If you're happy with me popping down for a chat, get some prices and see whats involved then i think i might just do that This is something i'm planning on doing over the next few months, so wont be an immediate thing.

*edit*

Just had a look at the website, so go the prices.

My Fabia as 120k on the clock, and although it has been services at the skoda dealership every year (it wasn't mine at that point, but i have some scary expensive receipts to show whats been done) i'm slightly worried that i may be killing it by remapping. The car drives perfectly at the moment, got to swich out the front arb bushing as its knocking but other than that its perfect. A remap isn't going to push this over the edge is it?

So long as it's been looked after, you shouldn't have any major problems, and we don't have to go mad with it

We're open 'til 4-5pm today if you're around, but any time just pop down.

Hi all,

I've been scouting around for some Fabia experts and here seems like the best place I've had my 1.9tdi 100bhp since nov last year and recently i've been thinking about selling it and getting something a little sportier etc.

Anyway, long story short i did a little research and found out my engine is basically a toned down version of the VRS, so with a little tweeking/mapping i can get a bit more umph from it without the worry of it breaking due to being overpowered etc etc. Also i understand i can improve the handling a massive amount with just a few changes. Here goes with my questions (there's a couple!)

Power: There seems to be a number of things you can buy that goes inline with the ecu (as i understand it) which gives a flat bhp increase. Most seem to be about 30bhp. Is one of these gizmos something i should be aiming to get, or am i looking for a complete remap?

Handling: The first fabia i drove was my girlfriends old car. She got herself a little 1.2 petrol a few years back, the 3 cylinder one. Other than the awesome power it had oozing from everywhere(!) It was an understeering nightmare. Mine is a lot better, which i imagine is due to the much heavier lump under the bonnet. Mine also rolls a little through the corners which is to be expected as its not the vrs version. I'm planning a switch of wheels, 16" probably (i have the standard 14" steels on atm), the Cupra console bushes as i hear these make a big difference and i'm probably going to lower the car by about 30mm.

So, i really would appreciate if you could let me know what sort of things should/can i be doing to my engine to get a bit more poke from it and is there anything other than what i mentioned above that i could do to improve the handling?

Thanks in advance! <3

I've just spend aaages searching these forums to answer myself but not really getting anywhere - i have learned that a cupra intake is also a worthwhile investment

HI man,

there is little problem with increased performance. once you remap, you get 40% extra torque which is nice. First thing you need is better clutch. Once, you upgraded clutch you wreck everything else. Wheel axles are not designed for such a torque !!! differentials gear wheels neither. There is rule of thumb. "A drivetrain (suspension) must be faster than the engine." In other words, what is point of increased torque/power if you crash in first corner ) That is big problem what most power hungry drivers don't realise. So count with me...remap 400£ (not any pseudo-remap by Arnold in his garage), clutch unsure about price, suspension 1k £ ? BAsically, you spend same money like overall price of car. Is it worthy to spend such a money for family car? Furthermore, FAbia is just FWD and has no LSD (LImited Slip differential). I doubt RS version have one. You better to spend money on proper sport car ;-)

If you wish to keep your car long term, you will get lots of trouble later on. Engine is same like RS, except turbo and intake manifold. Engine has lots of potential, but rest of parts are just cheap stock rubbish. That is just little advice from mechanical engineering side.

I like agressive sport driving style. Unfortunatelly, I have found only one car which can cope with my driving style. that car is Subaru Impreza. If I compare fragile design of Skoda with Subaru. I am quite affraid to do anything on my Fabia 1.9TDi.

Dont bother with a pd160 intake £100 out the window. Shark performance map £275 and then your smiling.

definitly lower it, would not bother with a body kit to be honest, my next buy is a RARB as iv heard good things so one of those would be good for you. i would lower it on coilovers if you can rather than springs or shocks and springs. i have just springs on now = poo.

ap coilovers are £400 for the vRS, cant imagine theres much price/product difference for yours

Hope this helps

Elliott

Dont bother with a pd160 intake £100 out the window. Shark performance map £275 and then your smiling.

definitly lower it, would not bother with a body kit to be honest, my next buy is a RARB as iv heard good things so one of those would be good for you. i would lower it on coilovers if you can rather than springs or shocks and springs. i have just springs on now = poo.

ap coilovers are £400 for the vRS, cant imagine theres much price/product difference for yours

Hope this helps

Elliott

hi, what suspension kit do you have man?

doesn't matter how you lower your car once you keep in mind that spring characteristics must match shock absorber characteristics. In other words, spring does most of job, but damper reduces spring oscilation and protects spring from critical compression. They must match together, otherwise you get wrong suspension setup and will be unhappy about this upgrade. most importantly, you can get yourself seriously injured. Put wrong spring/shock absorber and you can only pray ;-) It is very similar to windows operation system "plug&pray" ;-)

Edited 24 May, 201016 yr by sniper29a

No sorry do bother with the pd160 air intake i although there isnt really any massive performance advantage, ask a few people on here and they will tell you get the intake first then the remap.

Hi all,

I've been scouting around for some Fabia experts and here seems like the best place I've had my 1.9tdi 100bhp since nov last year and recently i've been thinking about selling it and getting something a little sportier etc.

Anyway, long story short i did a little research and found out my engine is basically a toned down version of the VRS, so with a little tweeking/mapping i can get a bit more umph from it without the worry of it breaking due to being overpowered etc etc. Also i understand i can improve the handling a massive amount with just a few changes. Here goes with my questions (there's a couple!)

Power: There seems to be a number of things you can buy that goes inline with the ecu (as i understand it) which gives a flat bhp increase. Most seem to be about 30bhp. Is one of these gizmos something i should be aiming to get, or am i looking for a complete remap?

Handling: The first fabia i drove was my girlfriends old car. She got herself a little 1.2 petrol a few years back, the 3 cylinder one. Other than the awesome power it had oozing from everywhere(!) It was an understeering nightmare. Mine is a lot better, which i imagine is due to the much heavier lump under the bonnet. Mine also rolls a little through the corners which is to be expected as its not the vrs version. I'm planning a switch of wheels, 16" probably (i have the standard 14" steels on atm), the Cupra console bushes as i hear these make a big difference and i'm probably going to lower the car by about 30mm.

So, i really would appreciate if you could let me know what sort of things should/can i be doing to my engine to get a bit more poke from it and is there anything other than what i mentioned above that i could do to improve the handling?

Thanks in advance! <3

I've just spend aaages searching these forums to answer myself but not really getting anywhere - i have learned that a cupra intake is also a worthwhile investment

Right , here we go

What you need a 100PD % speed 1.9TDi Fabia

Add a remap , nice!!!

PD160 intake , very good , then add a nice panel filter :p just finnishes it off nicely

Lower slightly (as they look like they are on stilts) I did the STR.T kit...Mmmm nice

Then to finnish it all off , the rear ARB!!! One of THE best things you can do for the Fabia

Then that will all equal what I have done to mine

She has done 196K miles

Yes that is correct 196k miles

She was mapped at 90k miles

She returns over 60MPG

She still has the OEM clutch

Yes , that is correct , the OEM clutch

And , well I must say , I have road tested another new Fabai

It has nothing on my little car

Big grins

Sarah

hi, what suspension kit do you have man?

doesn't matter how you lower your car once you keep in mind that spring characteristics must match shock absorber characteristics. In other words, spring does most of job, but damper reduces spring oscilation and protects spring from critical compression. They must match together, otherwise you get wrong suspension setup and will be unhappy about this upgrade. most importantly, you can get yourself seriously injured. Put wrong spring/shock absorber and you can only pray ;-) It is very similar to windows operation system "plug&pray" ;-)

yer i know what your saying dude, i have apex 40mm springs on standard shocks so im never going to be getting the best ride or handling due to the miss matched set up, all im saying is that if the guy has £350 to spend on lowering the car, why not save a bit more, push the budget to say £500 and buy some ap coilovers and have those fitted. i imagine £500 could cover him with that. the thing that annoys me most is that i want to go lower sometimes and cant obviously hence why i want coilovers. at least if he goes for coilovers he can choose the exact high he wants, as he might buy shocks and springs of a certain height and pay similar money, only to find out he does not like the height and wants to go higher/lower.

Just an opinion mind you

yer i know what your saying dude, i have apex 40mm springs on standard shocks so im never going to be getting the best ride or handling due to the miss matched set up, all im saying is that if the guy has £350 to spend on lowering the car, why not save a bit more, push the budget to say £500 and buy some ap coilovers and have those fitted. i imagine £500 could cover him with that. the thing that annoys me most is that i want to go lower sometimes and cant obviously hence why i want coilovers. at least if he goes for coilovers he can choose the exact high he wants, as he might buy shocks and springs of a certain height and pay similar money, only to find out he does not like the height and wants to go higher/lower.

Just an opinion mind you

money doesn't bother me. I am looking for something to play with like on my bike. Unfortunatelly, I have no lift bay in this country so I cannot change various hardnes of springs. Furthermore, shocks are closed up and you cannot play with viscosity of oil inside. But, If I get what what I want it would be racing suspension with value greater than my car LOL I am looking more like for gravel setup. So keep the height of the car, even raise it little bit + proper schock absorber with matching spring hardnes. Unfortunatelly, what I see so far is just suspension kits for smooth road use and for new age racing drivers. Don't tell me if you change damper+ harder spring (most manufacturers claim 70% increase in stiffness) you won't notice response of car on really bad roads. It doesn't matter on most roads of UK. But try to drive in Scottish Highland ;-)

Edited 25 May, 201016 yr by sniper29a

money doesn't bother me. I am looking for something to play with like on my bike. Unfortunatelly, I have no lift bay in this country so I cannot change various hardnes of springs. Furthermore, shocks are closed up and you cannot play with viscosity of oil inside. But, If I get what what I want it would be racing suspension with value greater than my car LOL I am looking more like for gravel setup. So keep the height of the car, even raise it little bit + proper schock absorber with matching spring hardnes. Unfortunatelly, what I see so far is just suspension kits for smooth road use and for new age racing drivers. Don't tell me if you change damper+ harder spring (most manufacturers claim 70% increase in stiffness) you won't notice response of car on really bad roads. It doesn't matter on most roads of UK. But try to drive in Scottish Highland ;-)

im not saying money bothers you am i, im refering to the original post, the guy had said he had a limit of £350 and i was simply saying £500 for suspension and fitting could be a good and a nearly affordable route for him to take.

i also didnt say that if you change the damper and harder springs that you wont notice it on harsh roads, dont know where you got that from.

do you have no lift bay in scotland?

HI man,

there is little problem with increased performance. once you remap, you get 40% extra torque which is nice. First thing you need is better clutch. Once, you upgraded clutch you wreck everything else. Wheel axles are not designed for such a torque !!! differentials gear wheels neither. There is rule of thumb. "A drivetrain (suspension) must be faster than the engine." In other words, what is point of increased torque/power if you crash in first corner ) That is big problem what most power hungry drivers don't realise. So count with me...remap 400£ (not any pseudo-remap by Arnold in his garage), clutch unsure about price, suspension 1k £ ? BAsically, you spend same money like overall price of car. Is it worthy to spend such a money for family car? Furthermore, FAbia is just FWD and has no LSD (LImited Slip differential). I doubt RS version have one. You better to spend money on proper sport car ;-)

If you wish to keep your car long term, you will get lots of trouble later on. Engine is same like RS, except turbo and intake manifold. Engine has lots of potential, but rest of parts are just cheap stock rubbish. That is just little advice from mechanical engineering side.

I like agressive sport driving style. Unfortunatelly, I have found only one car which can cope with my driving style. that car is Subaru Impreza. If I compare fragile design of Skoda with Subaru. I am quite affraid to do anything on my Fabia 1.9TDi.

From a 'mechanical engineering side' things like cars are built with certain tolerances, and certain over engineering. So my 100bhp car is going to be overengineered to handle maybe in the region of 130-150bhp before having to change clutches etc. Yes, if you're going to drive like a nutter everytime you sit behind the wheel, or you use your clutch like its digital (ie. either ON or OFF :p), upgrading the engine is going to cause you issues - but if you're slightly more sensible it won't make a difference. personally i'm not a nutter behind the wheel, although i do have my moments at driving quite hard.

I'm probably going to go for a lowering set (springs/dampers, unlikely i'll get coilovers), replace the wishbone bushes with the cupra ones, rear antiroll bar, remap and the PD160 intakes and leave it like that short term. Then its a waiting game for a reasonable pd130 turbo and 6speed box at a reasonable price, then i'll look into replacing the exhast, clutch, injectors, and egr delete once they arrive. All i all its a long project, and one i may never finish - but will be interesting, and something to spend some pennies on

im not saying money bothers you am i, im refering to the original post, the guy had said he had a limit of £350 and i was simply saying £500 for suspension and fitting could be a good and a nearly affordable route for him to take.

i also didnt say that if you change the damper and harder springs that you wont notice it on harsh roads, dont know where you got that from.

do you have no lift bay in scotland?

already tried to find lift bay. unfortunatelly, nothing found in there

one day I wish to be rich like you guys. Waste such a lot of money for driving like women. It must be some western logic otherwise I don't understand point of spending thousands on mods just to drive carefully. If I decide to mod my car, I will use it for racing or aggresive sport driving. Otherwise, I will spend my money for my racing bike and motorsport encounters like karting ;-) Most important is you have fun and you sponsor racing companies who provide parts for me.

Right , here we go

What you need a 100PD % speed 1.9TDi Fabia

Add a remap , nice!!!

PD160 intake , very good , then add a nice panel filter :p just finnishes it off nicely

Lower slightly (as they look like they are on stilts) I did the STR.T kit...Mmmm nice

Then to finnish it all off , the rear ARB!!! One of THE best things you can do for the Fabia

Then that will all equal what I have done to mine

She has done 196K miles

Yes that is correct 196k miles

She was mapped at 90k miles

She returns over 60MPG

She still has the OEM clutch

Yes , that is correct , the OEM clutch

And , well I must say , I have road tested another new Fabai

It has nothing on my little car

Big grins

Sarah

Ta very much I think i'm going to have a look at exhasts also - i really like the sound of the VRS, it seems a lot deeper than the one i have on mine. Is that sound difference gained from just a decat? I have a very friendly exhast fitter thats already offered to do it for me!

Got any photos of yours?

Ta very much I think i'm going to have a look at exhasts also - i really like the sound of the VRS, it seems a lot deeper than the one i have on mine. Is that sound difference gained from just a decat? I have a very friendly exhast fitter thats already offered to do it for me!

Got any photos of yours?

That was with the OEM wheels

I added the vRS alloys for summer months

Although still on the winter wheels just now

Nothing major , just an origional looking car , that is superb , still after all these miles

Sarah

That's good cause I mainly want to know what the tdi looks like lowered damn iPhone won't show the picture in large scale so I'll check when I get back, looks cute tiny though!!

That's good cause I mainly want to know what the tdi looks like lowered damn iPhone won't show the picture in large scale so I'll check when I get back, looks cute tiny though!!

If you do a Google pic search , my car is the first pic that comes up of a car

My little car`s claim to fame

Sarah

Conveniently yours is the same colour as mine, so it gives me a very good idea of what mine will look like lowered I think I would probably like it a little lower tho, is yours 25mm or 30mm?