Just wanted to trough this out there!I’ve got two Octavia elegances, both silver both exactly the same apart from on is a 110TDI and the other is a PD130 with a 6 speed box!I had the TDI for a few years now and it was only by chance that I was offered the PD so I bought it.The problem is I don’t like it, not compared to the TDI which has been re mapped.The TDI has done 185 00 an is a good as the day it was made and the PD has 120 00 on the clock with the cam belt just done and a fully history.Where the dilemma comes in is the PD is so sluggish low down compared to the TDI and to be honest the TDI is a better car.I was going to use the PD130 engine in a left hand drive 4x4 diesel with all the RS trim on it and then do a 240bhp conversion on it! But the problem arises that I don’t want to be disappointed with it once it’s done as I have been with the standard PDThere is nothing wrong with the engine before anyone says "are you sure the car is ok" lolBut im thinking of swapping this PD for a good TDI!So what id like to know from you guys is....Is this a viable option?I know the PD is the more desirable car and to be fair its lovely on the motorway and it goes like stink, just prefer the TDIIm presuming the PD is worth more that a TDI so I should be able to get a good TDI for the PD but it would have to be nowhere near having a cam belt done and a full history.Or isn’t this a viable option for me?

Swapping the 2 engines isn't plug and play by a long shot.

No lol I mean swaping the whole car with someone who has a TDI!

I agree, the pd130 octavia does feel quite lifeless and sluggish in standard form, I got a generic remap on mine and it changed massivly, so much more torque and high end power where it was really lacking.

I wasn't dissapointed with mine in fact the person who bought my car was supprised at just how much torque was available and how tought and firm it was with 131k on the clock, just goes to show a little money and time and you can turn it into something fun

So i must be the only one who thinks totally the opposite?

My 110 Octavia had much less low down torque than my current PD130 Superb.

I am again puzzled by these comments - as I have experienced a 110 and a 130, the 130 destroys it everywhere. Slow off the mark - certainly not, the low down torque is by any standards immense. It is odd, unless my car has been remapped by the previous owner, or perhaps there are good and bad examples of the 'same' engine out there? I'm sure a remapped 110 would outshine a standard 130 though.

Dont get me wrong it pulls like a train even from as low as 2000rpm in 6th,.Its just below 2000 when it suffers, pulling out of junctions, you get all the power after you actually pulled out.Where as the 110 will pull from 1000rpm in 5th its got soo much low down.Like others have said though the PD will destroy the 110 on the motorway but to get the best out of the PD you need to be always swapping cogs and pushing it, a bit like the old E30 M3.Where as the 110has it all, all the timePlus!My PD only gets 48mpg at best 38 odd on short journeys round town the 110 never drops below 54 ish even if you push it.

Correct me if im wrong but has the PD got a larger turbo than the 110?

Would explain a lot!

It's the same I believe, the difference in power is down to the PD injectors.

Again I've had no concerns pulling out either, provided I judge the available traction correctly. It's no rocket ship, but I came to it from a 200bhp 4wd, so I'd notice if it was slow!I wonder if it is down to driving style?Perhaps ASR (or whatever you have) is killing the power?Or there is an excessive delay in the ECU recognising your foot has come off the brake?

Its just below 2000 when it suffers, pulling out of junctions, you get all the power after you actually pulled out.

I think I know what you mean - and I also think it's down to driving style or, more precisely, how you are using the gears. Peak torque on the PD130 is at 1900, but it's a steep rise to that point. On ours I try to avoid going below 1500 rpm, although I need to for 1st and 2nd gears, but there is nothing that low so it is easy to be caught out if you're not prepared to change down.

to get the best out of the PD you need to be always swapping cogs

That's something I've realised - fortunately I enjoy taking an active part in driving and so it isn't a problem for me, but I can see that drivers who want to take it easy might feel what you've described.

My PD only gets 48mpg at best 38 odd on short journeys round town the 110 never drops below 54 ish even if you push it.

Yeah that seems common - I'd rather have the better performance and much more fun driving in the countryside than the extra fuel economy so it suits me well but wouldn't be so good for folks with other preferences.

Im not oppssed to changing gear loads, ive had to put up with that, infact enjoyied that in the M3's that ive had.But its just the pulling out of junctions that gets me, every thing else is fine and motorway is a blast.Its just the pulling out you either rev the hell out of it to get out quick or just pull out normal and get all the torque mid junction and probably some wheel spin.But does a re-map solve this?or not really?was going to get a generic map just to give it that bit more umpff not a custom one due to the time and price.

Im thinking of getting a generic re map due to the time and cost involved of a custom one but does anyone know if it helps at all below the 1900rpm mark?If not im going to get rid of it and buy another TDI or BMW

my generic map certainly felt much improved than the standard map however I wouldn't expect there to be much of a difference before the turbo starts to spin up. Personally I would get the CAT removed first as it should be quite cheap todo and if you still want more get the generic remap

You can see from my generic map it was on full torque by 2,000rpm, the blue lines show a generic remap with oem exhaust the other colours are generic remap with miltek exhaust & decat pipe

But its just the pulling out of junctions that gets me [...] you either rev the hell out of it to get out quick or just pull out normal and get all the torque mid junction and probably some wheel spin.

I'm trying to work out what you're doing that's different from me.

I checked this morning, 1st gear is good up to an indicated 30 mph, and if you're in a hurry you can get there pretty quickly, so if you're starting from stopped there's no real problem whether you want to make a quick get away or whether you pull away in a more deliberate or sedate fashion.

It's fairly obvious that there's a lot of torque, so if you're indelicate with the accelerator, then the power can come in with a rush. On the other hand it's not difficult to smooth that out by controlling the accelerator, and I've only had the start of wheel spin when I've been a bit rough with my right foot.

When you say "rev hell out of it" what precisely do you mean? I ask because I've seen some drivers use a lot of revs before bringing up the clutch, which normally indicates a degree of anxiousness.

I drive normally,it's just when you need to pull out quick.

Like where I live is on a blind junction going out onto a 60 mph road so you need to get over the first 10feet of road pretty quick and this is where the problem lies.

Once your over the first half of the road you get over the magical1900 rpm and the car flies,it's just this intial bit that frustrates me.

I've had the old e46 320d which is also 130bhp and had no issues with that,it was like driving a torquey petrol car with no lag what so ever!

The same as my tdi but the pd is totally different

I'm not saying it's not torquey or quick because it is it's just not what I expected of a diesel with this much torgue or bhp

the other thing is if I remove the cat I'd have to have a custom re map to stop the turbo overspooling.

Edited 28 November, 200916 yr by dannyboy759
Added to

is it not a good idea to get a de-cat without mapping then?! I may have to put plans on hold...

I never had a problem after I de-cat'd mine, infact when I sold the car it had done well over 10,000miles on a generic map and a decat with only an n75 fault which cost about £30 to fix.

Do you have traction control (ASR etc.) on yours Dannyboy, have you tried turning it off?Have a play and see if it feels better?I think mine has ASR (& EDL?) but not stability control (or whatever it's called).The ASR is very unobtrusive on mine and allows some excessive right foot before cutting in.

No its not the ASR, its just how the car is, i drove another PD130 the other day and its exactly the same, so ive booked it in for a remap!

Ah - driver error (wink).

I'm am now seriously worried that my car is remapped - I thought it was surprisingly quick for only 130horses but I put it down to the torque. Do I investigate or not - insurance blah blah - ignorance is bliss I think.

Mine is quick especially mid to top end and to be fair even up from 1900rpm it is fairly rapid, but like i say just pulling out of junctions.

Still seems odd. I mean you can't accelerate out a junction quicker than the available grip will allow, and the engine (obviously) is capable of spinning the wheels through several gears no problem. It still sounds to me like something is causing some examples to bog down. Guess we'll never know.

Still seems odd. I mean you can't accelerate out a junction quicker than the available grip will allow, and the engine (obviously) is capable of spinning the wheels through several gears no problem. It still sounds to me like something is causing some examples to bog down. Guess we'll never know.

I'm also confused - it's not a question of changing up 1st to 2nd too soon, is it? I know that things bog down a lot if you've changed up to 2nd such that the engine speed is too low ... so my solution is to use quite a bit of 1st gear when I need to pull away quickly.