Hi All,

 

I'm a new Skoda owner, got a 2006 Octavia VRS (150k on the clock) a few weeks back -- it's also my 1st turbo car so still figuring out how it all goes together under the bonnet.

 

So far I really like the car (except for the horrific all-in-one engine cover/MAF/airbox)!

 

I had problems with the idle from when I bought it, which I fixed by replacing the PCV valve- now idles smooth and seems generally fine... no errors on basic ODB2 scan now, but haven't hook up dealer level diagnostics.

 

That said I'd really appreciate a advice on a couple of things:

 

-  I seem to get judder / (almost like axle tramp in a RWD car) when flooring it ... e.g. instead of just wheelspin feels like the front is jumping as well.  Is this normal?  would expect a leaky front shock absorber would do this if it was only left to bounce on the spring but it the shock seems fine otherwise?

 

- I'm not sure if the Turbo is boosting properly .. 1st gear , expected lag - boost kicks in with wheelspin/judder..  2nd gear bit of lag .. boost kicks in with wheelspin/judder ... 3rd gear -  turbo isn't very noticeable at all. ?  Does that sound normal for a VRS? any common leaks/parts that fail

 

 

Thanks in advance for any help or comments!

I seem to get judder / (almost like axle tramp in a RWD car) when flooring it ... e.g. instead of just wheelspin feels like the front is jumping as well.  Is this normal?  would expect a leaky front shock absorber would do this if it was only left to bounce on the spring but it the shock seems fine otherwise?

That my friend is due to Traction control kicking in to prevent wheel spin.  Press the ESP button to turn off the traction (do so in your own risk and I will not be responsible for advising so lol) and it will give you the wheel spin effect you are looking for  

 

- I'm not sure if the Turbo is boosting properly .. 1st gear , expected lag - boost kicks in with wheelspin/judder..  2nd gear bit of lag .. boost kicks in with wheelspin/judder ... 3rd gear 

The boost will only kick in after you have reached a certain RPM. Once you get past 3000 - 3500 RPM boost should kick in right until 4000-4500 RPM. Depends how healthy your car is running. I am not sure what you are trying to achieve here?  

 

-  turbo isn't very noticeable at all. ?  Does that sound normal for a VRS? any common leaks/parts that fail

Do you mean the spooling noise. On a standard turbo car the turbo noise are not very noticeable (well depends car to car). Some people go for modifications like CAI (Cold air intake) e.g. cone filter, dump value, performance exhaust. 

 

If you feel your car in under performing then check for error codes by plugging in VCDS or best to get a test Dyno run and it will you a base figure of what your VRS is running. 

 

Please stay safe on roads and don't try to wreck your car to achieve wheel spins 

Edited 19 December, 20178 yr by singh946

TBH mate that sounds normal to me from the description provided.

 

Ive come to the skoda brand from a couple of modified focus STs which even In standard trim give you a nice turbo shove. Hopping into the vrs I knew it would be less noticeable but at times they do almost feel n/a in their power delivery, which is sort of nice if you like the refined thing. I've attempted to solve the problem with a remap but the weather has been crap since that point so all that happens is you light up the fronts and go nowhere anyway - impossible to get a real feel of it, but it still feels really smooth. Who knows, maybe the fords I've had had junk remaps lol!

 

The hopping front axle thing is normal if you get on the beans too much. 

 

 

 

sounds normal for low boost , get a remap on it and you wont look back

Yup, had a remap and when you floor it in 3rd/4th its a completely different beast. Like a rocket ship....

 

On 19/12/2017 at 16:42, Rooster83 said:

-  I seem to get judder / (almost like axle tramp in a RWD car) when flooring it ... e.g. instead of just wheelspin feels like the front is jumping as well.  Is this normal?  would expect a leaky front shock absorber would do this if it was only left to bounce on the spring but it the shock seems fine otherwise?

 

- I'm not sure if the Turbo is boosting properly .. 1st gear , expected lag - boost kicks in with wheelspin/judder..  2nd gear bit of lag .. boost kicks in with wheelspin/judder ... 3rd gear -  turbo isn't very noticeable at all. ?  Does that sound normal for a VRS? any common leaks/parts that fail

 

 

Thanks in advance for any help or comments!

 

What tyres do you have on the fronts? Mine came with budget brands & they were terrible. Acceleration was exactly how you described, could feel the wheels bouncing through the steering. Wheelspin even with non-spirited driving & they were still in good condition. I have put on Michelin PS4s not long ago & they have much more traction & exhibited none of the previous issues. Remember these are FWD cars so wheelspin when flooring it is expected anyway. 

 

If you are concerned about 3rd gear lack of turbo, then take it to a rolling road & see if you can compare the results to other Octavia VRS from the same era. Usually from the Youtube videos I have seen of 0-60 tests, cars with turbocharged engines such as the TSIs generally tend to accelerate less from 40 onwards compared to 0-40 is when the turbo is most active, so I take it you go to 3rd when hitting 40 or thereabouts. As suggested above, a remap will help get better 3rd gear acceleration. 

Edited 23 December, 20178 yr by sleeper77

Belated thanks for your replies all!!  - I posted this and did not see the comment notifications!

 

 

On 22/12/2017 at 23:59, PadanFain said:

Yup, had a remap and when you floor it in 3rd/4th its a completely different beast. Like a rocket ship....

 

 

This is definitely on the list -- I've decided to re-map it myself with MPSS + VAGsuite ,, software & cables in the post and will go up incrementally so I don't blow it up on the first day! : )

 

On 23/12/2017 at 11:10, sleeper77 said:

 

What tyres do you have on the fronts? Mine came with budget brands & they were terrible. Acceleration was exactly how you described, could feel the wheels bouncing through the steering. Wheelspin even with non-spirited driving & they were still in good condition. I have put on Michelin PS4s not long ago & they have much more traction & exhibited none of the previous issues. Remember these are FWD cars so wheelspin when flooring it is expected anyway. 

 

If you are concerned about 3rd gear lack of turbo, then take it to a rolling road & see if you can compare the results to other Octavia VRS from the same era. Usually from the Youtube videos I have seen of 0-60 tests, cars with turbocharged engines such as the TSIs generally tend to accelerate less from 40 onwards compared to 0-40 is when the turbo is most active, so I take it you go to 3rd when hitting 40 or thereabouts. As suggested above, a remap will help get better 3rd gear acceleration. 

 

I think you're onto something here!  My front tyres are terrible.. although they have plenty of tread I think the age/quality of them has hardened the rubber so that it loses traction too easily.  The standard rims & tyres also look pretty narrow (and sit too far into the arch?)  I'm on the lookout for Audi S4 wheels or similar .. 8-8.5J maybe with some sticky tyres up front. 

 

I also have some -50mm Eibach springs on order to stiffen up the front a bit and hopefully minimize the bounce