Hello everyone. Just registered as a member about a month ago and have found this site to be really informative. Have been searching the web for SKODA sites for the past 6 months since

I got my new Skoda and I must say this is the best.

The car has been great as I expected though I'd like to clarify on some things with you experts.

1.) The stock suspension seems to be a little firm, am I right to say, thus tending to resonate the feel of speed strips pretty bad. Is this a common feature of the Octys or am I in isolation on this?

2.) Are there any ways I could improve on the pickup, perhaps with some reliable modifications like an air intake, filter and exhaust?

Appreciate your valuable comments.

Thanks

Regards

Brandon

Although I drive a vRS, I have been led to believe that the standard Octy suspension is pretty firm, the benefit of course is improved handling. Having said that, I believe us Europeans like our suspension stiffer than people in the Asian market. As for improving the pick up, I'm sure our modders will have plenty of suggestions !

Yes, even the non-vRS Octavias (well, mine, at least) seem very prone to road noise on any but the smoothest tarmac.

There's a thread on tuning options for the 1.6 here which might help.

By the way, welcome to Briskoda :cheers:

welcome to briskoda....

i think the 1.6's do ride quite hard as the engine is very light...

:cheers:

Is it actually a 16v unit you have? AFAIK Skoda don't have a 16v 1.6 unit, preferring to stick with the 8v.

I know of people who have this unit in the MK4 Golf who have found that replacing the air filter element for a K&N one has improved responsiveness and makes a nicer noise. I'd imagine creating extra intake holes in the standard filter housing could improve things too, but I've never tried it so can't confirm.

Replacing it with an induction kit is just one step on from this, but the engine does generate a lot of heat, so it might be advisable to improve the flow of cold air to the filter, and some proper heat shielding.

Not sure how restrictive the standard exhuast is on the 1.6 - manifolds, etc. for the Golf 1.6 should fit, but I think it'll cost a lot for little improvement unless you go for a full-decat.

As for suspension - I think the supension is quite soft but the seats are quite firm. Over speed bumps the car does tend to resonate, but I thought this was more to do with soft dampers than stiff springs...

Rob.

Sincere thanks for your valuable replies gentlemen. They sure will come in helpful and yes mine is the 16v 1.6, the same unit found in the VW Golf and Bora.

I'm going to have that vibration sound at the back checked at my dealer soon though I'm not too optimistic about the returns. If it is the spare tyre though, I'm sure some sponge will fix it.

I'll probably be fitting in the Air Filter Soon though it would be great if some of the tuners could come up with some greater tools to improve the performance.

I keep thinking I should have got the RS.

Still no regrets though. Knew I'd love the car and I sure do. The Superb hasn't been launched in Singapore yet, likely due to the stiff competition it'll pose to the passat though when it does arrive in a couple of years, I'm sure I'll be looking to pick it up.

Hear from you guys soon.

Tata

Was also wondering if the Otteinger Exhaust that the dealer's tuning arm recommended to me would provide useful gains. Any experience on this. How about Supersprint?

Also, would a change of sparkplugs help? Was wondering what the originals were.

AFAIK the 1.6 unit in the Golf and Bora is 8v, certainly in this country.

In all honesty, I don't think there's anything which will provide useful gains - air filter and exhaust changes might make it slightly more responsive, but if you want vRS performance you need the 1.8T engine to start with...

Rob.

This confused me a little to......1.6 8v in Octy, Golf Bora here in UK.

Only 1.6 16v I know of is in the Lupo GTI.

pcmg,

what's your engine rated at....100bhp?

Hi there, just to clarify. The model is confirmed to be 1.6 8v. I believe Brandon is mistaken.

As I have the same model that is sold here in Singapore.

Unless otherwise mistaken.

It should be somewhere between 100-105bhp. Think the 16v in the Lupo is about 115bhp.

Seen many different quotations for how much power mine actually puts out, I guess the only way to see for sure is to get it dyno'd. Somehow doesn't seem worth it though...

Rob.

I think the 1.6 8v (100bhp) was originally introduced in the previous Polo saloon. This was strange as VW also had a 1.4 16v rated at 100bhp. I suppose though they have different characteristics and matched the typical buyer profile.

The latest 1.6 16v has 125bhp which makes the Lupo GTI go like **** off a shovel.

pcmg,

check out previous threads regarding tuning the 1.6 8v. IIRC questions were raised by one of brethen in Singapore......

....I guess I'll be seeing a lot of tuned Octys in Singapore in November then.

Originally posted by SkodiRS in this post

This was strange as VW also had a 1.4 16v rated at 100bhp.

In the Octavia there's also the 1.4 16v and 1.6, both rated at around the same output. Which has made me curious to drive a 1.4 to see if they really are that different (I couldn't feel much difference between the 1.6 and 2.0 either). Pretty rare beasts though...

Edited to add that I'm talking nonsense, the 1.4 is rated at 75bhp. But I still maintain I'm curious to drive one...

Rob.

I've driven one and it's suprisingly sprightly....you do have to revs the nuts off it though.

Had it as a courtsey car.

I thought you had to rev the nuts off any courtesy car

True.

Originally posted by robmawer in this post

It should be somewhere between 100-105bhp. Think the 16v in the Lupo is about 115bhp.

Seen many different quotations for how much power mine actually puts out, I guess the only way to see for sure is to get it dyno'd. Somehow doesn't seem worth it though...

Rob.

This converstation about 16 or 8v has been around before. I'm with Rob in believing that the 1,6 engine is an 8v unit, I think the confusion comes from a "16" badge on the plastic engine cover which in fact (on my 1.6) actually read 1.6 but you had to look really close to see the "." Do you remember that conversation/thread Rob?

As to power output then all the figures I've ever heard quoted have been 101 or 102, I always found it to be a smooth and productive unit, but was surprised by how often I found myself in high rev's terrotory (5.5k +) when wanting "to make good progress"

To be honest I'm not sure that the 1.6 going to be cost effective to make much faster. When you look at the results from a

Yeah, I remember the conversation, as I said it was 16v unit - no real reason why I thought this, other than most new cars seem to have 16v!

It couples well with the transmission, and can spin up the revs smoothly and easily. Indeed, coming home last night along the M61 with music on loud enough that I couldn't hear the engine - well, let's just say that without realising it I could've landed with a spell on public transport...

Lack of turbo really is the main issue with it not being competition for the vRS, but it wouldn't be cost effective to fit one...

Rob.

I think the Golf engine cover has 1.6SR (same as Octy?) on it so it does kind of mislead you into thining it's a 16v.

I think you can do some fairly simple mods but they ain't going to make the Earth move.

If you're serious about really improving the performance talk to Erik at AAT (see Connects forum); I reckon he can help.

Cheers.

Adrian.

Yeah, same cover as the Octy, though the VW badge has been swapped for a Skoda one...

And yes, I noticed Erik was advertising 215bhp out of the 1.4 and 1.6, but I haven't bothered asking as I doubt I could afford it... :(

Rob.

Adding to the confusion...

The 1.4 and 1.6 engines in the Golf and 1.6 engine in the Bora (no 1.4) are 16 valve. The 1.4 in the Mk IV has always been 16v, the 1.6 16v was introduced to both models after using an 8v unit for a couple of years. The auto still retains the 8v engine (or it did last time I had a Golf brochure. I don't look at them too much now since I crossed to the dark side). It seems that Skoda are last in line for the 'better' engine again like the 130 PD engine being introduced only recently to our favourite brand. When I got a new Golf about three years ago (absolute nightmare, Friday car etc etc) I chose the 1.4 16v over the 1.6 8v as the smaller engine just seemed to be a better performer overall due to it being more modern. I'm guessing but I think the 1.6 was carried over from the Mk III.

As far as power output is concerned the various engines over the Fabia/Polo/Lupo/Golf/Octavia/Bora range are probably just in various stages of tune ie the engine in my RS is basically the same as a 150 bhp Golf and a 210 bhp (?) Leon.

Well after posting the same thread asking for performance for my 1.6 8V I found the following on the net. Notice that all parts except the exhaust are built for the Golf/Vento/Bora 1.6 so I'm not sure if they will work with the Skoda engine. The engine code is stated as the AKL so they probably will work. Here's the list:

1. Heads (for around a 22hp increase)

2. Cams (around 15hp)

3. Chip (8hp but could be more if custom tailored to engine with other performance enhancements)

4. Induction Kit AKA Air Intake (around 3-5hp depending on which you get and who you talk to)

5. Supersprint exhaust with polished exhaust manifold.

Still haven't talked to Eric about his tuning program. I prefer to speak when I already have the loot to spend, not sure but makes me feel like if I was making a person loose his time.

The Octavia 1.6 is 8v. Same engine as Golf/Bora. It's marked on the plastic cover as 1.6SR.

The 16v 1.6lt engine is an intermediate and will be very short lived due to the same capacity FSI.

As for comparisons, the Seat Toledo 1.6 was using the 8v originally but now uses the 16v. Driving the two cars (otherwise identical) I have to say the 16v is a dog compared to the 8v. You need to rev it really high to get performance out of it, and roundabouts get the "1st gear" treatment due to lack of power in low revs. The 8v is much easier to drive and you can forget the gear shift even when overtaking.

Having also driven a 100bhp 1.4lt 16v Polo (although comparisons are unfair) I have to say that talking straight numbers (i.e 100bhp of a 1.4 16v and 100bhp of a 1.6 8v) tells absolutely nothing about the car's behaviour. I'd take the 1.6 anyday, anytime and in every rev range will be torquier and more powerfull than the 1.4 (eventhough the latter matches the top bhp).

Hello there everyone. Lovely to see so many comments on the topic posed. Glad to say though that I've fully confirmed with my dealer and they say that its a 8 valve unit. Feel a little shortchanged though as when I first bought it, I'm quite sure that I was lead to believing that it was a 16 valve.

Do you guys reckon that the 16v is any better though. I feel that the current unit is a little lethargic at revs below 2500 though when you really push it, you get some good stuff. It really performs at higher speeds. Not for stop start traffic. Doesn't stop me loving the car though. No complts about the build quality and handling. Just wonderful. Feels so stable at speeds in excess of 150km/h. Have taken it all up to 180km/h so far, had to slow down as I'd caught up with the traffic. Any of you taken it to its max, 200km/h perhaps?

Hellraiser, the cams upgrade looks pretty impressive at 22hp. Does it have to be done along with other upgrades or is it an exclusive upgrade gain? Are the gains in the lower or higher revs?Also, any idea on the cost?

How do you guys feel about the comsumption though. Mine manages about 50km/5 litre on an even mixture of urban and city driving.

Have a good day.

I think as with most VAG engines, it will get better with miles.

Typically 16v engines love revs and are generally top endy. The 1.6 8v will feel torquier and should be more driveable and responsive. An adavantage of it being more driveabel is consumption......as you don't have to revs it so much you should use as much fuel.

Of course this "rule of thumb" doesn't work on a remapped RS; I have proven that you enjoy it too much and your mpg is a lot less than standard. :D