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Polestar vs SuperChips upgrade

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Old Nov 13th, 2020, 22:40   #21
filbert
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Interesting thread - when I got my late 2008 (manual) XC70 in 2012, something called "Kess Tuning V2 or K-Tag" was provided to "remap vehicle for power and economy".

I'm not familiar with the various options and I have wondered, from time to time, whether the remapping would have been (a) visible to a Volvo dealer when servicing or (b) affected by software updates. It's always been to a main dealer for servicing until a year or so ago, when I found a good independent guy.

I get an average of ~30mpg and the performance is fine (better than it was when I test drove it before I bought it, when it was noticeably sluggish.

Can anyone shed any light on this?
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Old Nov 14th, 2020, 19:39   #22
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If the tuning remap was written into the ECU, it is possible that any software update on that area of the ECU would overwrite it and you actually wouldn't have it any more. However if the rewrite is in a plug in unit and not actually in the ECU it might still be there. Generally, as far as I understand it, these pick-a-back tuning devices tend to be crude fuelling adjustments to the ECU output and not anywhere as effective or safe for the engine as professionally written ECU changes.

The OP sought advice on the comparison between a well known quality rewrite like Superchips and Volvo's own tuning shop Polestar rewrite. Both are good stuff but Polestar stays where it was put and other remaps get overwritten by ECU updates. That might be Volvo's way of protecting its market and they may go out of their way to erase unauthorised remaps to influence Volvo owners to buy Polestar. I did, so it obviously worked!
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Old Nov 17th, 2020, 13:33   #23
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One of our two XC70 cars is a D5 Polestar (230 hp, 470 Nm). As green van man says, towing works very well with it. My caravan is a 1700+ kg, but that's no problem. You don't have much use the the lower five gears. It's not much of a problem with the other XC70 either, which is a D4 (181 hp, 400 Nm). However, the length of the caravan, on one axis, implies a rocking movement, which the Nivomat in the D5 neutralizes very well. But in the standard suspension D4, it keeps on forever.

Torque steer I don't see, as long as the DSTC system is fully activated. It hardly spins at all even starting at full throttle on gravel surfaces. Set it to DSTC SPORT and it's a different game altogether.
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Old Dec 2nd, 2020, 15:34   #24
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Because of the coding of the ECU Superchips would I believe need to remove it and physically modify it in order for them to upload their new maps.
The Polestar option installed through VIDA circumvents this locking.
However, it might be possible to unlock the ECU with VDASH beforehand which may allow a third party aftermarket upgrade to be then installed. Please correct me if I'm incorrect.

In terms of reputation Superchips have been in the tuning business a good number of years to produce reliable maps.
My wife's C-Max has a remap installed using their Bluefin OBD2 device and the quality of service & support they offered in designing a suitable & usuable map remotely was fantastic.
They don't have this option available to Volvos though.
I have Polestar on my D4 AWD which brings this up to a standard D5 AWD output. Sadly there is option to raise this any further.
Another option I should have considered is the BSR PPC device which is similar to the Bluefin in operation and offers up to 245bhp.
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Old Dec 2nd, 2020, 18:31   #25
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Default Tuning and insurance.

I recently started a thread in the "lounge" about my experiences with Aviva and Polestar.. if I say so my self makes interesting reading.
Bottom line... I had to give backword to LLoyds for the polestar tune even though in July they said they'd cover it.
A poster to that thread said recently LV would cover the remaining years insurance for under £2.
My comments are not exactly on this post but if Polestar is insurance iffy... betya superchips will be too.

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Old Dec 2nd, 2020, 23:03   #26
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I was told by a friend who's had Volvos all his life and also a Volvo dealer that a Polestar upgrade doesn't affect your insurance premium at all as it's a Volvo supplied 'accessory' as they call it.

Superchips on the other hand isn't classified this way, however for my Golf GT Sport 170 which I Bluefin'd, Admiral only charged me an additional £20 for the years policy for an increase of 26BHP and 76Nm.
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Old Jun 19th, 2021, 20:04   #27
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Default Superchips Status

I felt that I had to come back on this one as although all my comments regarding Superchips were from personal experience, that experience was some time age. I now learn that the company went into administration in 2020 and has been taken over by another company who openly admit that they do not have all the necessary expertise to do this sort of work. So, based on that, there is no doubt that Polestar is the best and only option that should be considered. Superchips are no longer super!
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Old Jun 19th, 2021, 22:34   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Agro View Post
G'day Dave,

I was going to wait a while before posting a review but read this thread and couldn't resist. Will write something up in 6-12 months although I'm probably not the best one to do this as I only do about 10,000klms a year.

They tell me they've done plenty of Volvo Diesels but I couldn't find any reviews online for Volvo. There are a number of youtube video reviews on other cars though.

Haven't bothered doing anything about the insurance yet.
When you crash you will likly find you have no insurance, although you probably already know that 🙂
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Old Jun 20th, 2021, 12:34   #29
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I suspect that with hidden software modifications, minor insurance claims would never bring the matter to light. The real and extremely dangerous risk is if you are involved in a major accident with huge liability claims. At that point because of the potential huge losses to the them, the insurers will turn over the wrecked car to insurance assessor engineers who will conduct full in depth forensic investigations of the car and one of the easiest approaches is to hook up the car's ECU to investigative software that will identify any modifications. At that point you would be totally screwed as an invalidated insurance would render you liable to full liability for any claims against you and possible criminal charges for driving an uninsured car in which you had a serious accident. You might get away with a Volvo upgrade but even that would probably disqualify you if it wasn't mentioned to the insurers. Nothing can be hidden as all the details about the modification, including the date when it was done, may be available to the investigators.

Gloom and doom but things like tuning boxes have a very bad insurance reputation as add-on go faster boy racer devices. Polestar will tend to be accepted as a more respectable option by the underwriters and some might not even charge extra premium for it. An insurance assessor just needs good eyesight to spot a tuning box!
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Old Jun 20th, 2021, 12:36   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tatsfield View Post
I suspect that with hidden software modifications, minor insurance claims would never bring the matter to light. The real and extremely dangerous risk is if you are involved in a major accident with huge liability claims. At that point the insurers will turn over the wrecked car to insurance assessor engineers who will conduct full in depth forensic investigations of the car and one of the easiest approaches is to hook up the car's ECU to investigative software that will identify any modifications. At that point you would be totally screwed as an invalidated insurance would render you liable to full liability for any claims against you and possible criminal charges for driving an uninsured car in which you had a serious accident. You might get away with a Volvo upgrade but even that would probably disqualify you if it wasn't mentioned to the insurers. Nothing can be hidden as all the details about the modification, including the date when it was done, may be available to the investigators.

Gloom and doom but things like tuning boxes have a very bad insurance reputation as add-on go faster boy racer devices. Polestar will tend to be accepted as a more respectable option by the underwriters and some might not even charge extra premium for it. An insurance assessor just needs good eyesight to spot a tuning box!
Many insurers have waived any Polestar fee for many many years as long as you tell them about it ....
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