Mk2 fl Octavia vrs

[tubbytommy]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ its mostly all his fault. :D

[Dave3283]

all the knowledge has been gained in the year ive had the car from basically reading briskoda and asking a few helpful people via p.m.

prior to buying the skoda ive never seen,heard of or used vcds.

 

my problem is im a fiddler and as soon as i see things i think "ill try to do that" luckily so far all has gone well.

 

im interested in how you find the remap as its something ii'm considering and cant do myself.

 

That's My problem, I don't tend to have luck on my side so unless the part is a straight swap/plug and play affair I tend to bottle out as anything else tends to turn into a job I wish I had not started.

I will update on this thread once I have had the remap done with printouts on the rolling road before and after, I have driven a Seat Leon FR with the same engine and a remap done from the same place I will be getting mine done and it was awesome, although a little aggressive for my tastes but this is something that can be changed as part of the custom map.

[Dave3283]

Nice car and some good mods, what else have you got planned

Thanks Eddie-NL.

For now just the suspension and then remap, I have already had a few adaptions activated by Mike Holroyd, there's loads that tubbytommy has added that I would love to do but I think that will do for now.

 

[tubbytommy]

Thanks Eddie-NL.

For now just the suspension and then remap, I have already had a few adaptions activated by Mike Holroyd, there's loads that tubbytommy has added that I would love to do but I think that will do for now.

 

other than front ops which was a big old job for the most part the others have been quite simply a case of removing trim really,

[Dave3283]

They are here  :D  :D  :D

 

Springs arrived today, just need some time now to fit them along with the dampers.

I'll post some pics once fitted.

Edited 10 January, 2017 by Dave3283

[Vegasphil]

Looking forward to this next stage. Why B4 shocks out of interest?

[Dave3283]

Mainly budget, the dampers are the originals and still have the 2010 build date sticker and while they are not shot they are probably a little tired but I also wanted to match the setup that Skoda offered as an upgrade which I believe  was OEM dampers and Eibach springs.

The B4 sport dampers are slightly shorter than standard B4 to match the springs .
 

Springs are give a 20mm drop over vRS ride height.

This should give me an OEM ride for comfort but tighten the handling up a little.

[tubbytommy]

Mainly budget, the dampers are the originals and still have the 2010 build date sticker and while they are not shot they are probably a little tired but I also wanted to match the setup that Skoda offered as an upgrade which I believe was OEM dampers and Eibach springs.

The B4 sport dampers are slightly shorter than standard B4 to match the springs .

Springs are give a 20mm drop over vRS ride height.

This should give me an OEM ride for comfort but tighten the handling up a little.

Interested to hear your thoughts on this as its something I'm going to consider this year

[Dave3283]

I will certainly post my thoughts once fitted  :happy:

[Dave3283]

Update - Just picked the car up from the garage, it now has the  Bilstein B4 sport shocks and Eibach pro springs fitted.

 

While it was in I got the garage to change the front strut top bearings as both went on my old octavia at around 75000 miles and the car is currently on 67000 so I though I'd kill 2 birds.

 

I also had them fit a set of uniroyal rainsport 3 all round and then a 4 way wheel alignment on a hunter.

 

First impressions are really good, car feels firmer but it is not harsh, I haven't been throwing it around due to the brand new tyres I want to scrub them in a bit first but the cornering feels much more planted with much less body roll.

 

When excellerating the car seems to put the power down better with both front wheels gripping rather than one or both scrabbling for grip, not sure if this is tyres, suspension or as I suspect a bit of both.

 

If you are going for the slammed look ( which I wasn't ) this setup is not for you, the drop is only quoted as 20mm on a VRS and after a quick mesurement my car is sitting just over 15mm lower than before, I'll measure again in a couple of days to let the suspension settle although I'm not expecting a big change from how it sits now.

 

Over all if you stand back and look at the car you can see its lower and the arch gap is better which is what I was looking for.

 

The light was not great when I got home so I will get some pics put up in a day or 2.

[Vegasphil]

Great write up Dave. Looking forward to seeing some pics of it once you get some light! 

 

How does it compare to the standard ride on the shocks? I suspect mine are on their way out as they are very crashy at the moment. This could well be the way I decide to take mine. 

 

Thanks for the info also!

[Dave3283]

Some before and after suspension pics, I have tried to match up as close as possible to old pics although some of the angles are not quite the same I think difference in ride height can be seen.

As I mentioned earlier its not slammed but that was not what I was going for, more a subtle change in arch gap and OEM+ plus handling and ride. 

 

Pics are arranged before followed by after.

[Dave3283]

4 hours ago, Vegasphil said:

How does it compare to the standard ride on the shocks? I suspect mine are on their way out as they are very crashy at the moment. This could well be the way I decide to take mine. 

 

Definitely not crashy, the ride is firmer than standard but still comfortable, over speed humps I do notice that the suspension is stiffer than standard but over bumps in the road it is not noticeable.

My old front shocks were weeping and front and rear shocks and springs were original with 67000 under their belt so I am probably seeing a bigger difference to someone with brand new standard VRS shocks and springs.

I'm really happy with the overall feel and look, I researched a few different setups from coilovers to just springs before settling on this and the B4 Sport damper and Eibach pro springs have done exactly what I wanted.

 

I went for this type of setup for a few reasons, I'm 40 and can no longer put up with being bounced around like a budgies toy, the car is used rather than shown and long gone are my days of travelling 5 miles out of my way to avoid speed humps lol.

 

I have only had it back 24hrs and only done 2 short runs but I think as it settles in it will only get better.

[Vegasphil]

Pics look great. I'll keep looking back here for your feedback!

[Catzeye]

Lovely looking car dave, I've a candy white FL 62 plate octy  vrs and  considering anthracite coloured wheels, may i ask who done them and also how much it was to have them done? 

[Dave3283]

They were done by The wheel specialist https://www.thewheelspecialist.co.uk/locations/durhamsunderland/, they are based on the belmont industrial estate, I think it was £260ish for refurb and powdercoat in anthracite, that was with the car delivered to them the wheels and tyres removed and refitted.

[boneman]

I'll be interesting to hear more of your thoughts on ride improvement after the spring/damper change.

 

I have similar car and not too happy with the rear suspension which is too firm and joggly on our uneven motorways and was wondering if setup like yours would provide a more stable and compliant ride.

[Dave3283]

16 hours ago, boneman said:

I'll be interesting to hear more of your thoughts on ride improvement after the spring/damper change.

 

I have similar car and not too happy with the rear suspension which is too firm and joggly on our uneven motorways and was wondering if setup like yours would provide a more stable and compliant ride.

Having had the Springs and Dampers on for just over a month now, I'm really happy with the setup.

I would say it is definitely firmer than stock especially when pushing into the corners but not harsh, however I think the original comfort has been retained.

The dampers and springs I removed were the originals from factory which had covered 67000 miles, when the fronts were removed the it was found that they had slight misting so were ready for changing.

The originals did feel crashy/joggly on un-even surfaces where the new ones feel solid/stable, this might just be the difference between tired and new dampers/springs.

The easiest way to describe the difference is that if I drove over a significant bump in the road ( and I'm not talking pot hole just uneven) the old dampers felt as though they bounced an number of times to handle the bump, the new ones bounce once and everything feels as though it quickly stabilises.

 

hope this helps, if there is anything specific you need to know just ask.

[Dave3283]

Next step of my project,

 

A few more horses set free, stage 1 remap now running at a healthy 200 bhp on the dyno.

 

Work was carried out at Automotive Soutions in Peterlee who are a VAG only independent and APR tuner.

 

[59p]

Hi mate, can I ask how the bluetooth module was fitted? Does it need to wired through the plastic trim surrounding the gearbox and plugged into the back of the Columbus unit? 

[Dave3283]

Hi @59p  my Bluetooth module sits behind the stereo fascia, this is not the correct position for it but it is far easier than feeding the wires to the manufacturers position of under the drivers seat,

I have had no problems with it being in this location for Bluetooth connection and it does not rattle about.

I don't have a Columbus unit only lowly bolero however I believe the  connection is the same at the back of the unit,

If your thinking of retro fitting a Bluetooth unit my advice would be find one with a plug and play loom mine, had to be soldered onto the existing loom with makes it a more fiddly job see my earlier posts regarding it being fitted.

Edited 8 February, 2019 by Dave3283

[59p]

51 minutes ago, Dave3283 said:

Hi @59p  my Bluetooth module sits behind the stereo fascia, this is not the correct position for it but it is far easier than feeding the wires to the manufacturers position of under the drivers seat,

I have had no problems with it being in this location for Bluetooth connection and it does not rattle about.

I don't have a Columbus unit only lowly bolero however I believe the  connection is the same at the back of the unit,

If your thinking of retro fitting a Bluetooth unit my advice would be find one with a plug and play loom mine, had to be soldered onto the existing loom with makes it a more fiddly job see my earlier posts regarding it being fitted.

 

Would there be space for the Bluetooth unit at the back of the stereo facia? And have you used anything to keep it in place? 

[Dave3283]

As I said that's where mine is located so there is space, I don't have anything holding it in place but there are brackets for the dash that you could zip tie it to if you wish.

[Dave3283]

Quick update, 

 

Been a while since I have done anything to my vRS other that the usual service tasks just been enjoying driving it.

Couple of Mods I have completed recently,

Bonnet Gas strut,

LED interior lights inc glove box and boot.

[59p]

4 hours ago, Dave3283 said:

Quick update, 

 

Been a while since I have done anything to my vRS other that the usual service tasks just been enjoying driving it.

Couple of Mods I have completed recently,

Bonnet Gas strut,

LED interior lights inc glove box and boot.

 

Were the struts difficult to fit? And where were they bought from along with the LEDs for the boot and glovebox?