics on the car were quite happy to open the throttle far more than you really wanted. Mine was a 4x4 so the 2WD versions must have been a bit of a handful.

Now I have an S70 T5 with M4.4 management system so with a throttle cable. Loads more control - quite happy to plod about or go a little bit quicker when needed. No modifications to it yet just considering my options.

With a full new exhaust system from the turbo backwards including a new cat plus a remap, the rumours are that you can get 285 hp and 420 Nm out of the B5234T3 engine if that is your cup of tea although you will need to spend around the cost of the car again to do this (so in total for a good car and mods around 2.5k! Lots of car for this much money).

The MTE website says a little more and with a bigger budget you can swap turbos/injectors for even higher numbers.

I have read that the weak point on this engine after mods are the con-rods - particularly if you go for a bigger ME7 turbo i.e. 18 or 19T. Standard is 16T and the compressor map is very similar to the 18 so hardly worth it IMHO. As standard they are pretty tough engines and FWD transmissions...even my autos :)

That is my limited experience of 70-series T5's hopefully some help to you :thumbs_up:

Define "best".

What I mean by that is you have to decide what you want from a T5. I'm on my fifth now, have had most types of "true" T5 and as they get newer they become more refined and the power delivery changes substantially. The newer cars are technically better certainly, but my personal taste lies with the older cars.

As does mine. i have an 850 T5 and a 850R. they are both completely different machines. my favourite for day to day is the T5. i got one menw mates te drive the R one day. the T5 got it through the first 5k rpm at which point the R woke up and hauled ass. i haven't driven a V or an S but i have seen them and in my opinion they seem to be made to a budget.

depending on what you'll use it for most and want out of it, only you can decide which one's best for you.

Differences.
 

The T5R only really differed from the concurrent T5s in having a load of cosmetic additions with a 7 second overboost facility that gave a tiny bit more grunt. The 850R had a revised engine with stronger rods allowing the running of a higher boost with revised software at about 18ps1 whereas the soft earlier rods would bend above 16ps, also the aforementioned viscous diff that worked up to about 12mph but could not be replaced by an effective Quaife or KU LSD as it fitted into a specially cast gearbox casing, When the 850s were 'facelifted' into the S/V70s the older 850R engine became the new T5. The 850R did also have a larger turbo, different injectors and a beefed up second gear cluster.

If you are thinking of buying a car with the intention of carrying out some satisfying increases in engine outputs then chose the 850R or S/V70 T5 or R...with a manual box 'cos some of those autos, even though badged 'R' had 'T5' engines...cheeky buggers... ah, also if you are looking towards an 'R' AWD version you cannot go beyond stage 1 software as you cannot fit the required downpipe with special cat due to the steering column and drive to the rear being in the way (can be done with a lhd vehicle).

Regards, Don.

Yes...

S70 T5 has the B5234T3 engine and S70R auto has the same,

S70R manual has the B5234T4 with 18T turbo :coffee:

Only 10 hp / 20 Nm difference though, without a re-map that is! But I am biased cos I have a T5...

:thumbs_up: