I can comment off the line but out for a hoon and I was left by car lengths by my mate who was running a diff (same power). Out of corners I couldnt touch him. While I enjoy a bit of 1/4 mile fun, corners are where the real fun is for me so a diff is top of my list for next mod. 

Well I had less power than Joel.  Probably about 40-50bhp less.

A combo of a diff and decent tyres works wonders.

 

I'd be surprised if just tyres didn't reduce his quarter mile time to the low 13 second range.

Mine was 13.6 on 888s, which aren't as good as drag radials.

 

Just need to perfect slipping the tyres for heat and getting a good start.

Nice but what I'm trying to get at is the cost of getting big power/ torque onto the black stuff especially when it comes from standing starts eg the strip and playing with cars that don't have the same problems as fwd diesels?

Nice but what I'm trying to get at is the cost of getting big power/ torque onto the black stuff especially when it comes from standing starts eg the strip and playing with cars that don't have the same problems as fwd diesels?

 

Not sure I follow you.

If you are saying there are better options for standing starts, yes I get that.

You can buy a Nissan, press a few buttons and shoot to 60mph in 2.7(ish) seconds without actually doing much time after time.

 

But Joel has a mk1 Fabia diesel which is already running big power and doesn't need much more doing to get a great package for standing starts.

Bare in mind we are talking about 7+ year old diesel hatchbacks and it's all a bit of fun and quite involving.  For what the Fabia is, it can be made to perform quite well and still return good fuel economy.  It's not cheap, but it's cheaper than selling, buying and modding again.

And I (like others I suspect) quite like the mk1 Fabia and it is a fun car because there is something satisfying about beating other highly thought of cars in a diesel Skoda.

Not sure I follow you.

If you are saying there are better options for standing starts, yes I get that.

You can buy a Nissan, press a few buttons and shoot to 60mph in 2.7(ish) seconds without actually doing much time after time.

But Joel has a mk1 Fabia diesel which is already running big power and doesn't need much more doing to get a great package for standing starts.

Bare in mind we are talking about 7+ year old diesel hatchbacks and it's all a bit of fun and quite involving. For what the Fabia is, it can be made to perform quite well and still return good fuel economy. It's not cheap, but it's cheaper than selling, buying and modding again.

And I (like others I suspect) quite like the mk1 Fabia and it is a fun car because there is something satisfying about beating other highly thought of cars in a diesel Skoda.

Beating those highly thought of cars is what drives me to spending yet more money on my car!

Beating those highly thought of cars is what drives me to spending yet more money on my car!

 

Same here.

I understand what people are saying but it's the cost to do this I'm getting at. How much are people ploughing into these cars to get anywhere near a 5-6 sec 0-60 time

I'm not into 1/4 mile or racing starts from lights etc etc in my vrs but am interested to know why people would spend so much on one of these to have some so called fun and why they wouldn't buy a car more suited to 1/4 mile in the first place?

What figures are we talking eg car + mods to get a vrs to do say a 6 sec or sub 6 0-60 time?

Edited 13 April, 201412 yr by jays

5 to 6 second 1/4!!!!!

Would need a nice jet engine replacing your rear seats for a start!!!

After burner would be cool at the traffic lights

Lol sorry 0-60

I read 5-6 second 1/4 mile and just assumed it was a typo, I've never seen a FWD car do less than 9 seconds.

Lol yeah 0-60 or low 13 sec 1/4?

My fastest terminal in the end yesterday was 116mph.  Not bad that I can claim my car does 0 to 116 in 13 and a half seconds

 

My LSD did work well but I suffered with grip too.  Best 60 foot time was a smidge under 2.4 seconds, and I do regularly 2.2 at the Pod.

 

I am also fairly sure I need to think about rubber, as although the Maxxis MA-Z1 is an awesome tyre, I think something which heats up a lot quicker (i.e a crappy brand tyre) might be better purely for 1.4 mile.  I don't think I got heat in to my front tyres the whole day.

 

Ultimately though, my car is never designed for 1/4 miles.  It's my trackday toy which happens to be quite nippy in a straight line

How do you find the maxxis tyres Jason? I bottled out last minute of ordering those and went for some Yokohamas instead.

Will keep my eye out for some cheap slick type tyres on evil bay. No doubt some will turn up eventually

 

I have a feeling castle combe session will be rather twitchy round the corners lol. Let the fun begin

I understand what people are saying but it's the cost to do this I'm getting at. How much are people ploughing into these cars to get anywhere near a 5-6 sec 0-60 time

I'm not into 1/4 mile or racing starts from lights etc etc in my vrs but am interested to know why people would spend so much on one of these to have some so called fun and why they wouldn't buy a car more suited to 1/4 mile in the first place?

What figures are we talking eg car + mods to get a vrs to do say a 6 sec or sub 6 0-60 time?

 

Because it's fun?

 

Yes, you could go out and buy a better car for drag racing.

Loads of people buy a new car for £20k happy knowing it'll shed over £10k in three years.

And that's just for a sensible run around that's not even fun...

For that lost money you could turn your Fabia into something quite special.

 

It's just a different way of spending money on cars.

Some people will never get it, but it's a hobby and it's fun.

 

You may as well ask why someone does £100 a week down the pub or smokes...

How do you find the maxxis tyres Jason? I bottled out last minute of ordering those and went for some Yokohamas instead.

 

Great all round tyre at a pretty good price.

 

I'll be buying another pair when the Toyos wear out on the back

 I echo what BossFox says, I paid £300 for my Golf and so far have spent over £3,000 on it, all in the pursuit of a bit of track fun, I will never recoup the money  have spent but I didn't buy it as an investment, I could have probably just spent £10k on a Westfield or something similar but there is a satisfaction knowing I built/modified the Golf, also the ambition and drive to know what to do to it next to improve its weakness that was apparent on the last time out.

 

Each to their own as they say

Because it's fun?

 

Yes, you could go out and buy a better car for drag racing.

Loads of people buy a new car for £20k happy knowing it'll shed over £10k in three years.

And that's just for a sensible run around that's not even fun...

For that lost money you could turn your Fabia into something quite special.

 

It's just a different way of spending money on cars.

Some people will never get it, but it's a hobby and it's fun.

 

You may as well ask why someone does £100 a week down the pub or smokes...

Ok, so are you saying it's costing people around 10k to do a sub 6 sec 0-60 or low 13 sec 1/4?

I was under the impression these cars were daily drivers rather than purely for the track/strip or am I getting confused?

Ok, so are you saying it's costing people around 10k to do a sub 6 sec 0-60 or low 13 sec 1/4?

 

No.

 

It completely depends how you do it.

You can just pay a garage, which costs a lot.

You can buy the parts and do it yourself, which costs a lot less.

You can spend a fair amount of time sourcing good 2nd hand bits and do it quite cheaply...

 

I'd estimate £4k to £8k, depending on your chosen method.

A mk2 Fabia VRS depreciates by £5,000 in it's first year, for a comparison.

I spent more than that as I don't cut corners and tend to get a bit carried away.

I was under the impression these cars were daily drivers rather than purely for the track/strip or am I getting confused?

 

They can do both if you want to, because they'll still return over 50mpg.

Unlike most "better" cars bought to be quick on the dragstrip.

My "quick" car averages 18mpg driven normally...

You are quite right Richard

 

When driven on cruise control

There cant be many 250bhp+ motors capable of this lol

 

According to this:

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/177793-fabia-vrs-gearbox-changes/

 

The older (long) gearbox has longer overall gearing not just in 5th and 6th.

 

I tried a few times in my Cordoba PD130 (ASZ and long gearbox) to launch in 2nd and found it bloody tricky.

 

Your other option is to drop a DSG box in and map launch control in

 

Can't wait to get my car mapped... it's already pretty nippy off the line.

 

Phil

I was under the impression these cars were daily drivers rather than purely for the track/strip or am I getting confused?

 

Mine's both.  Where's the problem?

 

See my "Mongrel diary" in the fabia section.  Most days it just does 1 mile to work and back

 

In relation to last post, longer box has longer final drive, so you get longer 4 5 6, but the same 1 2 3.