Hey everyone

 

Excited to join the exclusive little Skoda owners club! 

 

I've just purchased a White 2018 Skoda Superb Sportline 2.0l petrol 206kw and I'm looking forward to being a part of the Skoda club! 

 

I've come from a 2013 Ford Focus ST so this is the first Skoda I've owned... Looking forward to the more luxurious interior and drive, and the extra power 😎

 

I've got a couple of quick questions- hope it's ok to ask!

 

- I'd like to lower the ride height slightly. Is it possible to do without voiding the Skoda Manufacturer Warranty? If so, what is the best way to go? The Superb I purchased has adaptive chassis control. 

 

- Are there any tune options available that don't void the manufacturer warranty? 

 

- I'd also like to paint the standard wheels and badges vinyl black. What is the best way to do this- I've enquired about powder coating but have been told they need the wheels for 7+ days. Hard when they are on the car! 

 

- Are there any other tips / tricks that a new Superb owner should know about?

 

Will post some pictures when it arrives! 😄🙌

My advice to you is leave it alone , the car is perfect as it is , those 19 inch vega alloys being diamond cut look very smart ,I'm not sure powder coating them is going to make them look any better , as for lowering the suspension , not a good idea , you'll regret it , 

 

Well... not quite perfect (almost!): I believe the first thing to do is fit a pedal tuner, which will completely transform the accelerator feel. I purchased a Burger Motorsports pedal tuner through AutoInstruct here in Oz (obviously select the VW version). 

 

https://www.autoinstruct.com.au/product/burger-motorsports-pedal-tuner-bmw-vw-audi-mercedes-ford-kia-hyundai-infiniti/

 

There are other pedal tuners available and I expect they all do much the same thing, so shop around if the BMS one doesn't float your boat. I've been extremely happy with the BMS version, it is a good quality unit and fitted perfectly (takes less than 5 minutes to install), and has a stack of customisable settings. While it doesn't add power as-such, it makes the car come alive and almost completely removes the usual DSG hesitation on take-off. Best bang-for-buck by far.

 

Beyond that you could look at a piggy back ECU. I've fitted a BMS JB1 (there's also a JB4 available with more tuning options). I fitted the JB1 at home without drama and left it in the pre-programmed tune that it comes with, and combined with the pedal tuner, 98RON (and the Superb's AWD) makes for an almost comically fast acceleration feel.

 

https://www.autoinstruct.com.au/product/jb1-performance-tuner/

 

Obviously the advantage of something like a JB1/JB4 is that it doesn't flash the actual engine ECU; can be disconnected as required; and is therefore essentially undetectable. It's also a fair bit cheaper than something like a APR Stage 1 ECU tune.

 

Beyond that you'll love the Sportline. I've had mine a couple of months now and look forward to every drive.

On 25/06/2019 at 18:14, fencer said:

purchased a Burger Motorsports pedal tuner through AutoInstruct here in Oz (obviously select the VW version). 

 

https://www.autoinstruct.com.au/product/burger-motorsports-pedal-tuner-bmw-vw-audi-mercedes-ford-kia-hyundai-infiniti/

 

Excellent, seems they are quite popular for Superb owners. I didn't notice any sluggishness with the throttle when I was test driving, but if I find it annoys me I'll look into this one. Thanks for the Aussie source. 

 

On 25/06/2019 at 18:14, fencer said:

I've fitted a BMS JB1 (there's also a JB4 available with more tuning options). I fitted the JB1 at home without drama and left it in the pre-programmed tune that it comes with, and combined with the pedal tuner, 98RON (and the Superb's AWD) makes for an almost comically fast acceleration feel.

 

https://www.autoinstruct.com.au/product/jb1-performance-tuner/

 

Thanks again for the local link. Will definitely want to throw a tune in at some point, however can't Skoda see that the vehicle has been turned, even from historical boost data etc? 

 

If it can be detected at all by Skoda, I'd probably prefer a professionally installed custom tune with dsg mapping also. But I can't do any of this until my warranty is up. 

 

Have you had any issues with Skoda Warranty using the JB1?

On 26/06/2019 at 03:25, Esseesse200 said:

Engine and dsg Mapped and then lowered on H&R 35mm with 12mm spacers all round. Oh and 340mm front discs and callipers if you dont have them already. 

 

Looks mint and exactly how I would want mine to sit. 

 

Do you have DCC and how did the springs affect your ride?

 

450nm looks very tasty also! What tune?

10 minutes ago, antigravity said:

 

Looks mint and exactly how I would want mine to sit. 

 

Do you have DCC and how did the springs affect your ride?

 

450nm looks very tasty also! What tune?

No don’t have DCC and the springs are firmer but not crashy. It got rid of the wallowiness and handling is night and day tbf. The remap is a custom map done using live data on a RR. And then th dsg mapped to suit engine. Makes a big difference 

25 minutes ago, antigravity said:

 

If it can be detected at all by Skoda, I'd probably prefer a professionally installed custom tune with dsg mapping also. But I can't do any of this until my warranty is up. 

 

Have you had any issues with Skoda Warranty using the JB1?

 

One of the main reasons I went with the JB1 (aside from price) was that as a brand new car, I wasn't keen on a flashed engine ECU (i.e.. while it is still under warranty). So the by virtue of the JB1 being a piggy back, I can always disconnect it and return the car absolutely back to stock and without it being traceable.

 

I've had the car just on three months now (fitted the JB1 two days after I took delivery) and it's been faultless so far; you literally wouldn't know it was there in terms of idle, smoothness, fuel consumption etc. Of course the power delivery - especially mid-range - has been substantially improved, and it is also smooth and linear.

 

I don't doubt that a full ECU custom tune will probably deliver more power, but it's also about 2+ times the price of a JB1! I've been more than happy with the performance delivered from the JB1. I don't track the car, so I'm really not chasing any additional power than what I've now got; it is now a genuinely fast car in about 99% of general day-to-day driving scenarios.

 

Have a look at this video of a JB1 dyno'd in a Golf R:

 

 

Edited 30 June, 20196 yr by fencer

@ antigravity

Not sure that DCC will make a good job if combined with lowered suspensions. This may fool the DCC control unit...🤔

3 hours ago, fencer said:

 

One of the main reasons I went with the JB1 (aside from price) was that as a brand new car, I wasn't keen on a flashed engine ECU (i.e.. while it is still under warranty). So the by virtue of the JB1 being a piggy back, I can always disconnect it and return the car absolutely back to stock and without it being traceable.

 

I've had the car just on three months now (fitted the JB1 two days after I took delivery) and it's been faultless so far; you literally wouldn't know it was there in terms of idle, smoothness, fuel consumption etc. Of course the power delivery - especially mid-range - has been substantially improved, and it is also smooth and linear.

 

I don't doubt that a full ECU custom tune will probably deliver more power, but it's also about 2+ times the price of a JB1! I've been more than happy with the performance delivered from the JB1. I don't track the car, so I'm really not chasing any additional power than what I've now got; it is now a genuinely fast car in about 99% of general day-to-day driving scenarios.

 

Have a look at this video of a JB1 dyno'd in a Golf R:

 

 

I’ve always had maps and never had problems. As long as it’s done right. Tuning Boxes and pedal boxes have their place and do provide gains and technology in them has moved along wel in the last few years but I’m just not a fan. And beware that if anything does go wrong with the car under warrantee that’s directly related to the box.. (engine and gearbox), they can still trace it. Mate of mine got caught in that trap couple years ago.

if you are happy with it then stick to it as I can understand the appeal of being able t switch it on and off and also remove it when sold 

Yeah that's my concern - even though you're not editing the ECU - diagnostics will show historic metrics outside of factory specifications. 

The JB1 sounds like an excellent option IF it was guaranteed to not be detectable by manufacturers.

If it was undetectable - I'd buy one right now!

Edited 30 June, 20196 yr by antigravity

10 hours ago, antigravity said:

Yeah that's my concern - even though you're not editing the ECU - diagnostics will show historic metrics outside of factory specifications. 

The JB1 sounds like an excellent option IF it was guaranteed to not be detectable by manufacturers.

If it was undetectable - I'd buy one right now!

Have a look around all the forums and there are very few. If any. Gearbox or engine failures within the warrantee periods, therefore any other warrantee claim. Suspension body work etc would still be covered even with a remap. 4x4 however there have been some Haldex 5 failures mine included but I made sure that was sorted before I had it mapped. And depends on where you go to for the remap. Mine at big fish tuning was actually very very reasonably priced. Cheaper than a DTUK box and tcu map. And they have NO bad reviews right across the forums in the last 5 years.