MC Bodge

What is the dogbone insert for? Engine mount??

You appear to be taking this a little personally! FWIW, my Mk4 Mondeo (Edge model, non "sports" suspension) had a great ride and handling compromise on 16" wheels. Our Fiesta Zetec rides more comfortably over rough surfaces than my Octavia.... I have no need for a vRS. The 1.4 is a great, smooth engine with more than adequate performance and excellent economy. The handling isn't t bad at all. It's just not as good as I've had previously, albeit far better than my Mk1 vRS (which went like stink after a 98ron remap) I like to tinker with things and to tweak them a little. I'm not intending to fit ARBs at this stage, but it's interesting to know what is available and what others have done. Maybe it isn't the ideal car for me, but the ideal car - the standard Mondeo driver's car- doesn't really exist anymore.

Interesting stuff, thanks. Ps. Now you mention it, wheel hop/traction off the line during a quick start is also an issue, especially in the wet, although I had suspected the tyres. Again, our ye olde Fiesta and the Mondeos hooked-up well off the line.

Part of the reason for going for an Octavia after having two Mondeos was due to the Mondeo handling no longer being that great. I was also interested in having a smaller, but still spacious car (The Focus too small) , although I would have considered a Superb if one had come up at the right price and spec. The 1.4TSI is also excellent. Ps. I went from a Mk1 Octavia vRS to a Mk3 Mondeo diesel some years ago and the chassis and steering were vastly better. The Mk3 Octavia is a big improvement over the Mk1.

I've now had my 1.4TSI Octavia estate for a few months. Whilst the steering and handling aren't bad and it covers ground quite well if driven hard, it does require a bit of muscling (albeit fairly light steering) and doesn't quite "feel" or respond to cornering how I might expect it to. My previous car was a Mk4 Mondeo estate, which handled very well for a car of its size. I know that the rear suspension was far more sophisticated than the torsion beam in the Octavia, which can be noticed when hitting bumps mid-corner. Is the independent rear suspension noticeably different to drive? We also have a 56plate Fiesta Zetec (the angular one) , which has a simple torsion beam rear. The Fiesta handles brilliantly, far better than the Mk1 Fabia we had previously and grips well and would dance around the Octavia. The Octavia appears to display a slight reluctance to turn in and in a mid-bend situation doesn't have a lot of feel. It also tends to understeer/breakaway at the front, albeit gently. I've played around with the tyre pressures and 36F 33R did improved things. I may further increase the front pressure. Tyres are Nexen blue(?) Front and OEM Eco contact rear, which will be replaced with Rainsport or Eagles in the near future. I'm assuming that the Mondeo had an element of passive rear steer that the Octavia doesn't. An anti roll bar on the back could help a little with turn-in, but could be detrimental to the already slightly harsh rear ride.

Having driven the car a bit normally and now managed a test-drive to give the brakes a work-out (within the bounds of the local traffic/roads at lunchtime), subjective impressions are: The new Ferodo Premier Eco brake pads appear to bite hard. Prodding the pedal activates the ABS. Being a bit more progressive produces strong deceleration. (any genuine extra braking power will, of course, generate more heat. Those air ducts would be good) Under the - admittedly limited- load cycles applied, the brakes became warm and there was no sign of fading. Ideally, I'd do a few hard stops from 100+mph ...if I could use a runway or a closed section of the M6 and a few laps of a hilly track.

I noticed earlier that whilst reversing towards a tree, the reverse sensor was bleeping, but the "driving aid" radar display was not visible. The DAB radio remained on the display. It's possible that my wife or one of the children may have changed something. I had a quick look through the menus, but couldn't see an obvious setting to change it. Any ideas?

I've noticed that some other cars have big discs on the rear too. Coming from a Mk4 Mondeo, I never experienced any fade and that was driven exuberantly at times, including fully laden on the autobahnen and chasing the locals over the Alps.

The rear discs are approx. 250mm as measured with a ruler, by eye, with the wheels.

Less brake bias towards the rear (more braking up front) will be less inclined to lock up the rear wheels. I will need to measure my Octavia discs, although they look small.

Interesting, thanks. Its a shame that the 1.4TSI estate doesn't get the bigger brakes (and IRS), although I suppose that the vast majority of people would never reach the point of brake fade and the assumption being that "keen drivers" would pay the premium for the GT# models, although even few of them would be driven in a way that treated the brakes hard. Ps. Similarly for the rear suspension. Few drivers would notice the difference. Encountering a mid-bend bump being where I notice it most, as the back end skips out.

Thanks. It seems to be a good idea. Ps. Would there be any issue with fitting only the bigger front discs? F:R Brake balance would presumably be affected.

I finally got around to getting the wheels off to fit the Ferodo FDB4433 front pads. The discs are 288mm vented, which is good news if I do decide to fit the discs and carriers that it should have had from the factory. The pistons were easy to press back in, the new pads fitted the carriers very well. I gave the calipers a light paint with black smoothrite to neaten them up a little. I gave good bite and performance immediately on the bedding-in drive. I'm tempted to try those air ducts and give the brakes a bleed too.

Good info. I have not had brake fade since my second hand Mk1 Mondeo in the late 90s that had presumably been fitted with cheapo aftermarket pads. I'll hopefully get chance to have a look at my brakes and fit the Ferodo pads this Weekend. Did you have any issues with the cooling ducts at MOT time?

Here are my brake discs

Thanks for the info and GTI OEM kit would be ideal. I'll measure the discs when I get around to fitting my Ferodo Premier Eco pads (and probably change the brake fluid) Assuming that I have the 288 Fronts (I'd hope so, on an estate). if it is not just a swap of the discs and carriers, I'll probably just leave them as is -I don't get the opportunity to do much hard, mountainous driving these days.

Is the 312mm front just a case of fitting bigger discs and different caliper carriers with the same calipers?

I had a 1.6tdi Seat Arona rental on holiday. Gutsy mid-range, but horrible off the mark and off boost. The TSI is far nicer.

I had a Seat Arona (Ibiza crossover thingy) 1.6TDI on holiday in Spain. The engine was unresponsive, but had very good mid range pull, as you might expect. It rode far better than my Octavia, and was quite good along forest dirt roads. On road, however, it rolled and initially understeered far more than my Octavia. When driven hard and once set up in a bend on mountain roads it improved. I think I'd prefer a Fabia estate. My Octvia felt quite pleasant to return to, other than the ride over bumps.

Without adjustable or custom tuned dampers, I suspect not.

It seems to be the damping that is the problem. We have a 56 reg Fiesta Zetec with quite firm springs and a rear torsion beam, which is a great handler, but rides bumps and ripples far better than my Octavia.

My Mk4 Mondeo Edge Estate (in that odd mushroom/silver colour) was on steel 16" wheels. I removed the wheel trims and periodically painted the rims with Black smoothrite. I had also fitted a pair of Hella FF50 (with HID conversions) driving lamps in neat cut-outs in the grille. It wasn't flash and was known to friends as the unmarked Police car. It rode and handled superbly for such a large car. The best car I've owned. The Mk3 Octavia is pleasant, steers well driven hard, has a fantastic TSI150 engine and a better size for UK roads, but a step down in ride quality, suspension bump compliance, braking, and wind noise.

When I was looking for a used estate I was interested in a Superb. The Superbs were far more expensive than the Octavias, though . The biggest loads I carry are when we go camping and with a roof box the Octavia can haul everything we need. The Octavia is also easier to park than a bigger and wider car in UK parking spaces.

There is that. A fully laden 2.0TDCi estate at 130mph took a bit of stopping too, but the brakes worked well. The Mk1 Octavia vRS slowed well from 145mph. Slowing distances are vastly longer from 120+, though. Very few cars are used like that outside of Germany, I suppose. -My cars have had far, far more of a workout over there than they ever get here, given the opportunity for long periods of full throttle. ....and trucks pulling out on you ahead.... The 1.4 TSI should do about 135mph. It would be interesting to try a couple of hard stops from that speed to see how well the brakes cope.

It seems sensible, given that the cars are all the same size and approximate mass.