Fab vRS

Yeah, thanks! The sleeper looks have made a lot of BMW drivers look somewhat foolish at the lights ha ha!

Car now sold to coskev on 7/9/13. Hope he enjoys it!

Deposit taken!

The turbo is a MD374 turbo (www.turbodynamics.co.uk/shop/md374-stage-1-hybrid-turbo-for-vag-19tdi-150bhp-engines-p-2707.html) and it was fitted by JBS. The turbo is rated approx. 220bhp but I asked JBS to remap for smoothness of torque rather than outright power as I wanted a driveable car and not one that wheelspins everywhere. They did a great job as it pulls from 1500 revs and the peak torque is now at 3000rpm, which makes the car far easier to drive as you don't have to keep it in the narrow stock powerband of 2000-3000rpm. I also asked them to reduce power if increased power meant lag and the result is that there is pretty much zero lag!

For Sale Skoda Fabia vRS July 2005 91,000 miles £3,500 This is a modified car, so if you want a standard Fabia vRS stop reading now! Idea My previous car was a Honda Accord Type R and when I sold it my plan was to see if I could carefully upgrade a turbo diesel to make it as fast as the Type R whilst retaining the economy of a diesel. I chose the Skoda Fabia vRS because it was a small hatchback with a VW engine, which is easily tunable, and also VW components (shared by Audi/VW/Seat/Skoda) which are interchangeable and known to be reliable. I researched the upgrade on this forum for 18 months and I discovered that the car had several weaknesses: a dual mass flywheel which is heavy and prone to failure; a weak turbo; a side mounted intercooler; poor front brakes; and a high ride height (common to VW group cars). So as well as the power upgrade I also decided to rectify the inherent weaknesses and improve the handling with my modifications. All of the modifications below (with the exception of the Forge rear strut brace) were done at 44,xxx miles by the most reputable VW tuners: JBS Auto Designs (www.jbsautodesigns.co.uk), Jabbasport (www.jabbasport.com) and Awesome GTI (www.awesomegti.com). The car was remapped by JBS Auto Designs (using their renowned Custom Code software) and I specifically asked for the remap to be as smooth as possible to minimise torque steer (which they did). Prior to the remap I had a limited slip differential fitted as a precautionary measure. The car now pulls extremely well and with the diff and the remap it is quite difficult to unsettle. The car has a full Skoda service history and each oil change has used fully synthetic oil. The current mileage by the end of September would be 91,xxx approx. Here are the technical details: Car specs Make: Skoda Model: Fabia vRS Type: 4 cylinder 1.9 turbo diesel (PD engine, not common rail) Optional extras - Cruise control Modifications - New stronger turbo (rated to approx 220bhp) - Sachs uprated clutch - Peloquin limited slip differential - Single mass flywheel (so has the expected 'chatter' when in neutral) - Forge front mounted intercooler - Seat PD160 air intake - Seat front strut brace - Pipercross air filter - VW GTI front brakes (312mm) - Forge rear strut brace - Whiteline rear anti-roll bar - Milltek stainless steel exhaust - KW 1 coilovers (and lowered the car by approx 30mm) Just to repeat, only the Forge rear strut brace was fitted by myself; the rest were fitted by the reputable Jabbasport, Awesome GTI and JBS Autodesigns/Custom Code. Current output Power: 203bhp @ 4000rpm Torque: 310lb/ft @ 3000rpm Acceleration: 0-60: 6.8-6.9 seconds approx 0-100 is probably around 16-17 seconds. Yes, it really shifts in-gear and it accelerates a fair bit faster than a Toyota Celica 1.8VVTi (188bhp) and slightly faster than the FN2 Honda Civic Type R (198bhp). I specifically asked the remap to be as smooth as possible to minimise wheel spin, even if this meant the power figures were pegged back; this they did. As a precautionary measure I had the Peloquin limited slip diff fitted and now it is hard to wheelspin at all: never happens in the dry and it’s quite difficult in the wet. Economy: 45mpg as measured by the pumps. Official combined (on standard power) is 53mpg. Since the modifications in August 2010 I have run the car exclusively on Shell V-Power/Nitro Diesel to provide extra protection to the engine (I keep receipts as I use them to reclaim VAT on fuel for business purposes). The sale of the car includes: - winter tyres x 4 (Egale Ultra Grip 205/45R16 83H - plenty of tread) - spare Pipercross air filter (lifetime use, but I bought a spare just in case) - spare headlight bulbs x 2 (Skoda replaced the wrong ones!) - Haynes manual The winter tyres offer superior braking in the wet, below 7C and of course on snow. In fact, they are inferior to summer tyres only on perfectly dry tarmac above 20C or so. I recommend Nov-Mar for the winter tyres. Last service: 90k service (@89,668 miles) on 31/7/13 - includes a cambelt change (done by Skoda after every 4 years) MOT: expires end of September 2014. Taxed: end of September 2014 (or will be when I can buy a new disc!) Service history: Full Skoda service history (Chester and Crewe dealers). Misc: - aircon regassed by Skoda in 2012, though I don’t think I have the receipt - I am NOT interested in a part exchange, sorry! - The car had a private plate on it until last month, which is why the Custom Code power run has a different licence plate on it. This private plate is now off the car and so is not included with the sale. Phil Latham 0794 777 444 3 I live between Northwich and Chester (CW8 postcode)

I do plenty of miles in 6th on the motorway so I don't think it would be a 'lack of use' issue. Also, it does not stick all the time, so every change from 6th to 5th does not suffer.

On my 05 plate Fabia vRs I've just noticed that when I change from 6th to 5th the gear seems to 'stick' and won't always slot into 5th - any ideas what this could be? It doesn't happen from 5th to 6th or any other gear change combination other than changing down from 6th to 5th. It feel as if the gear lever is hitting an edge of a tunnel (difficult to describe!) and on the motorway it's beginning to annoy me. Any suggestions greatly appreciated! Thanks.

I have the 312mm conversion and found they spongy for a while (presumably until they bedded in) but a year and 8000 miles on they are great. If I was forced to do one mod only on my vRS, the 312s would be it.

I have 312mm upgrade (with std OE pads) and it is a LOT better than the 288s. Even if your car has not been remapped I would recommend the upgrade as it makes the car stop very very quickly. I would much rather be 'over-braked' than 'under-braked'.

178bhp petrol? BORING! Skoda's original vRS was a cheeky yet innovative attempt at a warmish hatch powered by diesel. I wouldn't say it cornered the market, but it definitely introduced a (then) new concept in motoring. But it now seems that VW don't watch the Skoda marque to be seen as anything other than the budget end of their range. Which is a shame. There is also far too much competition for this car to work. Hot hatches are numerous: Focus RS/ST; Civic Type R; Golf GTI; Leon Cupra; S3 etc. Even the so-called warm hatch market is crowded: Clio Cup; Fiesta ST etc. Skoda have missed a trick here. I don't know VW have forced their hand but Skoda bringing out a 178bhp petrol car lacks imagination and offers nothing new or innovative.

Take it to a rolling road and for 70 quid or so you will know the bhp and nm figures. End of discussion................

Which is why 300bhp Porsches all have teeny weeny brake discs................

I had an Accord Type R (209bhp, LSD) and now have a vRS (remapped, Peloquin diff, 312mm brakes, Whiteline RARB, Milltek decat etc). I liked the Type R handling, the VTEC sound and the general feel of the car. I didn't like 30mpg. The vRS is NOT a better car other than the mpg. If you want economy, torque or a few sleeper thrills, pick the vRS. If you prefer handling, sound, raw experience, go for the Type R. I do a lot of motorway miles, so the combination of a 190bhp remapped diesel + cruise control is better (for me) than a Type R buzzing at 4000 revs at 75-80mph (and 30mpg). Hope this helps........

simbo99 -> funny!! I am glad it is not just me who finds text speak annoying when used outside of a mobile phone. thx lol

OK, will do