Some videos. From older to newer:

1/4 mile in 12.88 seconds                          "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j71bjibQ5XA"

1/4 mile vs Nissan Skyline GT-R R32        "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA3iWbw3Otg"

1/4 mile vs Mercedes A45 AMG                "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jehosa8HwvE"

1/4 mile vs Saab Aero 2.8t                         "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oO01TUCk8k"

1/4 mile vs Focus RS mk2                         "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFxs0VnaGkM"

1/4 mile in 12.02 seconds                          "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jot-bGeZJGQ"

1/4 mile in 11.46 seconds                          "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhyc80pqBQY"

1/4 mile in 11.46 seconds Dashcam          "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pR3rJtw4A4"

 

 

After using the car in standard form for a few months, I decided that I needed more power and better handling to go with the comfort, extras and space offered by this model.

 

I have been modifying my cars for the last 20 years, having purchased a variety of British, German and Japanese vehicles including some JDM special editions.

 

The modifications ranged from simple remaps to adding turbochargers or swapping engines from different models.

 

The Superb is our family car and, thus, I was looking at modifications that would not affect the way the car behaved, so hard or overly low suspension, extreme visual changes, loud exhausts or anything that would seriously compromise reliability was not an option.

 

The first modification was to be a tuning box from a company I used in the past. I will not mention the name as I did run into some problems with it and I do not wish this post to sound like a complain towards them as they did their best to rectify the issue, alas unsuccessfully. The tuning box did indeed increase power, as you will see below but it also introduced an uneven idle which was why I had to return it in the end for a refund.

 

The tuning box and the Turbo technics large bore intake hose (http://www.vrsnorthampton.com/en/home/127-mqb-large-bore-intake-hose-and-bell-mouth.html) increased the power to 318.5 hp and  301.6 ft/lbs (323ps and 408nm). The mid-range felt quite a bit more torquey and the car was faster overall.

 

NOTE: Through this process two different dynos have been used, I had  the car tested, using the same configuration, on both dynos and the results were within 1% of each other so for the purpose of this thread we will assume the results of these dynos to be comparable, as comparable dynos results can be (this is a story for another thread!).

 

Racelogic vbox was used for measuring the car’s performance as well as a few ¼ mile runs at the drag strip (both Shakespeare Raceway and Santa Pod).

 

SUPERB (280ps)                                0-60mph: 5.1s    0-62mph: 5.4s    ¼ mile: ???

SUPERB (323ps)                                0-60mph: 4.7s    0-62mph: 5.1s    ¼ mile: 12.88s @ 106.43 mph

 

The next step was to try an aftermarket intake. I chose to purchase and test the ARP carbon intake as I liked the way it looked and most reviews were positive. This increased power to 331ps which was a welcome increase but not especially good value for money compared to the tuning box and intake hose.

 

After returning the first tuning box I decided to try a different one from a German company, the Racechip Ultimate. Unlike the first box this did not affect the idle negatively while also giving the user the ability to switch between different maps using either an Android phone or an iPhone. The maps are downloaded from the company’s server and, importantly, can be modified to increase or reduce power accordingly depending on each car’s characteristics. After a few tests and tweaks the best result I could get from the Racechip was 340ps.

 

SUPERB (340ps)                                0-60mph: 4.6s    0-62mph: 4.9s    ¼ mile: ???

 

After testing both tuning boxes I was offered the opportunity to test another similar box, Burgertuning’s JB1, albeit one that could control, in addition to boost, the car’s fuel pressure. According to other users, this allowed the car to run even more safely and produce more power. In addition to the above, JB1 also allows the user much more control over the car’s boost giving the option to modify the additional boost in increments of 0.2psi based on the RPM range. This provides both a more smooth acceleration as well as more control for manual gearbox users that want to avoid clutch slip.

 

Using MAP 1 at 5.2 (adding 5.2psi to factory boost) the Superb now produced 345ps and acceleration improved more than what the extra 5ps would suggest due to the better power delivery of the JB1 box.

 

SUPERB (345ps)                                0-60mph: 4.3s    0-62mph: 4.6s    ¼ mile: ???

 

Having decided to move from Stage 1 to Stage 2 I ordered a Forge intercooler and a BCS/Powervalve downpipe with a sport catalyst. This would allow more power and faster turbo spool while retaining delivery smoothness and keep inlet and oil temperatures down despite the extra boost. The intercooler and downpipe allowed me to use +5.8 psi on the JB1 and also tweak MAP 6 (which allows the user to specify the additional boost for every 1,000RPM range).

 

This increased power to 368ps and made the power delivery much more flexible. Acceleration improved accordingly.

 

SUPERB (368ps)                                0-60mph: 4.2s    0-62mph: 4.5s    ¼ mile: 12.52s @ 111.05 mph

 

 

I had decided to stick with stage 2+ until I was offered a hybrid turbo at a price I could not refuse. As I already had a lot of the bolt-ons needed to move to stage 3 I decided to take the plunge. I purchased the Turbo Engineers’ TTE525 turbo and started planning my next steps. VRS Performance installed the turbo and ancillaries.

 

Still using the factory cat-back exhaust but changing the spark plugs to 1 step colder ones (NGK R7437-8 IRIDIUM), the ECU was mapped by MRC tuning, along with the DSG box, producing 453.8hp and 415.7 lb/s (460ps and 564nm).

 

SUPERB (460ps)                                0-60mph: 3.7s    0-62mph: 3.9s    ¼ mile: 12.02s @ 114.68 mph

 

Next step was a custom cat back exhaust. Not wanting the car to become very loud, being a family vehicle, I decided to choose a professional company that makes custom exhausts for Aston Martins, RS Fabrications. Their systems are of excellent quality while both retaining low noise levels and allowing maximum power with minimal restrictions. This new and improved exhaust in combination with a 5.5 inch catalyst (compared to the 4.5 inch one I had before) designed for the RS3 and TT-RS and tested to more than 600ps allowed the Superb to make a very impressive 519.7ps and 686nm for the drag strip! A more conservative 506ps (500bhp) map is used for everyday purposes to cater for fuel quality variations. An Autotech Uprated High Pressure fuel pump was installed for increased reliability. The ARP air intake was replaced with a VWR 600 intake. The NGK R7437-8 spark plugs were replaced with the NGK R7437-9s, which are a step colder.

 

 

This allowed for a very impressive 11.46 ¼ mile, a time comparable to the time of a Lamborghini Huracan

 

SUPERB (520ps)                                0-60mph: 3.27s 0-62mph: 3.47s    ¼ mile: 11.46s @ 120.28 mph

 

 

FULL UPGRADE LIST

 

Summer wheels

Autec Wizard 8x18 ET45 5x112 70 Anthracite  + Michelin Pilot Supersport 235/45R18 94 Y ZR

 

Winter wheels

Team Dynamic ProRace 1.2 17x7 + Goodyear Ultragrip Performance Gen-1 XL 215/55 R17 98 V

 

MRC remap (DSG+ECU)

 

NGK R7437-9 IRIDIUM Spark Plugs & 06J905110 (K-revision) Coils

 

TTE525 turbo & LEYO Atmospheric Dump Valve (VRS Performance)

 

Forge Intercooler

 

Autotech Uprated fuel pump

 

034 Motorsport Billet Aluminium MQB Dogbone Mount Insert

 

Paddle shift Extenders

 

Racechip Throttle Response Box

 

Eibach 30mm lowering springs (tracking done by STS tyres)

 

Eibach anti-roll bars (front & rear)

 

Ferodo DS2500 pads

 

Racing Line brake lines

 

BCS (Powervalve) Downpipe with 5.5 inches sports cat

 

RS Fabrications Custom cat-back exhaust - resonated

 

VWR 600 Air Intake

 

Turbo technics large bore intake hose and bell mouth

 

Front and Rear Black Badges

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 12 May, 20178 yr by Gizmo68

Awesome sleeper.

I love things like this

Jejsus!, This results are incredible, I hope that the engine will not jump out from engine bay on some stage. 2.0l engine and 500bhp sound mad. Can you provide some acceleration video ? Awesome car.

Jejsus!, This results are incredible, I hope that the engine will not jump out from engine bay on some stage. 2.0l engine and 500bhp sound mad. Can you provide some acceleration video ? Awesome car.

 

Plenty of videos, have a look at the youtube links at the beginning of the post please.

Phenomenal!!!

Roughly, if I may ask, what was the overall budget getting the beauty done to this incredible stage?

I've only test driven stock 280bhp Superb, and that felt nippy in the wintertime. But this story weirdly raises the interest towards Superb again, despite I drive like a blind nun

Phenomenal!!!

Roughly, if I may ask, what was the overall budget getting the beauty done to this incredible stage?

I've only test driven stock 280bhp Superb, and that felt nippy in the wintertime. But this story weirdly raises the interest towards Superb again, despite I drive like a blind nun

 

Budget can vary a lot depending on labour and prices you can get the parts for (if new or slightly used and monetary currency flactuations).

All parts are there so you could get an approximate cost in your country and depending on your ability to have cheap/free labour and wholesale pricing for some/all of the parts.

Edited 5 November, 20168 yr by superbtte

So I guess it is roughly one third to a a half at least on top of a stock car price (please bare in mind that I look this from a window, where a standard car costs 50k£ give or take)... ?

So I guess it is roughly one third to a a half at least on top of a stock car price (please bare in mind that I look this from a window, where a standard car costs 50k£ give or take)... ?

 

Your mechanics must be paid as much as doctors

Very impressive... Got to love a sleeper with that level of performance!

Very impressive... Got to love a sleeper with that level of performance!

Even more of a "Q" car in the right colours, & silver is a good choice.

 

Do you ever get mistaken for an unmarked police car?

 

DC 

 

Do you ever get mistaken for an unmarked police car?

 

 

It is possible as nobody ever tries to race me. I do not know if it is because my car looks too innocent or because they think I am a policeman.

And I never try to race anyone either on the street as I do all my testing on the strip and track instead. Safety comes first. Or I am too just old for that

Well this is just making me more and more tempted to go talk to my local dealer about buying a 280.

It is possible as nobody ever tries to race me. I do not know if it is because my car looks too innocent or because they think I am a policeman.

And I never try to race anyone either on the street as I do all my testing on the strip and track instead. Safety comes first. Or I am too just old for that

Really when a new Bmw is up your backside, you dont stick your foot down? you must have much self control..

Never said that I do not sometimes advance briskly from 30 to 70 miles per hour. Which according to vbox now takes 2.8s compared to 4.4s when standard. And 3.5s for the M4 according to auto express magazine, just because BMW was mentioned

It is possible as nobody ever tries to race me. I do not know if it is because my car looks too innocent or because they think I am a policeman.

And I never try to race anyone either on the street as I do all my testing on the strip and track instead. Safety comes first. Or I am too just old for that

Interesting.......

 

I asked 'cos back in '04 we ran a Dark Green V70 D5 & used to make regular Saturday trips to Farnham, using the southern half of the M25.

I was never in a real hurry so I'd be cruising at 70 mph, in the left or middle lane & very few cars would overtake me (& no I wasn't hogging my lane, there was always space to pass in lanes 2or 3).

 

Back then V70's were used by the police so I concluded that the other drivers thought I was driving an unmarked police car.....

 

DC.

That is very, very nice! I can't believe the engine bay and underside is still that clean still though! ???? So not only have you gained a lot of go, it sounds like you've retained the ride comfort and luxury too?

I've not had a chance to watch the videos but I'm curious how it handles around a track... And am I right in thinking you're using the stock brakes there?

Did I mention how nice this is?

Cheers,

Steve

Awesome car....same question for me on the brakes...uprated?

Impressive on the stock engine.

Uprated Pads, lines and fluid. Work very well.

How long do you expect the engine to last?? I imagine even with the mods you've done which are clearly top spec it will put it under a lot more strain.....as well as the DSG gearbox.

I have no experience of engine mods of this calibre, obviously. On the dash cam video you can certainly hear the difference from a normal 2.0TSI to say the least....Sounds brutal! (But good)

Edited 8 November, 20168 yr by vRSmiked

Many Golf R's and Audi S3's had the same modifications for a couple of years and many miles without any issues. All this was tested a lot on other VAG group cars before I used the mods on mine.

Fantastic work....have you taken it round a track yet?

And of course I have to ask...... when can I have a go..?

Only on the strip, not the track yet. People can have a play at the best briskoda annual meeting

A golf R with the same engine and a larger turbo just made 624ps and 686nm so I should be ok with 104ps less.

Impressive!

Dare one ask by what % your insurance premium has increased over standard spec?

Richard