Im still alive !! i can only think this is a improvement even the wife said the car feels quicker (she didn't even know i had removed them) and balance of the car is just the same ! its easy as pie to do and it a must imo. 

If your in the essex area and want this done i would be glad to help.

 

Mark

I assume you've informed your Insurance company just in case you end up in a ditch.

 

It's there for a reason, If not Skoda wouldn't have fitted it

 

 

The End

Sounds good.

Is it a big job mate?

Its only 25kg isnt it?

Auric,

 you have been saying that each time since the first thread on the subject,

 

If you take a Spare wheel out of the rear or add a second one, do you inform the Insurance company.

If you colect 2 bags of sand at Homebase, Wickes or B&Q do you call up your Insurance Broker and let them know?

 

Yes you should tell your insurer that they car is modified if you remove the ballast weights.

Who here that has bought a car and has not removed the rear bumper knows if the car has weights on or not.

What about the few owners on here with used cars, and they have no weights fitted, and they do not know?

It surely all becomes irrelevant if car is lowered and with other handling mods.

Not that you don't tell your insurer

Just the ditch bit

Auric,

 you have been saying that each time since the first thread on the subject,

 

If you take a Spare wheel out of the rear or add a second one, do you inform the Insurance company.

If you colect 2 bags of sand at Homebase, Wickes or B&Q do you call up your Insurance Broker and let them know?

 

Yes you should tell your insurer that they car is modified if you remove the ballast weights.

Who here that has bought a car and has not removed the rear bumper knows if the car has weights on or not.

What about the few owners on here with used cars, and they have no weights fitted, and they do not know?

 

I agree what you say George but why would you remove an Item that Skoda have obviously spent Trillions on when designing a car only to be removed as a Mod.

 

God forbid but if your in the car when it ends up in a ditch and someone is killed you might think why

They never spent Trilions.

 

They had a vRS Hatch that was Unladen 20 KG lighter than the Estate, which had stronger rear springs and dampers

and a 9 3/4 " longer length.

 

If they had wanted to the vRS Battery could have been in the Boot of the hatch like on the Polo GTI.

(the Polo only gets a spare wheel and a Battery Cover as an optional Extra.)

 

But if they had done that the 5 Door vRS Hatch would have been too much more than it is lighter than the 3 Door Polo GTI & Ibiza Cupra and the vrs Estate, all more expensive,

(much lighter than the 5 door Polo GTI that they published the wrong weights for on release,

before having to correct them to the actual Kerb Weight.)

 

It would have had the same Emissions at testing, and needed giving Faster 0-62 & Top Speed figures or at least the same.

 

So rear Weights of 25 kg Designed and Manufactured and applied.

Lovely Made,

Not cheap for 25 kg and nice fasteners.

*the cost of the weights is greater than fitting better springs and dampers, battery in the rear and set the brake bias properly.*

 

'Vorsprung Durch Technik',   or just make sure the Skoda does not out perform an Audi or VW 

in Performance or handling. (25 kg at the furthest rear corner makes the front end a bit light under hard acceleration)

& never have the cheap one better than the one costing several thousand £££ more.

Anyone wanting a set of Weights for free to fit to the rear of their Monte Carlo Diesel hatch ? ,

(and you just then fit a Spare wheel in the Wheel Well.)

 

Add 44 kg to the rear, balance the car against that heavy engine in the front

It will make your car handle better, and keep it out of Ditches.

Skoda spent Trillions but forgot to do this for you,

 

Every other Car Manufacturer is trying to reduce car weights,  VW make Skoda add Weights!

They never spent Trilions.

 

They had a vRS Hatch that was Unladen 20 KG lighter than the Estate, which had stronger rear springs and dampers

and a 9 3/4 " longer length.

 

If they had wanted to the vRS Battery could have been in the Boot of the hatch like on the Polo GTI.

(the Polo only gets a spare wheel and a Battery Cover as an optional Extra.)

 

But if they had done that the 5 Door vRS Hatch would have been too much more than it is lighter than the 3 Door Polo GTI & Ibiza Cupra and the vrs Estate, all more expensive,

(much lighter than the 5 door Polo GTI that they published the wrong weights for on release,

before having to correct them to the actual Kerb Weight.

 

It would have had the same Emissions at testing, and needed giving Faster 0-62 & Top Speed figures or at least the same.

 

So rear Weights of 25 kg Designed and Manufactured and applied.

Lovely Made,

Not cheap for 25 kg and nice fasteners.

*the cost of the weights is greater than fitting better springs and dampers, battery in the rear and set the brake bias properly.*

 

'Vorsprung Durch Technik',   or just make sure the Skoda does not out perform an Audi or VW 

in Performance or handling. (25 kg at the furthest rear corner makes the front end a bit light under hard acceleration)

& never have the cheap one better than the one costing several thousand £££ more.

George

If the purpose of the bumper counterweights is merely to detract from the performance a little, couldn't they have done it easier & at zero cost by tweaking the ECU?

Just a thought, but hey! What the hell do I know?

They could have but they made a thing of the 178 bhp/180 PS Seat Ibiza then the vRS, and Polo,

(minimum 180 ps -132kW) then the A1 185 ps -136 kW,  

Would they really put out their new Hatch and Estate and have one with less power.?

Dyno them and you  actually might find the output is the same on all 4, (5)

Only slight difference the 3 more expensive cars get 215/40 R 17 tyres as standard,

Performance can be a bit more or a fair bit more than the VAG figures with 99 ron fuel used.

 

Anyway,

i think the Rear Weights might just have been a last minute instruction from VW rather than from Skoda Road testers.

 

Who knows the right story other than Skoda Engineers,

But i take off the Rear Weights and put in 2 spare wheels.

& if i want, remove both spares and the back end is 40 kg lighter.

Tools and Trolley jack and spare fuel taken out is another 15 kG lighter

than when its being used like a potter abouterer.

Handling suits my liking, and i have Modified Insurance cover anyway, everything declared.

Where about's are you in Essex?

gonephising said;- i think the Rear Weights might just have been a last minute instruction from VW rather than from Skoda Road testers. So rear Weights of 25 kg Designed and Manufactured and applied.

Lovely Made,
Not cheap for 25 kg and nice fasteners.

 

Seems like a sledgehammer to crack a nut IMHO. i'm in favour of the thought that it was to correct some minor glitch in the handling. With accountants screwing every penny they can out of design engineers budgets, I cannot see them spending money on unnecessary hardware. 

 

Of course this is just the ramblings of an old senile OAP, probably no longer fit to drive a Fabia vRS.

 

But I'll be taking mine off just in case it gives me that extra edge at the lights.

 

Now where's that flaming socket set?

 

Did I mention I can't find my socket set?

Price up 4,000 sets,  (there are 3 weights on each car, so say 12,000) 

 

So 4,000 times 25 KG of Pig iron,

Designed & approved, and Cast/Manufactured, and the Bolts & Nuts.

I recon maybe 100 euro a set Minimum.

COATED NOT TO RUST BETTER THAN ALL THE REAR DRUM BRAKES THEY FIT?

 

DID THESE WEIGHTS THEN GET USED ON ANY OTHER BRAND OF VAG VEHICLES.

WHERE ARE ALL THE UNUSED ONES SITTING, OR DO THEY JUST CAST ENOUGH AND PRODUCE MORE AS REQUIRED?

 

The bean counters must of got it wrong i thing, 

Compared to the fitting of good Bushes, Springs & Dampers and adjust the Brake Bias.

The car needed Bushes, Springs and Dampers fitting anyway.

 

?

So 5 Cars with the Same Engines & Gearboxes,

3 Are Heavier, and 1 of the 3 is more powerful, and all are on 215/40/R 17 tyres.

 

Why are the 2 lightest, which are on 205/40 R17 Tyres given Higher Emissions, put in a Higher tax band,

& given poorer Performance figures.

? Is it just because of the few mm difference in the Tyres?

 

http://skoda.co.uk/fuel-consumption-statement

If they take a Skoda off the production line,

run the engine for 1,800 miles, then do the tests, and get the results,

how are the Results for a Seat, VW & Audi all the same, with the same engine and gearbox and heavier car.

& better than for the lighter Skodas, Hatch & Estate?

Then produce a Revised Engine in 2012, different map,

& the Figures and Emissions stay the same as from the 2009/10 tests.

 

Then SEAT take a 1.4tsi Ibiza 150ps DSG FR on 215/40 R17 and test it and it has the same figures as the 180ps Seat, VW & Audi.

 

'Vorsprung Durch Technik'.

German Engineering on the CZ brand by Bean counters & Badge/Image Management.

I took weights off mine a week ago and it has helped the balance, the rest of the car is standard. Front grip and feel is better on corner entry, it is now more willing to hold the line when you pick up a trail throttle mid corner on longer bends and traction off of slow corners is improved due to less pitching. The suspension setup overall is still crap, the weights off is for sure an improvement for me and I look forward to getting the rest sorted in due course. A good car has a good feel, not just a fast engine.

The mk1 TT was recalled in its early days for spinning down autobahns once up to a decent speed.

As part of the stability the added rear spoiler, new wishbones ESP and....ballast around the rear crash bar!

I guess it serves purpose to someone

Edited 15 March, 201412 yr by JoshH

VW, Same Engine & Gearbox,

2010/11 on to 2014,

VW Polo GTI 3 door Mk5 on a PQ25 Platform, Unladen given now as 1269 kg.

(they say the 5 door "will increase by 25 kg" so 1,294kg)

*CO2 139 g/km*

 

So the Battery is in the Boot for a balanced chassis and steering, braking

& the Spare wheel an Option.   No weights fitted to the rear, 

said by testers to be more civilised handling.

 

vRS Hatch, vRS Estate same PQ25 Platform and Engine & Gearbox.

Given Unladen Weights, 1,243 kg with 25kg added, and 1,238 both with spare wheels as standard.

*CO2 148 g/km*

 

So to tune the suspension of the 5 door hatchback Skoda added rear weights,

not put the Battery in the Rear rather than under the bonnet.

Even a Trainee Motor Engineer or Car Designer knows more weight make brakes and other components work harder,

and to get up hills, more weight requires more energy/power.

'Vorsprung Durch Technik'.

I repeat, lowering a car changes the handling dramatically and leaves the car most unlike Skoda delivered it to market.

Will this also put me in a ditch.

I believe this has been covered before but some fairly comprehensive testing was done hooning around roundabouts iirc and the conclusion was that it 'may' have some kind of handling impact on a std car removing the ballast, but in the most specific of circumstances (right hand drive caning it around a UK roundabout) but if lowered and certainly with a RARB it has no negative impact.

I repeat, lowering a car changes the handling dramatically and leaves the car most unlike Skoda delivered it to market.

Will this also put me in a ditch.

I believe this has been covered before but some fairly comprehensive testing was done hooning around roundabouts iirc and the conclusion was that it 'may' have some kind of handling impact on a std car removing the ballast, but in the most specific of circumstances (right hand drive caning it around a UK roundabout) but if lowered and certainly with a RARB it has no negative impact.

Well Said...!

I assume you've informed your Insurance company just in case you end up in a ditch.

 

It's there for a reason, If not Skoda wouldn't have fitted it

 

 

The End

Get a grip !! weight saving is the cheapest mod you can do to a car lose 25kg/50kg and your gaining something like 10/15bhp in power to weight terms  , I've been doing it for years and I've not had any adverse effects only positive gains , its added weight the car doesn't need and all this crap about telling your insurance company is tosh utter tosh !