Building a Volvo S40 is no easy task. This is why they aren’t seen very often within the tuning community. Parts are hard to come by so it takes someone willing to embrace the challenge to build one.
Kyle Pike has been building import cars since the age of 17. While training to be a mechanic after high school, the first car he built was a turbocharged LS Acura Integra. His primary goal for the car was for it to be a weekend track warrior. Throughout the entire build he couldn’t get over the desire to go against the grain and do things differently. This was difficult to do with such a common chassis. Kyle decided to look for a new platform.
“I generally lean towards trying to be original in my builds. I knew I didn’t want another car that was commonly built,” Kyle explains. Once the decision was made to move on, he parted out the Integra and began saving money for his next project.
Not long after graduating college, Kyle started working as an automotive technician at a Volvo dealership. After driving various models of Volvos nearly every day, he started to appreciate their quality. He already knew that the P1 chassis (S40) was a solid choice because of its track record with other cars like the Mazda 3 and the European model of the Focus ST/RS (which uses the same T5 engine). Shortly after beginning his search, Kyle found a clean 2006 Volvo S40.
Initially, Kyle wanted to build another track monster. “I had already picked out a Garrett GT35R for a turbo upgrade and the supporting mods to go with it,” Kyle says. “At the time, my neighbor Eric was going to help me create an ECU harness that would allow me to run a standalone and tune the car. I knew that the turbo 5 cylinder was known to support crazy power numbers on the stock internals and I wanted to be a pioneer with the platform.”
As you can probably guess, the aftermarket isn’t huge for modified Volvos. Kyle decided to take advantage of this lack of competition by developing a front mount intercooler with his friend Eric Urness. At the time they were one of only 4 intercoolers available on the market and most of the others retailed for over $1000. Their intercooler was cheaper and higher quality than most of the competition which allowed them to sell quite a few.
After owning the Volvo for less than a year, a great deal on an Acura NSX popped up locally. An NSX had been Kyle’s dream car for years and he knew he had to have it. This killed his initial plan of upgrading the turbo and installing other performance mods on the Volvo. Unfortunately, the NSX only stayed around for a few months. “My wife hated the car and the cost to restore it to the condition I wanted was too high,” he says. Once the NSX was sold, Kyle continued to modify the Volvo but decided to keep it mild and focus on cosmetic modifications only.
He continued to build the car differently from nearly every other Volvo he saw on the internet. “Members in the Volvo forums were shocked when I told them that I found a set of Advan wheels in our 5×108 bolt pattern and that I was planning on running them,” Kyle says. “I like to think that I have somewhat paved the way for others to think outside the norm in the Volvo tuning community.”
Even though Kyle considered rocking the Advans at one point, he opted to get a set of 18” Fikse FM10’s instead. He had always been a fan of Fikse Forged wheels and when a friend had a set for sale he jumped on them.
The car has been lowered on H&R SP Coilovers. Even though he could go lower, he decided to keep it at a reasonable height since the car still functions as a daily driver for his wife.
Kyle’s next car will most likely be a BMW E46 M3. At this point, he has no plans to sell the Volvo. “It’s been the best car I’ve ever owned and it still deserves that turbo upgrade someday,” Kyle says.
“I’d like to thank my wife for letting me purchase more sets of wheels for my car than she has shoes and Eric Urness for helping me design the intercooler that we sold together.”
He also wants to give a big shout out to the community of Swedespeed. “I have never been part of such a cool forum and it’s truly like a family over there.”
Modification List:
Engine/Transmission
ForceFed Motorsports FMIC (designed by Kyle)
HKS Black edition BOV
BSR intake elbow
Wastegate adjustment mod
Exterior
Elevate front bumper
Dubstop badge less grille
Dynamic trim side skirts and rear valence
Smoked tail lights and matching mirror lights
Retrofit Source E46 projector bi-xenon retrofit
Interior
Volvo Sport steering wheel
SNABB short shifter
Omori boost gauge
Factory premium audio package w/ 10″ infinity subwoofer
Suspension/Wheels/Brakes
Fikse FM10 18×8 +36mm w/ Pirelli P-Zero tires
H&R SP Coilovers
Eibach rear camber arms
Heico front big brake kit
Porterfield pads
Stainless lines
Eurosport Tuning front strut tower brace
