How I made my Octavia Superb

[OctyMax98]

Pun intended. Last October, I bought a 2016 Octavia hatchback, 1.4 TSI DSG (SE-L trim level). It was on just 28000 miles and is a fantastic car. Lovely torquey engine, smooth gearbox, lots of space, comfy seats and good speakers. The ride/handling compromise was never exactly how I wanted it though, but it was better than my previous Astra J SRI estate.

The first thing I did was get new tyres fitted. Michelin Primacy 4’s all around. Improved grip, handling and road noise. Nice. Set the pressure at 32 psi in the back and 34 in the front for good handling feel without being too firm.

 

Suspension

I was never that keen on how the rear suspension dealt with bumps. It was a bit crashy and jiggly, particularly at higher speeds. From a bit of research, it sounded like Golf shocks were a good way to fix this. I fitted a pair of Sachs 1.6 tdi Golf shocks to the back. This removed all crashiness but it still felt a bit wallowy. I wasn’t satisfied with this, so I bought Bilstein B4’s for all 4 corners and had them fitted. Wow! So much better than the Sachs ones. I decided against changing the springs to avoid any potential negative impact on ride quality.

The Bilstein shocks were slightly stiffer than OEM/Sachs but barely noticeable. The ride is completely transformed and feels like that of a larger car. It feels very planted and stable, especially at high speed. There is noticeably less body roll and the steering feels nice and sharp. They made an incredible difference to the car and I would highly recommend them. The ride no longer causes me any bother and feels like a car should out of the factory. Worth every penny of the £500 or so to buy them plus get them fitted.

 

Alignment

I was always convinced that the alignment job on my car when the new tyres were fitted made the car feel less stable at high speed than it previously did. Always seemed a bit fidgety. 20 minutes at Wheel Alignment Solutions in Southampton and my steering feels back to normal and the car settled at speed – it had too far much positive toe. Now it’s great at motorway speed, but the wind still blows it around a bit due to it being a light car.

 

Remap

In 2021, I had my Astra mapped at Mapro in Portsmouth. They took the 2.0 CDTi up to 205hp and about 450nm. The relentless torque and power delivery from that engine was quite something, especially at full chat in 2^nd or 3rd. I’ll always miss the way that car drove but commuting and driving in traffic often made me decide on an auto petrol as the next car. I knew the effects of a map would be less extreme on a 1.4 petrol, but still worth doing. Mapro took it up to 183hp and 294NM. The characteristics of it are much the same – it revs out fantastically and has a huge surge of low end torque. It’s very happy to get to the national speed limit without any fuss. The effects of the map are less prominent than with a 2.0 diesel but it’s still great fun now.

 

Insulation and cosmetic purchases:

My car was never especially noisy as it’s a hatch and on 205/55/16 tyres – I understand people with estates and larger wheels get more noise. But I figured I’d also give some sound deadening a go. A 30 pack of 180mm x 250mm silent coat covered the entire boot/spare wheel well and a large area below the rear seat bench. This cost £30 and a couple of hours time and has made a small difference to the noise, not that it was much bother to begin with. I also replaced the wheel bolt covers as they were manky looking and am about to install some plastic Skoda branded door sill protectors which were £40.

 

In summary, the Octavia is a great car to start with and the average person probably wouldn’t have any qualms with it. But I’m an enormous perfectionist and now the car is even better! I don’t really want to dwell on how much I have invested on all of this but it’s about £1250.

I hope this helps anyone who is looking to make their Octavia a little nicer. Please fire away any questions!

[Swirly182]

Like these types of modifications, nice one 👍

[Bmxracer]

Great car you have. I’m currently doing something similar. 
I have 2016 1.4 estate sel manual. 

I’ve had the car just over a year and bought it to carry family and bicycles as I’m a bmx mtb coach. 

I’m currently running Bridgestone t005s. Just put two new ones on the front today, along with brakes, oil and filter change. 
 

I was trying out a new garage a bit further away from me as they have a rolling road and seemed very friendly. 
My current mods are looks based at the moment. 
wheels refurbished and sprayed black.£300+ 

rear windows and boot medium tints. £200+ 

Small subwoofer in the boot. £300+ including installation. 

 

wind deflectors heko. 
 

black wheel nut caps. 
 

after speaking with the garage my next job will be an air filter and remap which should give around 175-185hp. 
 

 

I think I will save the suspension for a later date. Interesting to hear you say the B4s have improved the ride over stock? 
I have many speed bumps and potholes where I live.
I would like the car to sit ever so slightly lower but not if it means breaking my back. 
 

Overall though I’m very happy with my car. 
it’s more than fast enough as it is.
Very good fuel economy at the same time. 
cheap to tax. 
 

although I’m tempted by the Skoda superb 220 or 280 in maybe 3/4 years time.