Stage 3 Tuning Kit Volvo 240 / 740 / 940 NA

10% discount compared to purchasing all parts separately.

This performance kit is suitable for Volvo 240/740/940 models from 1988B onwards with B230F/FB engines and is Stage 3 of our recommended upgrade path for customers starting with a standard naturally aspirated engine.

Stage 3 builds on our previous stages with optimized fuel and ignition mapping and adds our modified +59 mm throttle body and performance exhaust header. The result is improved throttle response, more power and an engine that can breathe considerably better.

Volvo left substantial safety margins in the original maps to accommodate factors such as varying fuel quality around the world. In this package, both the fuel and ignition maps are optimized for the combination.

In testing, the throttle body has shown gains of approximately +8 hp and +15 Nm. The chips can provide around 10–15 hp, while the exhaust header can provide around 10–15 hp depending on the engine and overall setup. These figures cannot simply be added together, but on a healthy and well-matched engine, an overall improvement in the region of 30–40 hp is certainly possible. Exact power gains can never be guaranteed, as factors such as engine condition, compression ratio, camshaft and the rest of the exhaust system all affect the final result.

There is also genuine motorsport history behind this combination. Timos Motor was involved in manufacturing throttle bodies and exhaust headers when the regulations for the older 4-cylinder cars in VOC/VolvoCupen circuit racing were updated. The B230FB produces 131 hp in standard form, while the Volvo 850 GLT produced 170 hp, which had resulted in a fairly uneven level of competition. Following the regulation changes, the older 4-cylinder cars were able to compete much more evenly with the 850 GLT.

Naturally, the race engines can be optimized within the limits of the regulations, and this applies to both the 4- and 5-cylinder cars. On the Volvo redblock engines, for example, K or H camshafts are often used instead of the B230FB’s VX3 camshaft. Resurfacing the cylinder head and/or decking the block as part of an engine rebuild can also affect compression ratio and the final result. The VOC comparison should therefore be regarded as a real-world reference for how well the combination works, rather than as a guaranteed power figure for every standard engine.

Our Stage 3 kit is fundamentally based on this successful combination from VOC circuit racing. Outside the racing regulations, however, there is considerably more freedom. Milling approximately 1.8–2.0 mm from the cylinder head is a proven way of increasing the compression ratio and extracting additional power and torque from the combination, whether retaining the original camshaft or upgrading to a performance camshaft. A B230FB with the VX3 already has a more suitable camshaft for this purpose than a regular B230F equipped with the M camshaft.

The kit includes 1 ignition chip, 1 fuel chip, a modified/chippable EZK ignition control unit (black box), a Timo Motor modified +59 mm throttle body (exchange basis), and a performance exhaust header.

The black EZK ignition control unit is modified because the original unit does not have a daughterboard and therefore has no physical provision for a replaceable chip. The modification allows us to optimize the ignition mapping as well as the fuel mapping.

Once you reach Stage 3, it is also a good time to consider upgrading to a 2.5” exhaust system. Stage 4 therefore goes somewhat hand in hand with Stage 3, as the next natural step is a performance camshaft and further engine optimization.

Exchange basis means that products requiring an exchange unit must be returned to us. Select the exchange shipping option when placing your order and we will email you a return shipping label. Simply print the label, attach it to the package and drop it off at your local parcel service point.

As a general rule, the exchange unit must be returned to us before the replacement part is dispatched, unless otherwise agreed. This is because it has become increasingly difficult for us to get exchange units returned afterwards.

RECOMMENDED ADD-ONS

1. High-output ignition coil
2. Performance air filter
3. New ignition leads
4. New spark plugs
5. Distributor rotor and cap

Engine codes: B230F/FB.