Jay's Octavia vRS Estate

[jaygemson]

My Skoda dealer (Reading) has been very supportive. Despite the engine mods they’ve done warranty work on the gearbox and suspension, and they love the wheels and cosmetic tweaks!

 

I’d say that they would be fine with anything that doesn’t relate to the modifications - so if I had any engine related issues they wouldn’t honour any claim. Other dealers may not be quite as pragmatic.

[greg_s]

22 minutes ago, jaygemson said:

My Skoda dealer (Reading) has been very supportive. Despite the engine mods they’ve done warranty work on the gearbox and suspension, and they love the wheels and cosmetic tweaks!

 

I’d say that they would be fine with anything that doesn’t relate to the modifications - so if I had any engine related issues they wouldn’t honour any claim. Other dealers may not be quite as pragmatic.

 

Thats my concern really. I think i'll give it at least 12 months before doing any major mods or chipping

[dubDEAN]

STUNNING CAR AND GOOD WORK ON UPGRADES

[jaygemson]

Been experimenting with a new photo host and it looks like some images went missing from an earlier post.  Let's see if this works instead (admins, please replace my earlier post and delete this one):

 

Eibach Pro-Kit springs, Maxton side skirts and Racingline stripes fitted 

 

 

 

Couldn’t be happier with the results!

 

I've used Eibach springs on a few of my previous cars and I've gotta say that yet again they've come up trumps.  The drop is very subtle (20mm front, 10mm rear) which gives an even arch gap around the wheels whilst maintaining decent ground clearance for family wagon duties.  Due to being progressively wound the ride quality is actually improved on normal driving, but when you lean on the suspension into a bend body roll is signifcantly reduced.  Best of both worlds!

 

Styling wise the side skirts really beef up the look of the car, especially in the flesh.  The "r-bar" stripes were a bit of a pain as they're designed for a Golf R's door lines so needed some trimming around the door shuts, but they tie in nicely with the rest of the black accents so it was worth the hassle.  Just a spoiler extension and black exhaust tips and my work here is done!

 

 

Edited 10 May, 2019 by ColinD

[Babs]

Looking good!

[dubDEAN]

stunner and awesome colour  

[MattB-VRS147]

I really do love what you've done. Super subtle but massive difference!

 

[jaygemson]

This update has been a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait.  Felt great getting my hands dirty with the brakes again too 🤓

 

Front brake upgrade - Clubsport discs, EBC RedStuff pads and RS3 cooling ducts
These discs are a tad expensive for what they are but they're a nice OEM bolt-on upgrade.  They're significantly lighter than the original discs and the semi-floating bell design in theory provides improved cooling and allows the disc to cope with more heat expansion.  I'm a huge fan of EBC RedStuff pads having used them on previous cars - quiet, low dusting, provide more bite than OEM pads (even from cold) and can cope with a fair amount of abuse.  They come with wear sensors and spring clips to prevent pad float, so they're a direct replacement for OEM.

 

 

 

Being 1kg lighter per side the unsprung weight saving is significant, and they certainly look the part.   I've only just bedded the pads in but they feel great already so I'm pleased with the upgrade.

 

Whilst I was at it I installed some brake ducts (https://www.akstuning.co.uk/genuine-oem-parts/456-genuine-rs3-8v-brake-ducts.html).  These just strap onto the lower wishbones and are designed to guide air in towards the back of the caliper and the centre of the disc on each side.  Can't say I've felt the need for additional brake cooling so far, but I am planning on attending the odd track day so I thought they were a worthwhile mod for the money.

 

 

 

Scorpion resonated cat-back exhaust system
I'm not one for a 'shouty' exhaust but I think everyone can agree that the stock exhaust is far too sedate.  All of the other MQB platform cars with the same engine/turbo setup have at least some kind of exhaust note to speak of, but the Octavia is whisper quiet so the car was begging for an exhaust upgrade.  The stock resonators are also a restriction when aiming for higher power outputs so it had to go.

 

I'd used Scorpion exhausts in the past so I was keen to try them again and therefore opted for their resonated cat-back system to keep things family friendly.  The system was supplied and fitted by Car & Motorsport Services in Reading.  I'll add the downpipe later on when I'm ready to make the jump to stage 2, which is not far off now from a hardware perspective (only that and the intercooler left).

 

The diameter of the pipework is significantly larger than stock, and the resonators about 50% smaller.  Fitment is perfect as expected, and the sound?  So much better!  Finally you can tell that the engine is running, with a purposeful burble at idle from the outside that's still unobtrusive in the cabin.  When cruising along in 'D' below 2,000rpm it's all very sensible still and there's no motorway drone, but when you mash the throttle you're now rewarded with a deep exhaust tone which develops into a proper bark from 4,000rpm onwards, and a hint of DSG 'fart' on flat upshifts.  It's never raspy though, more reminiscent of a Porsche or Audi OEM sports exhaust - bassy, throaty and with intent.  Thoroughly recommended.

 

Before

 

After

 

Video - before

https://photos.app.goo.gl/4BquyHKXeoa6cF7h9

 

Video - after

https://photos.app.goo.gl/auTGw7XmXiPERq2R9

 

I will add that I did suffer with some vibration/resonance in the 2-3,000rpm range initially.  With help from Scorpion the issue was tracked down to the exhaust outlets not being properly tucked into the trims in the diffuser.  I can't fault the service I received from Scorpion and Car & Motorsport Services in getting this sorted out.

 

 

Firmware update

I took the opportunity to update my Columbus MIB2 head unit with the latest firmware, going from 0833 to 1233.  It took around an hour all told to complete the process which was a doddle really.  The hardest part was tracking down the files and getting them prepared on a suitable SD card.  Being a software developer myself I couldn't resist updating it, there was no other reason!  The only difference I've found so far is that when you press the MENU button the SmartLink option (e.g. CarPlay) is always the default option whereas before you had to scroll around to find it.  That alone was worth the trouble I reckon.

 

Before

 

During

 

After

[orangewinger]

Where did you get the update from please?

[jaygemson]

20 hours ago, orangewinger said:

Where did you get the update from please?

 

Drop me a private message  

[jaygemson]

Sneak preview of the latest update 😎

 

 

Wheel refurb time!! 🤘

 

Part of the reason why the R360 wheels were such a bargain is that they all had small marks on them.  I'm really fussy with wheels, and whilst I was happy to run them like that for a while I'd always wanted to get them refurbished.  When I discovered that I lived only a few miles away from Wheelworkz (https://www.facebook.com/WHEELWORKZALLOYS), a powder coating company specialising in alloy wheels, I couldn't resist!  Especially at £50/corner for 19s.

 

Photos don't do them justice.  They're a shade darker than the original Racingline gunmetal finish with a lovely metal flake that pops in the sun, and I was worried they'd be too dark but they really suit the car.  I'll share some photos of them fitted once the car's clean.

[jaygemson]

I don't know how I forgot to share this, but my car recently featured on the Racingline Facebook page.  We're famous 😆

 

 

[Babs]

Looks very tidy that!

[jaygemson]

On 31/05/2019 at 23:20, Babs said:

Looks very tidy that!

 

Thanks @Babs ☺️

 

 

Edited 3 June, 2019 by jaygemson

[jaygemson]

A few photos showing off the refurbed wheels and new brakes 🤩

 

 

 

 

 

[Phillips]

Absolutely stunning this mate!

[jaygemson]

Cheers @Phillips 🍻

[Ads230]

Been looking at whether to add the front lip and sideskirts to mine - yours is definitely making me consider it a lot more, but looks so good on fast estates. As on our PMs, also still keen on getting the anthracite Revo RV019s for added stance but a few bodywork additions wouldn't go amiss. Loving your work!

[jaygemson]

Cheers @Ads230!

 

The RV019s are such a great choice.  They'll make a huge difference to the look/stance, and should make the car feel a bit more lively due to the reduced unsprung weight.  Those Xtremes are pretty heavy.

 

See what you think of the 'aero' additions on mine at the meet on Wednesday, I reckon you won't take much persuading when you see it in the flesh 😜

[jaygemson]

In my quest for stage 2 I picked up a lightly used Airtec intercooler just before summer.  I knew it was a challenging job so I asked around for fitting quotes from various garages and it varied enormously.  My preferred local specialist wouldn’t even give me an estimate, so I decided to tackle it myself with the help of my dad 😊  We blocked out the whole day and with years of experience of working on cars together (including engine swaps, transmissions, turbo upgrades - you name it) we were confident.  Haha, what fools 😃

 

This job is a lot trickier than a conventional intercooler upgrade because on the MQB platform the intercooler is sandwiched between the coolant and AC radiators, which are all packaged together as a single unit behind the crash bar.

Here’s the rough order of events:
-    Remove front wheels, arch liners and front engine undertray
-    Remove front bumper and headlights
-    Remove air box and disconnect horns, sensors and bonnet release cable
-    Support the radiator pack from below
-    Disconnect lower boost hoses and remove crash bar
-    Loosen and move rad pack forward, separate the IC from the coolant and AC rads
-    Slot in the upgraded IC
-    Attach the AC and coolant rads onto the new IC and reconnect lower boost hoses
-    Put everything back together!!

 

Airtec didn’t respond to my request for installation instructions, and the only ones I could find online were for a Golf mk7 GTI.  Same MQB platform of course, but what I didn’t appreciate was how different the structure around the rad pack is.  It’s far more restrictive on the Octavia which means you can’t just swing the AC rad out of the way, and despite everything I read online we had to do some trimming around the AC lines to give us enough vertical clearance to slot the AC rad onto the tabs on the new intercooler.

 

So the tuners who have experience with the same job were quoting me around 3-4 hours, and it took us 6.5 hours in total.  Not too bad I didn’t think, and of course it feels great to have tackled and beaten a job like this on the driveway.

 

The result?  In all honesty I wasn’t expecting much if any gains at stage 1 but I was pleasantly surprised.  The car pulls harder right the way through the rev range and rather surprisingly, despite the extra volume of the new IC, turbo lag is reduced.  It spools more willingly and more smoothly than before, presumably as air flow is improved over the stock IC, and therefore there’s less pressure drop making it easier for the turbo to deliver target boost.

I’m only a downpipe away from being ready for stage 2 now!  Bring it on 😃 

 

 

Wheels, arch liners and bumper removed:

 

 

Lights and horns removed:

 

 

 

Air guides and crash structure removed (note the ghetto bonnet prop – the structure that holds the bonnet up also has to be removed):

 

 

Radiator pack separated and original intercooler removed (it sits in between the AC and coolant rads):

 

 

New intercooler is roughly the same height/width as the original:

 

…but crucially is much thicker, with a less restrictive core and twice as many cooling fins:

 

 

And after all of that you can’t see the new intercooler when it’s fitted!  What a swizz 😂

Edited 7 November, 2019 by jaygemson

[shyVRS245]

Had an Airtec intercooler on my 245 since 23/10/2018 and even on two track days it keeps engine oil temps to a maximum of 105C.

[jaygemson]

22 hours ago, shyVRS245 said:

Had an Airtec intercooler on my 245 since 23/10/2018 and even on two track days it keeps engine oil temps to a maximum of 105C.

 

Nice, another Airtec user 😎  Take it you're at stage 2 already with that kind of power (336bhp from your profile data).  What other mods do you have?

 

I wouldn't expect an upgraded intercooler to help with lowering/maintaining oil temperatures though - the IC is only there to lower intake air temperatures.  Definitely will help the car make consistent power on track though which is always a plus 😈

[shyVRS245]

5 minutes ago, jaygemson said:

 

Nice, another Airtec user 😎  Take it you're at stage 2 already with that kind of power (336bhp from your profile data).  What other mods do you have?

 

I wouldn't expect an upgraded intercooler to help with lowering/maintaining oil temperatures though - the IC is only there to lower intake air temperatures.  Definitely will help the car make consistent power on track though which is always a plus 😈

Yes stage 2, Airtec cone air filter replacing the entire original airbox and panel filter, Airtec intercooler, full Milltek stainless 3" including HJS Sports cat resonated (not too noisy) and AmD custom remap 2 runs on the rolling road gave identical 335.9bhp and 380lb/ft torque (517nm). Acceleration now 60-100mph in 6 seconds. Top speed limiter removed and maximum now 283kph/177mpg at 6,000rpm in 6th gear (manual).

[jaygemson]

Nice!  Great upgrades, thanks for sharing.  I'll be using a Scorpion sport cat downpipe to go with the resonated system already fitted, and I've got the R600 intake, but otherwise we'll have very similar mods.

 

0-60 times are a bit silly for FWD cars.  Mid-gear performance at stage 2 is actually similar to that of BMW M3s and old shape Audi RS3s which is far more impressive, hence your pretty serious top speed as well 🙈

[jaygemson]

Another nice mod ticked off the list this weekend - Milotec rear spoiler 😎

 

 

This was kindly supplied by Alex at AKS Tuning and I believe he still has some in stock from a recent group buy.  Grab one while you can as they look awesome!

 

The instructions state that you need two people to fit this, and after tackling it alone due to the usual free time constraints I can see why!  Prepping the spoiler is a doddle, and it fits like a glove, but as it's bonded with adhesive you need to hold it in place whilst taping it down so that it stays secure for the 24 hour curing time.  You also need to wipe away excess adhesive that appears when you press the spoiler onto the bodywork, but I managed it alone and I'm very happy to report that it's still attached to the car 😄

 

Goes really nicely with the other bodywork extensions (front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser), so just the tailpipes to de-chrome and job's a good'un 👍