I am just wondering if any of you have taken your V40 on the track?
I’m booked in to take my V40 T5 R-Design on the track this Saturday for the first time. I’ve heard some reviewers say there is a lot of understeer and the gearbox is all over the place on a track and others say that it’s actually quite balanced even with a hint of oversteer.
I’ll post the result of the track day and let you all know.
I’m hoping the T5 can hold it’s own and even embarrass a few GTI owners ; )
The car performed really well and although the Volvo driver comments came thick and fast at first, I think I was one of the faster cars there. Initially I was having a lot of understeer as predicted but after a few laps with the instructor I was able to use a little handbrake to get the back out and do some drifting.
The steering was really sharp and responsive, the gearbox didn’t intervene too much and let me hold onto the revs which was nice and the engine performed really well. One onlooker told me the engine sounded great from the outside too. I also found the driving position was really good, the seats did a great job of holding me in place and the car overall was pretty balanced.
It I had to pick one downside, it would have been the gearbox. While it wasn’t bad at all I just wished it was a manual.
It did amaze me the reaction a Volvo got being on the track. The guys there including the instructor didn’t seem to take it too seriously until they saw that it has some serious performance in it’s 5 cylinders. Overall I would highly recommend a track day to anyone with the T5. I had a lot of fun and was happy to see it hold it’s own despite the haters.
I did indeed have the DSTC Sport mode on. Man did that change the way the car handled. Was amazing.
It really is a great track day car that's also comfortable enough for everyday driving.
There was the following cars there 2x Subaru WRX Lotus Exige Volvo V40 T5 Commodore v8 Falcon Xr6 Ford Fiesta St Mazda MX5
Honestly I would recommend a track day to any of you guys. The car has pulled up well too. Not really any rattles etc (small creak that turns up in the driver door, but I think that was there before).
I would have though it would have been fairly good as it used the focus chassis, the t5 is a very forgiving engine, pulls well even if you are in too higher gear.
I don't know whether this is a common problem. A few people have reported it here. But I have not witnessed this after 20,000 miles. It's generally problems that get highlighted on the Inet. But I suspect this is a problem that a few drivers have experienced and not the majority.
The number of Volvo V40 Club members will be small in relation to the total number of V40 owners, so if even only a few members report the same problem then it's likely to be fairly common problem.
Where was the track, it sounded like a nice group, I would guess the v40 was behind the exige and the imprezas but in front of everything else (the v8 will not have handled too well)
I have had the rattle issue with the drivers door, it took the dealer about 3 attempts to eliminate it, but to be fare rattles are one of the hardest things to identify and resolve, it seemed to be caused more by frequency rather than just bumps in the road (daft punk album at half value used to set it off great).
They ended up rerouting the loom and putting some foam or similar around it, all seems to be fine now
Re insurance for track, you normal car insurance will not cover you at all, but you can get track cover starting from about £100 a day, but it does come with a big excess.
Also using your car on track does void your warranty (if they find out of course)
Well I only get 36 mpg out of my d4 and that is only eer used on road (have other toys for track) so if the dealer ever questions your use refer them to me
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