Remap ? / 184bhp Standard (or more) ? mixed opinions - advice needed

[LPKLPKLPK]

Hope some of you knowledgable chaps can help.

 

Bit of background.

 

Got a 2014 Octy VRS Diesel last week and loving it. Its my 3rd Octy VRS but the other 2 were petrol.

1st was a standard mk2 200bhp, 2nd was a FL MK 2 which i had remapped at Torquetronix and dyno'd at about 260bhp and went like a rocket.

Got all sensible for a while and got a Passat 2.0tdi bluemotion 140bhp which i also had remapped at Torquetronix (dyno'd at about 185bhp) which was fine to drive but a little boring in appearance - hence why im now back in a VRS.

 

Anyway to my point.

 

Firstly my current supposedly 184bhp VRS feels far faster than that, it was only owned by Skoda before me (done about 6k miles) so i really can't see that they would have tweaked it at all - is it normal for these things to feel soooo rapid as standard or are Skoda being a little conservative with the figures.

 

Secondly i'm considering a remap. Torqueronix who i have used before and have been happy with (although now gets mixed reviews) says it will remap fine to about 230bhp 500lb with no issues as do Shark performance (similar figures) who get cracking reviews. Another compnay i have spoken to, Star Pefromance in Kirkaldy say - no way, won't touch it as that engine is already at it's limit. Who do i believe ?

Is it the same engine as the 140 & 170 bhp VAG units or is it a upgraded unit in any way.

 

Please help as the last thing i want to do is to remap and then kill it in 6 months and need a new engine.

I appreciate that a remap will void waranty on various compnents etc etc but im relatively sensible and willing to accept the risk - i won't be driving it like i stole it (well not all the time at least).

 

Anyway thanks in advance for any advive / experiences you can offer / share.

 

 

[vrsadz]

id go shark performance if you are having it done get really good reviews on here and other forums

[Ootohere]

Get it on a Dyno and see what it does put out.

The 184 ps figure is 184 ps minimum in different world regions at different altitudes in different temperatures,

& obviously in the UK you are never going to drive above 4,000 ft or in ambient temperatures above 33 *oC,

So ideal conditions for Max Performance as they Factory Map,  not Max available though.

 

What are you after just quicker 0-80 for UK roads which has a NSL of 60 mph anyway and 70 MPH on Dual Carriageways & Motorways,

because the car can already double those speeds as it comes from the factory.

 

It is doubtful you will kill the engine in 6 months with a remap even if you sit at 100 mph and every standing start you do is 

going to be trying to get a 8 second 0-62 mph with the Dirty Diesel.

 

You Void your Manufacturers Warranty on the Engine anyway with Non Factory Approved Engine Management,

then you need to prove to the Warranty Provider your REmap did not contribute to the Component Failure,

Then they show that you did. & on it goes.

 

Star Performance are very good,  that is why they keep doing what they do, because they are happy to turn customers away if 

they think it is best to.

 

Plenty will do a Remap for you, or sell a Tuning Box, 

but first best see what a Rolling Road Dyno says your car is putting out, then see where it needs improved.

Chassis and handling would be a good starting point because going faster is easy, just put the throttle down further,

but they are a bit of a boat as they come from the Factory, 

vRS by name but not by nature.

 

http://skoda.co.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Brochures/Warranty-Booklet-single.pdf

See page 6 Exclusions.

 

PS

it is Kirkcaldy.

http://starperformance.co.uk

Edited 14 June, 2015 by goneoffSKi

[Ootohere]

Re the Current car that had done 6,000 miles and was owned by Skoda.

 

Was it a 'Management car', Lease or Hire Car, Media / Press car lent to Journalists or possible even a car that a tuning company 

borrowed and developed a Remap on and never told Skoda UK @ Milton Keynes?

 

Lots happen to cars where the Registered Keeper does not know and the new owner has no idea if a ECU is at Factory Settings 

without checking.

Always worth checking out where you are starting from when going to tune or modify a car,

so that you are not removing something that has already been done to it and does not need doing again.

 

Maybe go into a Dealership and try another used car like the one you own to compare and see if the perform the same.

[AP Automotive]

Shark actually have their own development car and were the first to develop and release the software for the latest 2.0tdi.

Do the other companies own a 2.0tdi where they can constantly monitor their software like shark?

[LPKLPKLPK]

Thanks for a the replies, I was told by The Skoda dealer I bought it from that it was a Skoda management car, V5 not back from DVLA yet so no clues to be had there. I was told that some folk can tell what the car was used for by the number plate letters but no idea if that's true. Car has a KW (Luton) prefix if that's any indication.

Re the star performance question - yes it is that one in Kirkaldy.

Shark seem appealing but I'm nowhere near them, they have an agent in Aberdeen which is my nearest but he doesn't have a Dyno and would simply upload one of there maps on my motor, bit reluctant to do that as they charge the same fee as for a proper dyno'd remap session which seems a bit unfair to me, especially if mine is up on the 184bhp already as I'll never know.

torquetronix is not close to me but the inlaws live near him in N.Ireland so can kill 2 birds with 1 stone and keep the missus happy at the same time.

As for development cars then the answer to that is "I dont know" so will assume not.

Re killing in 6 months - that was meant more as a general sweeping statement, long term reliability is not a major issue as I get bored of cars very quickly and seldom keep one for more than 2.5 - 3 years, so clutches / gearboxes should be fine however as its a new engine (in 184 guise at least) then would hate to delvelop any warrant issues and be told tough sh@£. 98% of the time I drive quite sensibly, 2 young kids etc etc but there are times when I drive at middle of the night o'clock and it's nice to use the car once in a while and smile, maybe a mid life crisis. Also concerned re Skoda doing a software update during a service and wiping the map, not sure an issue with a older more established engine but a real possibility with the 184 being so new.

Does anyone know if it is the same engine as the older 140 / 170 vag unit with different software or is there actual hardware differences also.

Cheers all.

[Ootohere]

Maybe go to Wallace Performance if the Dyno is up and running and see what the engine is producing before doing more

even if not getting a REVO Remap done there.

 

'Management Car',  means so much, if you want to know ask Skoda UK who had the car if it was registered to them.

 

I am in Aberdeen weekly and know all the the roads & routes very well,

it is my home area where i grew up or not as a boy racer.

Edited 14 June, 2015 by goneoffSKi

[LPKLPKLPK]

Re Wallace Performance, would you recomend them for a remap or were they just mentioned because of proximity (im in Angus) and the fact they have a dyno.

 

Cheers

[Ootohere]

I am in Angus.

I was thinking you were in Aberdeen.

Mentioning Wallace Performance Aberdeen because they are good, and have a Dyno.

REVO remap maybe worth giving a miss.

 

For APR, i can recommend,

http://autohausedinburgh.co.uk

Edited 15 June, 2015 by goneoffSKi

[littleade]

If you do want a Sharp remap IIRC you can now get their hand held unit and load the map up yourself so no need to travel. You can also swap it back to standard for when it goes in for a service in case the dealer updates your ecu and overwrites it by accident. Get in touch with Ben at Shark if you need more info. Many on this forum have had a Sharp remap and swear by them, though I've no experience of them myself other than when I considered getting one until my insurer said no. Good luck

[LPKLPKLPK]

Thanks again to all, lots of info after time on the phone to varius tuners - just need to mull it all over now.

 

No one has yet answered the engine question - is the new 184 unit the same as the older 140 / 170 unit with different software or does it actually have uprated components on it.

 

Cheers again

[LPKLPKLPK]

Forgive my stupidity but what is APR ?

[LPKLPKLPK]

Its ok, bit of a nosey on the website and answered my own question re APR

[andypandypoos]

it'll remap to 500lb·ft no problem??

[Ootohere]

Do you mean 500Nm ?

http://www.sharkperformance.co.uk/article?28

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

500ft-lbs v10 tdi territory!