Hi all,

i know that there are loads of threads/comments and thoughts on this subject, but for me as a total novice and duffer extraordinaire, it can get a bit baffling.

Ive always been under the impression that 'chipping' a car was traditionally the best way to add some performance. Since joining briskoda ive learned of something totally alien to me... remapping. Now before i was the proud owner of my 04vRS i owned a freelander hence the reason i know nothing of performance blah de blah de blah!

I always was under the impression that if you chipped your car, kiss the engine goodbye as it kills it eventually, now most of you who have modded the vRS have had a cupra intake & a remap done....

What i need to know is

1 which is best, chip or remap

2 does it make a huge difference if i have the cupra intake & mod

3 will any mod like this damage the engine in any way shape or form (any drawbacks to having it done)

4 is there a preferred manufacturer that you guys know & use

thats about it really.....

oh yeah,

4 does it affect the warranty if any of the above has been done

5 can any duffer with practically no spanner turning experience (like me!) do the mods???

now that really is it lol.

once again, i appreciate any advice, comments or suggestions given

cheers

Andy

Hi all' date='

i know that there are loads of threads/comments and thoughts on this subject, but for me as a total novice and duffer extraordinaire, it can get a bit baffling.

Ive always been under the impression that 'chipping' a car was traditionally the best way to add some performance. Since joining briskoda ive learned of something totally alien to me... remapping. Now before i was the proud owner of my 04vRS i owned a freelander hence the reason i know nothing of performance blah de blah de blah!

I always was under the impression that if you chipped your car, kiss the engine goodbye as it kills it eventually, now most of you who have modded the vRS have had a cupra intake & a remap done....

What i need to know is

1 which is best, chip or remap

2 does it make a huge difference if i have the cupra intake & mod

3 will any mod like this damage the engine in any way shape or form (any drawbacks to having it done)

4 is there a preferred manufacturer that you guys know & use

thats about it really.....

oh yeah,

4 does it affect the warranty if any of the above has been done

5 can any duffer with practically no spanner turning experience (like me!) do the mods???

now that really is it lol.

once again, i appreciate any advice, comments or suggestions given

cheers

Andy[/quote']

Hi Andy, if you use the search forums you'll find this has been covered an awful lot of time before, just to give you a quick run down...

You can get your car remapped yes, usually in the region of 170-195 bhp, to obtain 195 though you would need a cupra intake and a green panel filter, (

1. Most tuning for the Skoda is done via OBD and is therefore a remap.

2. There is a huge debate about the PD160 mod, I have it and like it.

3. There is always a risk of damaging your engine when pushing it to the limits.

4. REVO, Jabba and AMD seem popular.

4a. Of course.

5. PD160 Mod is easy, follow the how to guide. Remapping is a pro's job.

Hope this helps.

Whats the difference between a tuning box & a remap then???? or am i retreading old ground??? sorry to ask such bone questions, but i really dont have a clue!

In tuning box as often talked about on here is normally a device to insert a resistance into the fuel system electronics causing over fueling.

A remap will be modified software loaded onto the ECU via the OBD port.

In tuning box as often talked about on here is normally a device to insert a resistance into the fuel system electronics causing over fueling.

A remap will be modified software loaded onto the ECU via the OBD port.

sorry to be a pain in the bum stu but which one is the best one to go for.... im very conscious of the warranty etc. The dragon tuning box is removeable, handy when taking it into the dealers if a problem develops... you can just remove it presumably??? not v good at turning spanners im afraid lol.

do tuning boxes damage the engine in any way shape or form???

on the insurance note, ive just checked with my insurers (tesco) who told me to add the cupra intake and the dragon tuning box (i already have a green panel filter) would only be an increase of

Have a look here

many thanks jimmy, its just so confusing all the remap vs chips. All i want is to add a little bhp without compromising the engine life expectancy....seeing as ive only got 5k on my 04 fabia vRS i dont want it to go in because im being stupid!!!!

reading that post, the one to go for is a digital unit from dragon isnt it.....

thanks for everyones input..... really glad i asked the question as i didnt have a clue...(not so sure that i do now, but there you go!!!)

Andy

I would personnally consider something like the REVO/AMD if you want a removable option. They do more than just over fuel the car.

Andy, it's all down to personal choice tbh and each method has it's pros and cons. Please bear in mind though that whatever you do 'might' compromise engine life expectancy as the vehicle is being altered from the manufacturers recomended set-up. It's unlikely I know and the shear number of vehicles that have been modified within the VAG range is testiment to that but it is still a risk that you need to be aware of. Other than that go and enjoy!!!

I would personnally consider something like the REVO/AMD if you want a removable option. They do more than just over fuel the car.

But my understanding of remaps for TDI's suggests to me that remapping doesnt really do all that much more than overfuel either - thats where most of the power comes from. The turbo boost is increased to allow slightly more fuel without smoking.

The Dragon Digital box will give around 30 bhp extra, a remap might give 35-40 bhp extra. Is that extra 5-10 bhp worth 2x or more of the cost? (and bear in mind the tuning box is also much safer for your warranty, and because it doesnt increase boost pressure, may even be slightly safer for the health of your car).

I think the map would be more of a balanced setup though, with adjustments suited to accept the over fueling.

I'm not saying that the Dragon box isn't any good and I fact i'd be interested to see one in action.

Remap is ultimately better, but my analogue tuning box has bought me 20bhp extra for 30 quid - I can't justify spending 10x plus that for a remap to get an extra 10-20bhp

At the end of the day, any mod will cause additional stress to the engine, so it's up to you how much you want to spend. The main advantage of a tuning box is that it can be removed/transferred to any other PD car so is a very cheap mod

Chris

And the dealer can tell if a remap's been done, a removable, external mod can be removed for warranty claims

A REVO/AmD One click remap can be removed, here is a dyno of my previous car, a Mondeo TDCi Zetec S with a dragon digital tuning box on, impressive results if a lot of black smoke , I personally do prefer a remap as you will get better performance and IMO since it is set up specifically for your car you should not experience any more issues than with a tuning box, and argueably on a custom map you should get less if the guy doing it knows what he is talking about as he is able to hold back the power somewhat at certain stages in the rev range where the clutch would slip for example. Having said all of that my custom remap can be found and it isnt easily removable. If I were going the tuning box route, hand on heart there is no better digital tuning box (better than analogue) than the Dragon unit.

If I were going the tuning box route, hand on heart there is no better digital tuning box (better than analogue) than the Dragon unit.

Have you looked at the Bromley Tunit boxes? These are apparently even more adjustable than the Dragon ones, but the problem is they weigh in at the same price as a remap!

Chris

Yes they are again better, and can apparently accomodate modifications, but at that price when I had my Mondeo anyway I could of bought a Dastek Unichip and paid for the 3 hours of rolling road to get it mapped correctly.

well guys, ive now won my bid for the dragon tuning box on ebay and will expect delivery in a couple of days.... about the same time it will take for my cupra inlet pipe & trumpet to arrive.... cant wait to fit them all...

will let you know what i think of the performance increases... although i may have a touch of the placebo effect. hope not, its cost me

I was watching that item! Good job we didn't get into a bidding war

Waiting impatiently to see what your impressions of the Dragon are.

will let you know what i think of the performance increases... although i may have a touch of the placebo effect. hope not, its cost me

well guys, ive now won my bid for the dragon tuning box on ebay and will expect delivery in a couple of days.... about the same time it will take for my cupra inlet pipe & trumpet to arrive.... cant wait to fit them all...

will let you know what i think of the performance increases... although i may have a touch of the placebo effect. hope not, its cost me

Not fitted it yet, waitin till my birthday ( the big 25 hense cheaper insurance.) before i fit it.

I wouldn't get your hopes up about cheaper insurance at 25 I'm pinning my hopes on the big 30, but I suspect I'll be disappointed all over again

Chris

I am 26 soon and noticed an

I wouldn't get your hopes up about cheaper insurance at 25 I'm pinning my hopes on the big 30' date=' but I suspect I'll be disappointed all over again

Chris[/quote']

You will be