Mike N

FWIW the ride quality on my 2UC factory sports suspension equipped PD140 improved hugely when I fitted a Vogtland kit with progressive rate springs. The main difference was on the type of roads you mention. Obviously you wouldn't replace the Bilstein dampers you have but you would be likely to see an improvement in ride if you fitted Eibach Pro-kit springs, or indeed any recommended springs which are progressively wound. SWMBO has a Polo on standard suspension and the ride is worse over poor roads than my kitted Octavia.

I ran PS3 then Goodyear F1 AS2. Wear rate seems roughly the same BUT the tread depth on the PS3 is less than the Goodyear so you run out of rubber sooner. I eeked about 22k out of the PS3s but I don't drive particularly briskly on the road.

I've run Michelin PS3 and Goodyear Eagle F1 AS2. I think the Michelin is slightly better but the new tread depth is quite shallow and probably contributes to the feel due to reduced block flex. The Goodyear has a deeper tread so lasts longer and is usually cheaper.

I ran Michelin PS3s and was uber impressed, a great tyre. However, after reading so many good reviews on the Goodyear F1 AS2 I plumped for a set when the Michelins expired and I have been really impressed. The deeper tread should give more mileage and the wet performance is absolutely incredible - I have a reasonable suspension kit (Vogtland) with an H&R Rear ARB and the wet cornering pace is bordering on anti social. Bought mine via black circles and the price was pretty good too.

If it was my £500 I'd fit a RARB and do the alloys - in that order. Even a stock spring and damper set up will be vastly better with an uprated RARB. If you must do the springs and dampers you are probably more likey to get better results going for a non-coilover set up if you are on a budget. I only say this because I have been pleasantly surprised with the £300 Vogtland kit on my PD140 shed and decent coilovers (i.e., adjustable ride height etc) tend to be more expensive, e.g., Bilstein B12 circa £660 whereas B16 circa £1400.

Sure: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=390002 It's a useful link, the timing issue is interesting. My indy checked mine when they changed the cambelt. Certainly the fuel temp sensor is worth a go before considering more expensive remedies. It's been one of those months - changed the MAF, cleaned out the EGR valve then I had an intermittent boost problem (i.e., none!) which was cured by changing the MAP sensor on the lower boost pipe. It's never run better and it's very smooth now and feeling deceptively fast with the Shark map!

My Octy has been suffering from a lumpy idle during warm up - it was fine when cold, fine when hot but gently misfiring when the temp was between the two. Its been getting worse of late, my local indy thought it was an injector issue - alarming given the cost of new injectors! Anyway, I ran into a VW forum thread where a poster described the same symptoms and cured them by replacing the fuel temp sender. Mine arrived from http://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/products/1-9-2-0-tdi-pd-fuel-temperature-sensor-sender.html yesterday and the car is transformed, the idle is silky smooth across the whole temp range. A 5 minute job to change, unit is located in one of the fuel pipes on the right hand side just under the engine cover. Result!

Do it - you'll wish you'd done it sooner!! The Shark map is the cats nuts.

If the £180 includes alignment then thats a good price. I fitted my Octy Mk2 suspension myself and to be honest, it was an a*se of a job for a driveway mechanic. I ended up buying a grinder to deal with a previously damaged ARB link bolt, a breaker bar and quite a few unusual size sockets to get the job done. If I'd been able to foresee the d*ckdance involved I'd have gladly paid someone £180 to do it, although once you've got all the seized bolts freed it's actually straightforward. Alignment is absolutely essential, I get mine re-aligned every year because UK roads these days appear to have been mortar bombed and the alignment just gets bashed about. The alloy refurbisher I know repairs 5-10 wheels a week that have been smashed due to potholes.

I recently bought an STS from a well know internet auction site and duly contacted Shark to purchase the map for my 112k mile '04 140PD Octy. I've got to say, they were absolutely brilliant - David bent over backwards to send all the info I needed, and even managed to get the software driver issues sorted out on my reluctant Windows 8, all within a couple of hours. After sending the standard map, I then recieved the performance and immobiliser maps from Ben the same evening! I can't remember the last time I witnessed such rapid and friendly customer service. The car was re-mapped by 8pm and my first phonecall had been at 3:30! As reviews on Briskoda influenced me to choose Shark I was not surprised to see that the map is fantastic. Aside from the obvious performance increase, the car idles more smoothly, no longer suffers with driveline shunt and is silky smooth. It certainly doesn't feel like the clutch or turbo are about to land in my lap in component form, so my only regret is not doing it earlier! A granny mode 100 mile trip this morning across the South East's fantastic motorway network saw 70.6 mpg on the averager. Obviously we all know the trip computer lies like a politician but it's the biggest number I've seen on the dash. I'm too old / lazy for the traffic light GP scene, so my driving is mostly 70mph in cruise on the motorway with the occasional B road trip, so my goals were economy, smoother power delivery and extra overtaking grunt when required. So to anyone thinking about a remap, get it done! Fairly obviously I'd highly recommend Shark! The car remains looking stock, VRS brakes are next, then H&R ARBs followed by alloy wishbones.

Michelin PS3s - I'm 10k in on my set and they are absolutely phenomenal. The improvement in grip, and particularly steering feel is excellent. I recently had to emergency stop in the wet and the braking grip is astonishing. If I'd had normal tyres on I would hit the car in front!

My '04 140 PD had the 2UC sports suspension option on it, which I found a bit crashy. Both rear springs cracked last year so I fitted a Vogtland kit, all 4 progressive rate springs with matched dampers. The Vogtland suspension has surprisingly good reviews so I bit the bullet. 8000 miles later, I have to say it has dramatically improved the ride and handling. The key to the ride improvement is undoubtedly the progressive springs. I do agree that you get what you pay for - I have been impressed with the Vogtlands but perhaps I'm biased because my expectations were low? Ideally I would have gone for the Bilstein B12 kit because Bilstein make the best road car suspension in the world, period. However, I couldn't justify the +£800 expense on a car worth <£4k! If I was in your shoes I would replace the fronts with Bilstein B6 - they'll be great dampers and your ride will be maintained or marginally improved. If you want to improve the ride then Eibach springs are probably the way to go, in which case, as others have said, the B12 kit is the one.

I run Michelin PS3 on my Mk2 Octy 2.0 PD and they are fantastic. The budget tyres that were on it at purchase produced snap oversteer in the wet, the PS3s have neutralised the balance and increased steering feel as well as overall grip. I've recently had to perform 2 emerg stops in the wet and the braking grip was phenomenal. They are pricey but awesome. Wear rate so far seems pretty good but will update as this develops.

Great post Rob - it's interesting to know what works in what way. I admire your approach and refusal to compromise on quality components. I found both the 2UC option rear springs cracked on my old '04 PD140 Octy Elegance, so decided to shop around for a kit that would replicate the 2UC ride height, but with improved damping.The old dampers were fine, although the high speed rebound damping was definitely on the way out. I'm an ARDS instructor by trade so I spend enough time on track already to dictate that this car is for road use only, so I don't want a set-up any stiffer than OEM sports. Ideally, I would have got a Bilstein B12 kit - trouble is I couldn't justify spending 25% of the car's value on a suspension kit!! I eventually went for a Vogtland -35mm kit for £300 as I'd read good reviews on other make forums. The quality looks pretty good and it was easy enought to fit, and I included new OEM top mounts while I was at it. I wasn't expecting much - after all, you get what you pay for - but I have to say the car is transformed! I think a lot is down to the progressive rate springs, the body control is a tad better and feels slightly stiffer at the rear so has improved the turn-in as a result. The composure over bumps is vastly improved. If you're on a particularly bad surface then the composure starts to ebb away but overall I think this is a great kit given the money. The ride height has settled slightly since the attached photo was taken and now looks to be 10mm lower than the 2UC set up. Ideally Audi S3 front wishbone bushes and a whiteline rear ARB are the next and final things on the menu!