Hi guys and girls

Bought number 977 SE fabia about a month ago love it :-) was gunna keep is standard but the bug has hit and I've bought some goodies lol I was intending to use my Porsche d90's on the car but have bought a set of bbs rw003's same as rw017 but they are 8j as apposed to 7.5 on the 017 :-) might put the Porsches back in my jetta mk2, I'm bit clued up on these modern cars so my plans are so far coilovers wheels and a remap with green stuff pads got 2 Rockford fosgate 8"subs to go in and am gunna leave other components ATM as they are pretty good and maybe a decat ( depending if I can sweet talk my mot guy ) if not ill just cut back box off and weld some pipe on :-) and eventually get a. Airtech Fmic :-) I'm new to these modern vag's so any input on best mods would be awesome looking for a good healthy 180bhp or so with as many OEM parts as poss :-) cheers

Forgot to mention gave it all a good clean today inside out and the wheels and to compare the porches with stretch and the bbs's :-) which will be powder coated same colour as the d90's with some stretch :-)

Looking good fellow SE owner.

 

It's fairly easy to get 180bhp from these with just a remap. No need to mess about changing the air filter even as the standard is said to flow enough for ~210-220bhp before causing a restriction, plus some of the aftermarket ones don't filter as well. Same goes for the exhaust system to. I would be wary about a de-cat as I've read the variable vane turbo does require some back pressure to work properly so personally I wouldn't mess with that and just do a mufflerectomy to get the exhaust looking a bit better.

 

As for handling, I'd do some research on here. Coilovers aren't always the best option if improving the handling is the ultimate goal and if you go too low it can actually make it worse due to having reduce travel on the struts so it bottoms out easier (our roads aren’t the best).

Edited 4 August, 201411 yr by mattbvRS

Simple remap will take it to 170bhp. After that you need to replace the turbo. No point changing anything else.

Yeah handling will be a big must :-) my friend has a well set up integra type r running 265bhp and its just out of this world inthe corners I want to be able to at least keep pace :-)

/\ sell up and buy a new car

You'll never match a 265bhp teg on the twisties.

You'll also never match a stock teg in the twisties

Spend a good few grand running 250bhp and you might keep up in the straights. But as soon as a bend comes you'll plow straight over the dyke back with understeer

Edited 4 August, 201411 yr by BigJase88

/\ sell up and buy a new car

You'll never match a 265bhp teg on the twisties.

You'll also never match a stock teg in the twisties

Spend a good few grand running 250bhp and you might keep up in the straights. But as soon as a bend comes you'll plow straight over the dyke back with understeer

 

Agreed. Handling and Mk1 Fabia vRS is an oxymoron. It's a pointless exercise to spend a lot on handling as it's far too heavy on the front end.

If you want to shock your friend then you need a gtb2260vk, FMIC, bigger nozzles and a decent clutch.

As for the corners......

And a faboka remap

Interesting how we all go on about how heavy the front end of the tdi fabia is. But does anyone have facts to back this up?

Quick google and the teg type r is 63% nose heavy. I believe the furby is similar and a clio 172/182 is 65%.

So is it not just a case the suspension is just pants

Yeah handling will be a big must :-) my friend has a well set up integra type r running 265bhp and its just out of this world inthe corners I want to be able to at least keep pace :-)

ur asking alot an integra type r is 1 of the best cornering front wheel drive cars ever made! 

Chassis is pants

Mine used to eat suspension bushes for fun, especially when being driven like a vRS was intended to be. If they lasted 20k I was doing well. I put it down to the heavy engine. At the time I put the understeer down to that too. My current vRS is only had suspension tweaks to replace worn out bits and the RARB everyone agrees for the money is worth doing so that's next.

I intend to keep this car for a long long time so I defo want to modify it but looks wise in pretty much sorted front bumper will be sent off for numbe plate smoothing.the bbs wheels will be going onthen I intend to spend the remainder of my time and money on suspension and handling polybush everything is a first for me then engine mounts then tyres and suspension geomitry :-) I kinda wanna go all out with the handling looking at caster toe and camber angles :-) so anyone who has any Motorsport knowledge please speak up loland I don't want to beat the teg by all means I just don't want it to decimate the fabia :-) I think with some time effort and money a decent well balanced handling car can be achieved :-)

Edited 5 August, 201411 yr by jukie88

I trackday mine with a friend who's got a stripped out Phase 1 Clio 172. I have driven both extensivly back to back so my findings are based on fact, not internet hearsay.

 

My Fabia has Bilstein B8 dampers front and rear, PSB poly wishbone bushes, Eibach Springs, and a jabba RARB. Yes the fabia is a heavy old hector (circa 1300kg from memory?) compared to the Clio, but the handling balance is pretty good for a heavy small car. The weight is more noticable when stopping from big speeds lap after lap, (even with 312's and track pads) the turn in is better with the RARB and it certainly aint a bad car. Coming from a well tweaked Pug 306 GTi6 im aware of how nicely balanced a car can be.

 

The RARB seems to work best at track speeds, the sudden change of direction doesnt unsettle it and it handles the kerbs well.

 

I was really suprised at how bad people say these are! Tyre wear on the federal RSR's is a lot more even than the Pug was, indicating that both ends of the car work well together.

 

I think they key is to keep it simple, retain some suspension travel and suppleness and its a tidy handler, despite the doubters!

As log as I can lose most of the under steer and wheel spin I think ill be happy :-) tbh the set up you've got is pretty much what I'm thinking although ill probs go for a fairly decent set if fully adjustable coilovers and buy different ratio's springs to suit

ur asking alot an integra type r is 1 of the best cornering front wheel drive cars ever made! 

 Corrected that for you

Fabia versus Integra is simply unfair, Integra has race quality suspension fitted as standard and is remarkably light and low as well, the Fab can be made to handle as well as most cars with a similar suspension setup but the weight of the VRS drivetrain is the real killer, even my little petrol Fab weighs nearly 200kg less than a VRS and will murder one in the twisties, even the standard VRS alloys are really heavy, I've got a set of S3 pepperpots for mine to reduce unsprung weight even further and with 195/50's the acceleration is slightly better and handling and grip levels are superb,as good as any car with front struts and rear beam anyway, an Integra would be able to just drive round me though and there's nothing to be done about that.

As log as I can lose most of the under steer and wheel spin I think ill be happy :-) tbh the set up you've got is pretty much what I'm thinking although ill probs go for a fairly decent set if fully adjustable coilovers and buy different ratio's springs to suit

LSD if your budget can stretch to it that'll improve the handling massively. Couple that with decent suspension, a rarb and some decent tyres and you can have a lot of fun.

Since fitting a rarb and Rainsport 3's on the front the handling of my car has been completely transformed it feels a lot more planted, in the dry through the twisty's I can push it pretty hard now and feel assured I'm in control.

I would give my right nut for those wheels! Been looking for some for a while that are decent condition!

Arb is a must then :-) ad yeah I wanted some 017's these are 003 which are 8j as apposed to 7.5 stumbles across something a little harder to get lol

Been a while since I've done anything to or for the car lol I've changed my mind a lot on wheat I'm doing with this so I'm keeping it simple now as I'm concentrating on the mk2 jetta and a new house so...

Wheels are refurbed waiting to get tyres , the coilovers where I will spend many hours getting the Perfect ride height and wheel fitment, then a remap then itl be left alone untill the Jetta is done :-) slightly boring I know but needs must not getting rid of it for a good 4/5 years so who knows :-)

Ok so finally got the wheels on :-) very happy And they look awesome next month is coilovers and sort the ride height

You've done it in the wrong order! Coilovers first then wheels lol 4x4 effect