Superb performance

[RichardandJulia]

Hi, since buying my 2011 Superb II a month ago I have been really surprisedv at the performance of my s140c. It is a very basic model (most of the switches are blanked off!)

I called the previous owner, a hire company, and they said it was leased to a 'security company'.

Whilst looking through the thread on the emissions scandal there was a mention about being able to change the performance of the engine.

How is this possible, please?

How cani check whether mine has been changed.

I constantly get 60mpg and recently achieved 70+mpg on a long motorway run.

The car seems to good to be true for a large car.

Thanks in advance

[silver1011]

My CR140 Superb is factory standard and is pretty fast.

It's clearly not going to worry many other cars out there off the lights but it is the 30-50mph and 60-80mph acceleration that I appreciate.

Plenty fast enough for me!

If your car has been mapped to increase performance the only way you can check is to take it to a rolling road or back to a mapping company.

[psycholist]

If that's genuine fuel consumption then you're doing very well indeed - the Greenline 1.6 does genuinely offer this, but over 50 mph it's noticeably weak. If your figure is from the trip computer then it's likely to be around 10% optimistic, but this varies between cars. At 10% overreading you're still heading for 55 mpg, so nothing to complain about .

[Danny 57]

To accurately check simply fill it up, reset the trip then when you next fill it up you will know how many miles you did to the fuel you put in.

[wokwon]

How is this possible, please?

How cani check whether mine has been changed.

I constantly get 60mpg and recently achieved 70+mpg on a long motorway run.

The car seems to good to be true for a large car.

 

 

Hi R,

The performance can be increased by changing the ECU software.  These are often known as 'chip tuners'.  In my CR140 I had Superchips install the software.  It works in a few ways:

 - Increases boost and fuelling which results in better performance;

 - Reduces emissions control which results in better fuel economy (in much the same way s VAG is now in trouble   just more so)*

 

in the case of my MY13 Superb, they had to open the ECU case to flash the software**.  The ECU case has screws that have no head, so they had to Dremel slots in the screws to enable the case to be opened.  The change is therefore detectable by inspecting the ECU case.  I believe that it is under the plenum cover on the drivers side (under where the wiper blades would park) but I'm not totally sure and don't have access to ELSA to check right now.

 

Another way to find out is that everytime new software is flashed, a 'flash counter' increments by one.  Some chip tuners claim to be able to flash without incrementing this counter, some don't mention it.  In theory, if the flash counter was > 1 then it's been modified, although a maintenance update may also modify this.  I don't know if VCDS can check this, but a VAS tool should be able to.

 

WRT your mileage, if you're reading the display on the MDI, it is known to be innacurate and perhaps overstates the mileage.  I put my figures into a Scanguage.  Some people use a tracker like fuelly.  

 

 

* - We're lucky in AU that we don't have strict emission controls, and here in Victoria, don't need regular "MOT" inspections.  Lucky in terms of freedom, not lucky in terms of old unroadworthy clunkers on the roads.  It may even be that the 'reduced' emissions control that EA189 engines currently have don't breach our emissions laws.

** - Prior to the MY13 Superb, I had a MY07 MKV Jetta with the older BKD PD engine (not CFFB CR like the Superb).  This one could be flashed via the ODB port without modifying the ECU casing, and also didn't increment the flash counter.

[Phil-E]

Most VAG cars output slightly more than the quoted figures.

 

Plus with a diesel they always feel faster then they actually are.

 

Even my lowly 1.9 PD105 feels decent on the road. Rolling acceleration is where it's at with a diesel. Put your foot down to overtake and you're off!

[RichardandJulia]

Great responses, guys, thank you.

I double checked the motorway mileage and it confirmed the 70mpg

In my job I use various hire cars and I am yet to find one to match the Superb. Even though I often say to people "what's the fastest production car on the road? A hire car!! ;-)"

I'll see if there's any evidence of physical changes but your responses suggest that my Superb's continual desire to go faster isn't unusual.

Thanks again

[Phil-E]

It is possible that's it's had a remap. In which case you won't be able to see any physical changes.

 

I believe with a remap the 140 engine goes to around 170bhp.

 

Phil

[wiilydog]

If you are use to driving similar power hire cars then it sounds like your car has been mapped as they usually feel effortless to drive and pull better in higher gears too after being mapped.

Edited 10 October, 2015 by wiilydog

[peterposh]

If it's the S it'll have narrower tyres which makes it a few mpg better, I can easily get 60 + on my 2 litre diesel

[RichardandJulia]

Peter - I was checking out tyre prices at blackcircles.com and was surprised at how cheap they are at the moment.

 

I work in the 'port so will keep an eye out for the estate!

[RichardandJulia]

Well I have had the engine 'fixed' by the local Skoda dealership.

 

Although it still drives well that 'urgency' has disappeared and it drives no more responsively than other 2l diesels I have driven. 

 

It was nice whilst it lasted 

[DEL80Y]

Well I have had the engine 'fixed' by the local Skoda dealership.

 

Although it still drives well that 'urgency' has disappeared and it drives no more responsively than other 2l diesels I have driven. 

 

It was nice whilst it lasted 

 

You should of read on the forum about the "fix" that it rewrites the software removing any remap that has been done previous .

Which by the sound of it yours was remaped before you got it. You can simply go and get it remapped again at a local tuner..

Have you found any difference to your MPG yet??

[RichardandJulia]

You should of read on the forum about the "fix" that it rewrites the software removing any remap that has been done previous .

Which by the sound of it yours was remaped before you got it. You can simply go and get it remapped again at a local tuner..

Have you found any difference to your MPG yet??

 

Just done a 200 mile round trip. Drove carefully and achieved 63 mpg whereas I was previously achieving consistently over 72 mpg

[lichfielddriver]

I got overtaken by an electric milk float today

[lichfielddriver]

Well I have had the engine 'fixed' by the local Skoda dealership.

 

Although it still drives well that 'urgency' has disappeared and it drives no more responsively than other 2l diesels I have driven. 

 

It was nice whilst it lasted 

 

 

Time for a remap then

[Huwcymru]

Have a look at my consumption on Fuelly below. Every litre has been recorded over nearly 30000 miles!

[RichardandJulia]

Just written to them to ask for it to be put back to where it was

[silver1011]

Keep us posted, it'll be interesting to read Skoda UK's response.