ipd 4T4 Volvo Performance Turbo

ipd’s 4T4 ball bearing turbocharger for Volvo’s B52X4T engines is the first completely custom manufactured bolt on turbo available. This is a serious turbo for the enthusiast that wants to extract the maximum performance from the factory supplied engine in their car or for the engine build producing up to 500 crank horsepower. Volvo uses a proprietary design for the manifold flange and outlet that made it necessary for us to manufacture a custom stainless steel exhaust housing from scratch rather than modifying a component from another car. Volvo also uses a low pressure TCV boost control system that will not work with most waste-gate actuators, requiring us to use our own specific billet actuator.

Our primary goal was to build the best possible solution for performance while allowing the use of intake and exhaust performance components that may have been previously installed by the tuner. Our larger more efficient ball bearing design allows far greater power output, at lower than stage 2 boost levels, without sacrificing mid-range boost delivery. This turbo represents the perfect synthesis of OE grade manufacturing processes and aftermarket performance improvement while maintaining factory fit. We feel this is the ultimate answer for the discerning performance enthusiast.

While this turbo is a bolt in component, it will require the addition of an external bypass valve (like the ipd Boost-Ability components) for more stable boost control. ipd strongly recommends our Bosch 650cc injectors (121145) and proper tuning (like our friends at MTE) to protect your investment. We have complete kits available for the 2004-07 R models and we can help with components for other 1994-2009 turbo models as well.

In the video above Chris and Ken compare the ipd 4T4 turbo to the factory K24 turbocharger. ipd gives some specifics about their custom bolt on 4T4 turbo and highlights some of the pitfalls of the K24 when seeking more usable power in the upper RPM range. Why is the ipd 4T4 turbo superior to any other turbo offered in the aftermarket? Watch this video and find out!

In the video above Chris and Ken provide a quick overview of what to expect when installing the ipd 4T4 turbocharger. Even though this is a bolt on turbo that installs in the factory position, there are a few small differences in the connections. Watch this video to see the differences and how easy it will be to add this turbo to existing components on your S60R/V70R model.

In the video above we cover the installation and an in-depth look at ipd’s 650cc performance injectors. There are quite a few options in the aftermarket when it comes to sourcing larger injectors. ipd tested many different types of injectors when creating a tune file for the 4T4 turbocharger. We feel the Bosch EV14 style injector with custom mounting groove and Volvo wiring harness adapter is the perfect fit and finish that will provide you with the best performance possible. We’ve worked with MTE Tuning in Sweden to develop maps specifically catering to these high quality injectors to go hand-in-hand with our ipd 4t4 custom turbo kit.

In the video above, Chris and Ken take a few minutes to discuss the differences between a stock map, stage 2 map, and stage 3 4T4 Turbo map by comparing different dyno graphs. It can be quite confusing when looking at off the shelf turbochargers and their performance output. There are quite a few dyno graphs being posted in the aftermarket putting down large horsepower and torque figures. ipd wants to educate our customers by knowing how to read a dyno graph properly to understand what type of performance they’ll expect when bolting on performance items. Sometimes having the largest number isn’t always going to provide the best all-around-driving performance. See what Chris and Ken have to say about the ipd 4T4 turbo and the performance gains they’ve achieved with the proper tuning and supporting products.

While Chris and Ken were installing the first production ipd 4T4 turbocharger on Andrew’s car (friend of ipd) they used a small handy cam to document a few “behind the scenes” moments. You’ll see these two comment on installing the turbo, testing, tuning, data-logging, and a quick trip to the dyno to document the results. The fun part of this video is to see Andrew’s reaction when he travels from Seattle to Portland by train to pick his car up from ipd. ipd captures the true emotion when Andrew drives his car for the first time. If you want to experience the same raw emotion, check out the rest of this blog for all the products available to make your car perform at this level.

For more information about these dyno graphs, check out the video posted at the top of this blog. ipd was able to achieve a more broad torque curve giving you more usable power all the way to redline. In the video Chris and Ken discuss what kind of boost levels were used to achieve these results, you’ll be surprised to hear that number! This particular graph shows a stock tune file, a stage 2 tune file, and a stage 3 ipd 4T4 turbo tune file. It’s amazing at the power we achieved with lower boost numbers getting you more power above 6500RPM. Watch the video for an in-depth look at these numbers!

ipd’s 4T4 Turbocharger is completely custom and was built using the highest quality components offered in the turbocharger manufacturing world.   Check out this diagram that highlights some of those key features.

Journal Bearings vs. Ball Bearing

For a long time journal bearings have been the standard technology used within a turbocharger, dating from when turbochargers were manly used in diesel trucks. In the last few decades, turbochargers are being used with increasing frequency within passenger cars, which operate over a longer rpm range and use smaller gas motors. To address the needs of modern cars, ball bearing cartridges were designed to improve turbocharger response and longevity. This style of cartridge was very expensive at first, but has become an affordable technology used to upgrade the performance of your turbo.

The ball bearing cartridge design is a single sleeve system that contains a set of angular contact ball bearings on either end, whereas the traditional bearing system contains a set of journal bearings and a thrust bearing.

Ball Bearing

Journal Bearing

Turbo Response

When driving a vehicle with the cartridge ball bearing turbocharger, you will find exceptionally crisp and strong throttle response. Ball bearing turbochargers spool up 15% faster than traditional journal bearings. When upgrading to a larger turbocharger it’s common to give up low end performance with a traditional journal bearing turbocharger. Now you can take advantage of having a larger turbo capable of producing more torque and horsepower without sacrificing usable power delivery.