Flat 4x4

Or a 6 speed (anyone say new Octavia ?). Had it on my Audi and soon got used to it - short 5 gears and a long lopey top.

ianc

The 6speed box is available in europe on the 4x4, but if it's the same as the Leon box I've heard criticsm of it, with people prefering the 5spd.

ian

scoob_dood

if the 6 speed is the same as the one found in my V6 4motion Golf, then I suspect for thrashing around the 5 speed would be better, it's a little notchy, leaving you less than swift at clutching new gears.

Getting more used to it now, but 1st is a complete waste of time with the torque of the V6

- Jon

Dark Blue Mark

I had a race with one for about 20 mins this morning, not too impressed. Neither was he when he put the blue flashing lights on



MB

TaviaRS

I believe that the UK police do like the RS and have collectively ordered over 250. Most will be unmarked.

Racing a Skoda will be a good game of russian (or even Czech) roulette

Dark Blue Mark

He was a top bloke to be fair. I was doing some fully commited driving, forunately he had no speed recording gear with him so let me off! (think I could have taken him though!)

MB

stanmo

iTrader: (1)

So visually, what's the difference between a 1.4 and a 4X4 Octavia ?

I can't seriously get away with a 1.6 badge on my Tek 2 wagon,
because of the twin 3" tailpipe, 17"OZs, 215 wheels and bonnet scoop.
Still manages to see off the odd stereotype fatty Jag owner who thinks I'm a farmer taking eggs and chickens to market.

ianc

4x4 is high riding, normal bumpers, smart but not sporty 16" wheels, normal bumpers, no spoilers, twin exhausts hidden behind bumper, estate adds to the effect

1.4... sorry.. RS.. is low, mean, spoilers n deep bumpers, trapazoidal exhaust, 17" alloys, not the Qcar it used to be sadly. Rs estate is slightly lower key tho, 16" alloys and most people wouldn't guess it was an RS.

IC

Flat 4x4

Stanmo

The farmer analogy is exactly the one I used to quote when I had one of the original Legacy Turbos (several cars later I got the Wagon and Tek 2'd it etc like yourself).

If you get (or need like me) the 4x4 in estate form, then you can quite easily add / debadge as you like as the exhaust is behind the rear bumper cover -unlike the vRS which is butch (like the PPP backbox I had but square !).

It has a top mounted stop light, roof rails and aerial but NO rear spoiler, so again from the rear, its your bog standard Octavia - neat design but can't confuse it for anything.

From the front its got headlight washers (like the Scooby but unlike the vRS), but no grille badge, so again, its standard Octavia.

If you want a stealth machine but this is the way to go IMHO.
Even with 150bhp as standard its torquey and I know that from IanC and Tavia's comments that the remap will make it a cracking but still economical car. Roll on mid-April for me !

IF I honestly compare the wagon with the Octavia I reckon I'll end up with similar 'scores' in the end when I've fitted shorter springs and uprated the front brakes as well. Loved the Impreza but I'm growing up, I guess ?!

ianc

4x4 estate (yawn):



Super cool RS, sorry, 1.4 (exhaust not standard):



IC

TaviaRS

I think the RS corners better though

ianc

yeah, but you can't plough fields!

Flat 4x4

I agree - it's stiffer, lower, has bigger wheels and meatier anti-roll bars. But give me time, only just got it! My Impreza was decidely un-standard by the end.

Stuart J

Flat4x4
Interested if you have any thoughts on suspension mods yet, Im still undecided, currently going to lower to RS level, then its eibachs + std shocks, eibachs + Koni, or leda fast road or kw variant 2. (which I believe uses Konis but they have a set up for the Octavia

Not at all sure which way to go, the eibach + koni set up which some people recomend is based on the set up going onto some Golfs but the Octavia is about 150 kg heavier on the back end & I have heard from one who tried it that it was too bouncy at the back.

Any thoughts ?????????//

Stuart

Flat 4x4

Wow - 937 views of a Skoda thread ! - Must be some interest among Scooby owners !

On the suspension - its funny you should say that about the extra weight of the car over say a Golf 4motion or A3 Quattro . I was thinking of just getting some lowering springs to start with (and had found some 'used' Golf 4M ones but its 200kg lighter so bouncy could happen.

I made the mistake once of fitting some Eibachs on a Mazda and it killed the ride (jiggly at most speeds - so I guess damper matching was needed).

What about you - whose lowering springs / fitters were you thinking about ?

golfliam

H&R springs with bilsteins or adjustable konis work well

TaviaRS

...on a Golf

Flat 4x4

...my thoughts exactly, as I'm not sure about playing guinea pig - I'd rather keep the comfortable ride until I know what's what for the 4x4 / heavier cars.

By the way, 1000 people are interested enough on here to read this Skoda Octavia thread - very interesting me thinks...

Flat 4x4

For anyone now actually thinking about an Octavia, Skoda have just announced a 3 year 0% finance deal.

Give it a 220bhp remap and you can't lose.

TaviaRS

Buy it from Wings in Peterborough and they do the chipping (either Jabbasport or Superchip) while still keeping your warranty

Note: Other dealers are available, they are not my dealer and not likely to be as I live 106 miles away, I just heard that they are offering this facility to customers

golfliam

....on a golf - on any mk4 platform - checkout the tt Forum or the audi forums or the vw forums

I'm very surprised any dealer would give warranty on a superchiped car you can find loads of horror stories with cars chipped by them....

TaviaRS

Liam, I have to disagree with you on the H&R and the Konis, dorry.

I had them on my RS for a while:

H&R springs, they are progressive IIRC, and until you were really pushing they were actually a lower rate than the standard RS springs, + they lower it to such an extent that under "spirited" conditions the wheels rub the arches.

Koni adjustables, well the kit they sell for the RS is actually front TT and rear is Golf IV. Bear in mind that the Octavia weighs more and has more weight out back than the Golf. This leads to it being underdamped, particularly on bump, not so much on reound though. Another thing to bear in mind with "adjustable" Konis on the rear is that you need to take them off to adjust. Mine ended up going back 3 times as it was suspected that the valves had failed due to the use mine gets. Turns out they just couldn't handle it.

Normally this wouldn't be a problem and you could live with one setting (once you had got it right). Now, personally I like a nice set up damper that I don't have to mess about with but due to the use mine gets it does need to be adjustable, easily. I've had it for 18 months, done about 84,000 miles. Of those, I've done about 7,500 track miles, including 356 laps of the Ring.

Little Miss WRX

Skoda's aren't available in Australia as far as I am aware.

If there are some then the they're being very well hidden.

[Edited by Little Miss WRX - 4/13/2003 11:50:13 AM]

golfliam

Not sure what H&R's your talking about the ones i have hardly lower the car at all - there asre 3 ratings you must be talking about the more aggressive race springs (stage 3) -

H&R plus bilsteins work very well on the Golf

But i quess the Octavia RS must have a much better set up as standard...

the Koni's i was talking about are only front adjustable

if u pick the octavia on AMD's website you get the same options as for the Golf etc Including Porche brake upgrades....










[Edited by golfliam - 4/13/2003 12:51:01 PM]

DJFish

Had a look at the local dealers the other day, have to say that it was the most enthusiastic and helpful salesman I've ever experienced (Marks Tey, Essex).

Impressed with the general stats of the car and the exterior finish was superb (pardon the pun) but do current owners find the interior not quite up to other VAG cars????
I thought Skoda would at lest upgrade the seats in the 'sport' models.

Dave

MeatballTurbo

"Skoda's websites suggests that the hatch is not available in 4x4 format.

I wonder if they have to be careful not to cross borders with other VAG cars, hence no vRS in 4x4 spec ?

- Jon "

Ah, but the vRS is available in an Estate though

That should be fun, a 180bhp, 17" shod decent suspended 'wagon.

ianc

<whisper> 16 inch..

<whisper> torsion beam rear suspension on fwd...



(biased, naturally)

MeatballTurbo

BTW, for Skoda Suspension, a good brand to look at is HP Sporting.

http://www.hpsporting.cz/aj_sporting.htm
Have a look at the Sporting and racing shocks.

My old Favorit had a set of the SPorting Special height adjustables Favorit/Felicia struts.

Turned a jelly into a very firm, but positive ride.

Don't contact them direct though unless you speak Czech as they don't answer.

instead, contact JHM Butt's Skoda Specialist http://www.jhmbuttco.com

They have regular orders from Czech from HP and Other Skoda bits makers. They will have to order the race ones in (and probabley the better Octavia Sportings), but the Sportings I bought came with springs as well struts for £300 all in.

BTW, if anyone wants a cheap hack, I've got a J plate 1.4 Favorit (white, bit scruffy looking), 52k miles with the afforsaid shocks, a set of Cobra Monacos an S racing X3 wheel, and S-Racing gearknob, new windscreen, new battery, new exhaust including Sebring stainless Backbox, decent speakershelf, and custom kick pods, Pioneer 4.25" 3 ways in the pods, 7x10 pro-pluses in the Shelf (no headunit, but car has been wired for ISO connector). Tax and MOT till November. £450, or £300 with standard seats and wheel and gearknob. Good cheap fun car to get you to work, while your Scoob/Octavia/Boomer is in getting worked on.

MeatballTurbo

"<whisper> 16 inch..

<whisper> torsion beam rear suspension on fwd...



(biased, naturally) "


Yeah, didn't notice that till after I posted, and read further into the thread. The Old Fav was listed as Torsion bar rear though.

but effectively it was an unbraced u shaped axle with proper struts/springs. The torsion bit came about because it allowed flex in the rear end to make it semi independant travel at each corner.

Flat 4x4

As with IanC's car mine now has the benefit of 220bhp and 245 lb/ft torque. Not bad for a mere Skoda.

Even the ECU doesn't even have a Skoda label on it - VW and Audi only...!

Bargain cars - snap them up before they move the pricing upmarket!