Hello there - I've got a 1.9D ESTATE, selected because I heard they were good for going on and on, and I wanted a diesel for economy...I get about 400miles/tank

Now I noticed somewhere in these hallowed halls that someone said you get the same actual economy from a 1.3...

I'm starting to get itchy feet because, well, my last car was a saab 900 (newer model - also 400 miles per tank, but that was a £60 tank) and handled EXCELLENTLY, the felly just plain doesn't - it really scared me on some windy wet dark unfamiliar A-roads a few weeks ago. I'm not familiar with such levels of understeer and in my book I don't really want to work with a car that wants to put me upside-down in a field :eek:. I'm no nutter driver, but sometimes a bend after a blind brow... whatever.. I prefer to know that the car has the handling there for the moment when it's needed.

So:

is this similarity of economy factoring the different prices of fuel?

is the 1.3 enough for pulling the estate along? less good for towing?

is the handling of the 1.3 much better for not having the HEAVY lump in the front?

is the 1.3 long-lasting?

would my 1.9D handling be improved sufficiently with a sport kit / ARB etc?

presumably I'd pay less for a tax disc on a 1.3 engine...

Do y'all think it would be worth my going back to petrol with a 1.3?

is the 1.3 enough for pulling the estate along? less good for towing?

I have the Skoda 1.3 lump in an Estate form factor. The Felicia was based on the Favorit so I assume it has a similar weight etc. The 1.3 136 is definitely enough to pull the car along. They even did them with slightly lesser powered 135's. I imagine you'd be able to tow a trailer, but when you can easily pull the rear seats out and put some tarpaulin over the carpet to keep it clean I can't see ever needing a trailer. Even the front passenger seat will come out with a 6mm allen key, just 4 bolts.

is the handling of the 1.3 much better for not having the HEAVY lump in the front?

I think I get the same sort of handling you describe. It feels like the wheels are going to lift but they usually won't - there's a big tendency for body roll. I think it will handle much the same. I'm sure there are ways to tighten it up if you have the money and hopefully those in the know will be along to describe how

In terms of performance I think you will see quicker acceleration and slightly higher top speed (not that it's legal on UK roads )

is the 1.3 long-lasting?

Someone has a Felicia with a 1.3 lump on here that has apparently done well over 200k miles and is still going. Mine has done possibly 120k and seems ok appart from an oil leak after changing the oil (think it's because the new oil is slightly thinner). People seem to believe the headgasket is a weak spot, but doesn't seem as frequent as I would expect for it to be a "problem" in terms of how many people post about it here. It is a relatively easy swap anyway as the cam is driven by a chain. That leads me nicely on to the next advantage, the chain. No need for cam belt swaps. They tend to rattle and be noisy after about 100k miles but apparently never snap, just an issue of if the noise annoys you it's £160-200 to get it changed - or around £40 for the bits to do it yourself.

presumably I'd pay less for a tax disc on a 1.3 engine...

With cars before a certain year it's based on engine size alone which makes the 1.9d more than the 1.3. Not quite sure what year it is. Try VCAcarfueldata.org.uk - VED Calculator

You would probably be able to sell the 1.9d and get an equivalent condition 1.3 and end up with money in your pocket. I think insurance would be cheaper too. But I'd probably stick with the 1.9d myself, especially if you've had it a while and know the work it's had done and how well it's been looked after

I think I can get 400 motorway miles brim to fumes if I take it steady at 60, and I think the tank is 42 litres total. I would imagine the later 1.3 MPI would be slightly more frugal.

I think I get the same sort of handling you describe. It feels like the wheels are going to lift but they usually won't - there's a big tendency for body roll. I think it will handle much the same. I'm sure there are ways to tighten it up if you have the money and hopefully those in the know will be along to describe how

In terms of performance I think you will see quicker acceleration and slightly higher top speed (not that it's legal on UK roads )

Someone has a Felicia with a 1.3 lump on here that has apparently done well over 200k miles and is still going. Mine has done possibly 120k and seems ok appart from an oil leak after changing the oil (think it's because the new oil is slightly thinner). People seem to believe the headgasket is a weak spot, but doesn't seem as frequent as I would expect for it to be a "problem" in terms of how many people post about it here. It is a relatively easy swap anyway as the cam is driven by a chain. That leads me nicely on to the next advantage, the chain. No need for cam belt swaps. They tend to rattle and be noisy after about 100k miles but apparently never snap, just an issue of if the noise annoys you it's £160-200 to get it changed - or around £40 for the bits to do it yourself.

You would probably be able to sell the 1.9d and get an equivalent condition 1.3 and end up with money in your pocket. I think insurance would be cheaper too. But I'd probably stick with the 1.9d myself, especially if you've had it a while and know the work it's had done and how well it's been looked after

I think I can get 400 motorway miles brim to fumes if I take it steady at 60, and I think the tank is 42 litres total. I would imagine the later 1.3 MPI would be slightly more frugal.

I have a 220,000 mile 1.3...

It's running fine and still does well over 100 miles to £10!!! From Halstead, to Milton, then to Braintree college in the morning... I spend £10.

My 1.3 Hatch cost me £250...

Just as a guide

I don't think the felicia handling is all that bag really.

Has improved on mine since getting new tyres.

I think once you've got used to its quirks you know how hard to push it and get a feel for it... as long as you have ABS you'll be alright (so ive found many times hehe).

Kept up with the big boys at the C&F all right... and that golf GTI soon dissapeared out of my mirrors on some country roads the other night!

philje - have you driven the diesel? estate? what tyres did you go for, are they on the 13" wheels?

Don't think there's ABS on my car - (used to have it on my saab tho :() - didn't know it was even an option on a felicia?

So as for suspension upgrades - eg sport kit or ARB... would these help? Does it shaft the insurance when you 'improve' like that?

anewman - yeah my T-reg 1.9D is taxed on engine size, same band as the saab. Thanks for the link - pre 2001 cars at or below 1549cc cost £115/yr - above it's £180

1.3 FTW!

Just such a much nicer lump to drive- revvy, and vaguely torquy down low.

My bro uses his 1.3 5dr saloon to move drumkits-so the estate is even bigger.

As for the handling, its meant to roll like that,

thats why it has flat doorhandles:thumbup:

pinkskud has a tasty suspension setup on his 1.6 and I dont think it cost the earth- no doubt he'd give you the spec if you ask nicely:D

my fav hatch handled ok, had a tendancy to understeer but was totaly controllable.

the pickup trucks have a tendancy to oversteer in wet-lift-off conditions! fun!

There's no way that a Felicia could handle as well as a Saab 900 which had a great suspension set up, and i couldn't see a Feli outlasting a 900 as the latter holds the record for longevity, over 1000000 miles i think. So bodyroll and oversteer would be very noticable after driving the Saab, having said that, it's quite hard to lose it in the Skoda but it can be hair-raising at times.

I chose the 1.3 for economy reasons and i think the engine is perfectly adequate for everyday driving, if only it felt as surefooted as my old Peugeot 405.

ok, i'm driving a 1.6 at the mow, and on standard suspension id say yer, the heavier VW lumps do encourage understeer. however with some tweeking, mine is now very well balanced.

the 1.3 however is not only lighter, but the engine is lower. if you get a 1.3 and put some stiffer springs on the back you'll have all the fun you need, and never kill yourself.

I would just go for a nice set of 15" wheels and tyres. It has improved the handling on my fun 100%. When i had my favvy i fitted 14" wheels from a golf , and they did the same

SIZE DOES MATTER

i can get up to 400 miles on a full tank on my 1.6 on nice long runs.

Town driving hits the economy a little

I agree - the 1.6 is great on long runs, but twon driving kills it completely.

Towing wise the 1.3 won't be up to much, the 1.9 would be fine, and I have towed a light caravan, and tow a trailer a lot with the 1.6.

i have to agree on that 1 too.

the 1.6 is best for towing, is the fastest, and can last for 500,000 miles! with regular servicing! yes it can and it was a taxi. :eek:

Fuel economy is good, but it can still do about 75 miles to a £10 around town driving! about 100miles out of town drives!

tax is expensive at £180 :thumbdwn:

bas***s with their new cars with clean emmisions pay £120

They handle well with 14" alloys. With goodyear eagle gt3's. or the old ventura's.

NOTE:

all felicia's have a 42 litre fuel tank.

1.3L hatch Nreg 396 miles.

Today 7th March 08

46mpg

1/2 town,1/2 out of town

39L to fill 42Litre tank so was down to about 3Litres, so was about 30 miles left in the tank.

46mpg

1/2 town,1/2 out of town

Nice mpg. Out of interest, how do you tend to drive in terms of driving style? Gear change/accelerarion etc. Just wondering if I can increase my mpg by learning off someone with really good mpg

My driving instructor taught me to to be in 5th gear if cruising at 40mph as this should reduce petrol consumption, i.e. highest gear possible without making the engine lug. Now I don't have an instructor telling me what to do I usually tend to be 2nd - 15-20mph, 3rd - 30mph, 4th - 40mph and 5th - 50mph+.

Did bomb it a bit out of town, 100 miles North and back on the old A1. Otherwise I usually keep to the limits, but I can get into 5th at about 25 mph + ? (change down to accelerate tho). Not usually a speedy person in the town.I try to get onto hi gear as much as possible.31 lbs in the tyres, Michelin.

Hot weather gives 50 odd mpg. .

Usually go for Shell, but the tank was getting a bit too low in fuel for me,so Asda it was this time.

thanks for all the research! this is turning into a good mpg thread! now there doesn't seem much to choose between all three engines on economy.

On wheels/tyres...

Rigsby has 15", 14" on fav,

Felicia_Racer has 14" alloys,

Am I right in thinking these would need lower profile tyres, did you go wider too?

Does it bring an insurance/economy penalty?

What about tyre pressures?

Cheers, Mark

by the way both of these bigger-wheel improvements are for petrol engines aren't they - does anyone here have any experience improving the diesel's handling?

On wheels/tyres...

Rigsby has 15", 14" on fav,

Felicia_Racer has 14" alloys,

Am I right in thinking these would need lower profile tyres, did you go wider too?

Does it bring an insurance/economy penalty?

What about tyre pressures?

Cheers, Mark

Go here Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tyre Bible Page 2 of 2 and scroll down to "A tyre size calculator". There is also a width calculator further down which shows you which tyres are good for which width of wheels. Only thing I can say is it's probably best to go for a tyre that has a close rolling radius to the original for the speedo to keep similar values. It's probably also worth selecting a couple of possible sizes and looking for the size with the most available/cheapest tyres.

In terms of insurance, technically you have to declare "modifications" or they can void any claims that may be made in the future - and the insurance companies do look for any excuse. Could be worth giving the insurance company a buzz and getting the exact figure it would be from them. If you could somehow find some bigger original Skoda one's I'd be tempted to keep quiet and pretend they came with the car

As for tyre pressures the page I link to above suggests taking the value on the sidewall and reducing it by 10%. That would make my current tyres 4psi over Skoda's recommendations though.

my alloys are standard 14", on the laurin and klement.

tyres are 175/60r 14" 79h

goodyear eagle, ventura rear, gt3 front.

handles well for an estate too.

so have you decided what engine to go 4?

wow that's a great resource - I just got EDUCATED!

well I'm gonna stick with the 1.9D that I have, and see what I can do with wheels, first by getting a quality tyre pressure gauge then by experimenting a bit with my current pressure setup, then maybe bigger rims, ideally skoda originals...

if I haven't got sufficiently used to / tuned in to the handling by then I might look at the ARB approach.

I think there isn't much in it for economy, but at least with diesel i can occasionaly run cheap bio-diesel (at the expense of a new fuel filter every half-hour).

And hey, having a 'plodder' of an engine is probably safer for me, enforcing some nice old-granny driving...

Cheers for the input everyone

a you all say, i think it's the roll that scares me, if the saab was doing that i was in BIIIG trouble, and my body still thinks that way!