Having read through the various forums and being located close to Shark Performance they are my obvious choice of remap. That said how do you choose a remap provider? Most of the Fabia Mk2 vRS Stage 1 remaps claim about the same increase but it is not easy to compare the actual plots. Is there a place where the remaps are compared?

If distance was not an issue who would you go for?

I had remap done on 320CDI and Im really happy with what was done. Gain in mpg from 28-30 avg mpg to 34-40 avg mpg. Previosly I was driving like grandpa to save and now I do push it of lights and enjoy every minute in it and I avg 33mpg in a city. Smoother power band and it was changed above 1800rpm to leave idle and lower band untouched.

I would suggest you place that dont claim the highest gains. Ive seen places where shows high gains but the graph is not as smooth as it should. Its better to dont over-do-it as after all it still put more "pressure" on components. I had mine done at http://www.eliteremaps.com/ - highly recommend.

Dave really knows what he is doing.

For me distance wasn't an issue and neither was cost. I found this the hardway on my last car which i started with Superchips Bluefin because it was cheaper and could be done at home. It wasn't cheaper in the end though, i ended up changing tuner to get the car performing as intended/expected.

For me when it came to mapping my car there were only three options i would consider as worth spending my money on:

Shark Performance

APR

P-Torque

P-Torque were really slow on replying to mail and requests etc, and so i stopped asking for info. Choosing between APR and Shark Performance was a much harder choice for me. They both have the same tuning ethos which is safe, reliable and progressive performance increases, whereas IMO alot of other companies try to sell maps off of 'ours make the most Hp' methods, which i think is a recipe for repair bills and they both produce excellent software.

I went with Shark Performance in the end, as i like their tuning ethos, i like the fact that they pride themselves on customer service and aftercare(which is very very important when your talking of remaps IMO), and mostly as i had used them before on my Octavia, where i travelled 370 miles (Return journey and a whole days tuning logging-so ALOT of fuel) to have them change my car from Superchips bluefin Stage 2+ to the Shark Performance Stage 3, and that was worth the extra cost of changing tuner, such was the improvement so i new what i was dealing with. I even travelled the same 370 mile journey with the Fabia to get her mapped. Now its alot better as i only live 22 mile away from their HQ now instead of down south so its even easier.

I know what you mean when you say its hard to compare power outputs, claims and dyno graphs etc, as there are so many variables.

I for one only pay attention to DynoDynamics or BAPRO rolling roads for figures as so far in my experience they are the only few which give realistic tuned readings as well as accurate stock readings. Far to many guys quote these huge figures from dynos which are comical, and get very upset if someone says otherwise, id prefer to quote low and surprise more people tbh.

I have some dyno graphs here from a JKM rolling road day which should help with comparison

My Shark Performance Fabia Stage 2

Jasons REVO Stage 2 Ibiza Cupra (ran straight after me)

Morks REVO Stage 1 (Blue =stage 1, red=stock)

Big grays Stage 1 Shark is on here somewhere, although im not sure where, but he made 200hp exactly iirc.

I should have my intercooler fitted very very soon, and with any luck ill also have the full TBE exhaust, water radiator, oil cooler done before xmas. Then ill be getting the fully fledged Shark stage 2 remap. Then after xmas its heatwrap on the downpipe and manifold, turbo heat shield, water meth injection and a intercooler water spray system. Key to good power on these engines is heat management. Once ive got everything in place.....i might be looking at hybrid turbos!!

+1 for a map by Shark, I honestly can't fault it or the service from the Shark team

Stage 1 on the Cupra

There is a down side to it though... You'll end up wanting more

Gray

Thanks for the great responses.

Shark sound like a great bunch to go to. Lots of good write ups on here about them and had a swift response to a query I emailed them.

I think what I really need to understand inorder to justify a remap is what is the real world difference it makes, max bhp and torque don't actually mean very much (to me at least) they are just a quick way of quantifying the increase. A dyno graph is good but having never had a remap I just don't know what that change in line actually equates to.

Will probably head over to them at some point to have a chat about it.

Im in Chilwell just outside derby if you want a try in mine.

With remaps people often look at 0-60 improvements as an indication of how much better, but realistically its the in gear 30-50mph and 50-70mph etc increments that are improved upon the most and this is how the car gets driven everyday.

Thanks for the great responses.

Shark sound like a great bunch to go to. Lots of good write ups on here about them and had a swift response to a query I emailed them.

I think what I really need to understand inorder to justify a remap is what is the real world difference it makes, max bhp and torque don't actually mean very much (to me at least) they are just a quick way of quantifying the increase. A dyno graph is good but having never had a remap I just don't know what that change in line actually equates to.

Will probably head over to them at some point to have a chat about it.

what you see from Si's graph is there are noticable increases accross the rev range, so (as you say , max power doesn't mean anything) if you compaire it to a stock graph, the gains are there from about 2,500 up.... so any kind of driving at most rev ranges is going to give you better response....30-50 , 50-70 ect ect... not just 0-60's ect...

Im in Chilwell just outside derby if you want a try in mine.

With remaps people often look at 0-60 improvements as an indication of how much better, but realistically its the in gear 30-50mph and 50-70mph etc increments that are improved upon the most and this is how the car gets driven everyday.

Thanks for the offer, once I have finally got mine and used to it I may look at taking you up on the offer. Nothing better than a direct comparison.

As I am new to the area can you point me towards a decent road where I can appreciate the car (as long as the weather doesn't kill the experience)?

what you see from Si's graph is there are noticable increases accross the rev range, so (as you say , max power doesn't mean anything) if you compaire it to a stock graph, the gains are there from about 2,500 up.... so any kind of driving at most rev ranges is going to give you better response....30-50 , 50-70 ect ect... not just 0-60's ect...

I understand the graph but it is equating that to a difference in how the car drives and responds which I will struggle with. Thanks to the offer from janner it looks like I will be able to compare directly. It is the 30-50, 50-70 etc that I am really interested in as these are the more real world conditions.

Can't wait for the car to get here, it will be such a change from the mk1 estate I currently run around in.

As I am new to the area can you point me towards a decent road where I can appreciate the car (as long as the weather doesn't kill the experience)?

There's not really much around Nottingham/Derby IMO. However, if you get out into Derbyshire (Matlock, Buxton, the A515 is quite a nice drive of an evening but it's quite high up and exposed so probably not great in winter), or even Leicestershire (I've found some fun backroads entirely by accident around Shepshed and Coalville). None of them are "top speed" roads, but can be a bit of fun accelerating between corners and chucking your car around.

Has anyone been remapped by 'chippedire' in Dublin? Asking as its a fairly nearby option for me.