11th May 2007, 06:59
'Max Power actually quite like the Fabia vRS because it has lots of torque.'
Yep, and even Clarkson secretly likes it, despite his comments on TG.
24th Oct 2007, 07:09
I have a remapped Fabia Vrs and is claimed by Star Performance to be 175 bhp and it is a phenomenal drive! As per a previous comment about under steer etc it depends on how you drive it! If you rally it round country roads and are heavy on the Happy Pedal then (as with all cars) you are more likely to run into more problems. Keep things in perspective if you want a track car to thrash then this isn't one.
Mine is three years old and was remapped from new and the only problem I am encountering (touch wood) is that the clutch is slipping and needs uprating. Not too cheap an issue, but one that will not need looked at again for a very long time.
I find it great for belting up slip roads etc and overtaking on motorways, even on country roads I have found it responsive without under steer - again depending how it is driven and if your tyres are good (Eagle F1's).
The clutch gets most punishment if the car is thrashed at low revs thus obviously putting a strain on it.
As previously said, look after it and it will look after you.
17th Dec 2007, 06:51
I love the way this car draws such aggressive comments and insults from the petrolheads. Why the insecurity?
18th Dec 2007, 10:57
There isn't any insecurity; its because this car is a Skoda, which are "uncool" but the main reason is because strange Skoda owners feel the need to try and big this car up into something it isn't, a hot hatch. I think it's the Skoda owners with the insecurity because they feel the need to describe it as a hot hatch which it isn't; try an Astra VXR or Audi S3, real hot hatches, completely different league to the Skoda.
18th Dec 2007, 14:57
I'm not a Skoda owner and have never "bigged it up". I just think the aggression shown towards this car is unique. I'm completely impartial and just saying what I see. No other car gets laid into on this site like this one.
The S3 is a terrible hot hatch by the way. Fast, but otherwise completely forgettable. Dull engine, dull chassis, no steering feel, understeer and more understeer. For badge poseurs rather than keen drivers.
18th Mar 2008, 03:11
'How does a re-mapping from, say 130 to 170 effect the fuel economy?'
It depends how you drive. Floor it and mpg will suffer a bit but drive economically and mpg will be quite a bit better. Also depends on what remap you get.
14th May 2008, 17:53
I have had my Fabia VRs done by Superchips, and I also had it put on a dyno before and after. Surprisingly to me it was 153 bhp STANDARD! I was told this was quite common on the Skoda TDi and VW, Audi and Seat also. After it was 177 bhp, so it is not as much of a percentage increase as you think, but it does make the car a lot more fun! The re-map is undetectable to the main dealer, but Superchips cover your existing warranty anyway! I have not had any problems yet touch wood!
15th May 2008, 12:11
Im not saying the car wasnt 150bhp as standard, but just warning that MANY rolling roads are very optimistic. I have heard of these engines putting out 140bhp as standard but 150 is the highest yet, not saying it wasnt just that it should be taken with a pinch of salt unless you had it RR'd at more than one place.
23rd May 2008, 11:49
I think the Skoda is a nice little car, and very fast for what it is (diesel, and cheap to buy new).
However one thing does bother me: All this talk of remapping, specifically that it is 100% safe and invisible.
It is NOT, a main dealer CAN detect a remap and so can your insurance company if push came to shove, so be careful out there.
Number two, nothing is 100% safe when it comes to upping the power and messing with manufactures settings, it might be 99.9 % but just be willing to accept that something COULD go expensively wrong.
8th Feb 2007, 06:05
'And to all the Max-Power brigade talking maths about remapping (YAWN!), '
Go on Briskoda/Fabia forum. About 1 in 10 topics is about re-mapping. The 'max-power brigade' don't do diesels, no matter how much torque they have.