iep

One of the buttons in my Octavia vRS key (the 'lock' one as it happens) has broken so the key constantly transmits the lock signal to car. Easily remedied by removing the battery but now I'm back to manual locking! Is it possible to get a new PCB for the key and have it coded to match the car? Cheers, iep

I found our vRS estate to be pretty good in the snow (stock). The only problem (as noted in another post) is that the front bumper's clearance means it acts like a snow plough when there is more then 10cm of snow on the ground or when it gets piled up between the tracks. Last week we managed to get past a volvo xc90 that was stuck spinning its wheels on a hill but I think that was mainly because we took a proper run at it while the volvo approached too timidly. That said, I put a set of dunlop winter m2s on the front last week and now the car is unstoppable. As already mentioend, you won't believe the difference until you try a set of proper winter tyres. Last night we cruised comfortably past a BMW X3 that was completely stuck on a hill (fair enough they are known to be ****e but even still) and can get up some really amazing inclines without any problems at all. Got the tyres second hand for £100 with 6mm remaining and had them fitted at a local garge for £10 per wheel. With the weather round here lately (Edinburgh), I reckon they will be worth having. I do reckon the vRS is not to bad stock though. Compared to my mates A4 and y Dad's Saab it is far more competent in the snow even without the snow tyres. iep

Mine has 16" wheels but the profile is higher so the rolling size is equivalent. In hindsight, I reckon the 4x4 would make great sense where we live (we get a lot of snow even during mild winters) but we bought the vRS before we bought the house. Additionally, our vRS is proper mint with a full service history and only 45k on the clock so I'd be loathe to trade it in against an unknown quantity. Plus, there are very few 4x4 Octy estates around. Cheers for everyones input. Still hoping someone can give me the nose clearance height on an unmodded vRS though. iep

I think you may be right. The front does look a wee bit lower and the back is quite a bit higher. It's a shame because, other than the ride height, I find the octy tio be really good in the snow. If ukmail would ever get around to delivering my snow tyres I reckon it will be awesome (aside from the snow plough issue). Cheers, iep

Hi Ken, Yes, that's what I was thinking. I havre a rear arb fitted already so that would probably help with the understeer issue. I think 57mm under the front wheel arches is quite a lot more than the vRS has with stock springs so it might be perfect. Finding a set of springs is a bit of a mission though. Again, really keen to hear the height of anyone elses stock vRS to work out if mine is lower than average. iep

Altewrnatively, I guess I could replace the vrs bumper with a standard one. Does anyone know if that is a straight swap for the octy mk1?

I'm keen ot stay away from any aftermarket parts to be honest. I tried loads of different springs/shocks/coilies on my old golf vr6 and never found any that worked better than the standard Golf springs/shocks. Potentially, the front springs on my vRS are just tired or even snapped (though it did pass its MOT 3 weeks ago). As I say, if anyone could measure the ground clearance of their front bumper (right in the middle) on a vRS estae, that would be much appreciated. Cheers, iep

I'm fairly sure it is not lowered. The springs were standard looking with the usual VAG marker dots, nothing like the lowered ones I have fitted to other cars. It's the estate model. I don't suppose anyone could do me a favour and measure the ground clearance on their front bumper (right in the middle)? Cheers, iep

Can you fit standard Octy springs onto the vRS? I'm sick of pushing the snow around with my bumper and grating the nose of the car off the ground every time I go into a multistorey car park. iep

Cheers for that. Unfortunately, what I had taken to be a cheap supply of winter tyres for my vrs in fact turned out to be a supplier of winter tyres for commercial vehicals (I gather 195 60 16 is a common sized tyre for vans). I can't bring myself to be van tyres on the vrs. iep

I'm buying a set of winter tyres and wondered if I can use 195 60 r16 instead of the 205 55 r16 standard size on my vrs estate? I would guess that the narrower profile would help in snow etc. Cheers, iep

I'm planning to go with the cheaper solution of using two winters on the front and keep my regular tyres on the back. Not ideal but is still legal and I know a number of people who do this every year without problems. My plan is to get a second spare steel wheel to match the 16" spare in my vRS estate and then fit winter tyres to this and the existing spare wheel. I'll keep one winter wheel in the boot as a spare wheel duing the warmer months (still better than the space saver that most cars provide) and so will only have to store one wheel in the garage at any time. The only problem is that I don't know where to source a spare wheel to match the existing one (width and offset). Can anyone tell me the size of the spare in an octy vrs estate and if this is just the standard VW 16" 5x100? If so, I guess I just need ot find a 16" wheel from a mk4 golf or the like. Cheers, iep

I need a second spare wheel for my vRS estate but need it to match the size of the existing steel spare that I have. I know it is a full 16" wheel (to fit over the brakes) but don't know the width and/or offest of the rim. Would any 16", 5x100 VAG steel wheel (from a MK4 golf for example) match? Cheers, iep

No mods and unfortunately no rolling roads that I know of in Edinburgh. iep

I've had my vRS a year now and, inevitably, I've got used to the speed. However, there's always that nagging doubt that maybe it is actually a bit down on power. Has anyone got any 50 ->70 times or similar (in a specified gear) that I could compare against? iep