LG John

In a straight-line only! As you say the 406 doesn't corner or brake well (nose into the ground job!). But then it wasn't designed to, its a fast cruiser with the toys/etc. This is why I find it so bizzare that this thread became an issue, the 406 is NEVER going to be a thread to a scooby in anything other than a straight-line drag from 60mph and even at that it'll ONLY just match some scoobys.

What Skoda have you ordered John? The 1.8 turbo one I presume, any mods planned

"But it has to stay sensible, safe and respectful" - Agree completely. It seems some have assumed that just because a scooby played along with me we were driving like the RS4 v M5

"V6 sounded nice" - you should hear it the the exhaust on it. Subtle but that little bit more throaty. I never noticed until I was driving the 2nd one standard again for a few weeks prior to switching the exhaust! The other day my brother nicked it and booted it away from a garage it sounded really nice (in the 3rd person) when it came on cam

"standard bugeyes" - how did you get one of those to play, I thought they were all driven by old women?

John I've got a mate lined up to help me strip the engine of the green one down and figure out what went wrong. We'll hopefully post pictures, etc so keep your eyes peeled for a thread - that's assuming you can stomach it

ozzy

The Scoobs are pretty standard in a straight line unless they're heavily modded. Even then the drivetrain isn't the greatest for high-speed runnning, unless you've a monster like Johns. I've been hassled by many a large barge (Volvo's, Beemers, Audis, etc.) on the M8 and it's only my stubborness not to let someone win that's gotten me away with anything. If the T5 or beemer driver is prepared to floor it all the way (as I've been known too) then I'll tip my hat to them.

Whether it's motorway bashing or on a 1/4 mile drag strip I still don't see what skill's involved. Once you've mashed the loud pedal to the carpet and can manage to point it in a straightline and change gears it just doesn't seem like any driver skill is required. It just doesn't give me butterflies in my stomach.

I wouldn't knock 1/4-miling based on a boy-racer image, it's just that I find it very boring, but as Kenny says each to their own and it's far safer than racing on a public road. Certainly has it's good point simply given the fact it's a meaured time and an indication of how fast your car can accelerate.

I've always been far more interested in handling and driver control. I'll be the first to admit too being an average driver, but most blokes aren't and take offence to the suggestion that either them or their cars are inferior. You might as well tell them they've a smaller **** That's usually when the 1/4-miling times and BHP topics get heated.

Same thing with cars. The mere thought that a Peugot could beat the far superior Impreza (hope you spot the tongue in cheek) will send shock waves through some people

I remember my m8 from Ireland (not unaccustomed to being nutters behind a wheel, and he was no exception) telling me how a bloke in a beaten-up old Ford van passed him at over 90 on some twisty roads on the run down to catch his ferry at Cairnryan. To say he was gutted was an understatement, but I though it was funny as ****.

My philosophy is you should be excited by driving. Whether it's a Impreza or a Ford focus 1.1L. If it gets you excited then it can't be a bad thing. Jeezus how many of us have left a go-kart track with big feckin smiles?

Still, sitting at a set of traffic lights faced with a reving car the old instincts will come flooding back and I'll be 1/4-miling with the rest of them

imlach

My x is better than your y type threads

They've existed ever since the beginning of cyberspace, and they'll continue to exist for evermore

No-one has EVER "won" these debates. It always ends up as a very polarised slanging match. Rise above it my man. No matter how many disclaimers you put in about this NOT being a "my x is better than your y" thread, someone will always see it as such.

imlach

I'll admit to not being able to have the confidence to push a car to it's limits on a public road either.

SB will know the coastal road from North Berwick to Edinburgh. I used to drive briskly but sensibly on that sometimes. I once had a mate in his 1.7 Puma behind me who was keeping up no problem. Difference was, he was ragging the **** off it and understeering round the corners, while I was probably only just on-boost and fairly relaxed (but nervous as I hate having pushy drivers behind, no matter what the car!)

To me, a well/badly driven inferior car ALWAYS had the ability to push the Scooby as I was never prepared to go all out on the public twisties. Too much to lose, NOTHING to gain.

You may as well stop, park up, and have a ***** comparison competition That's how important it is in the grand scheme of life.

LG John

I don't know how we are on to talking about twisties in a 406/impreza thread based around a straight-line event but I neverthless agree with many of the points imlach and ozzy make. Notwithstanding, it would need a VERY VERY gifted driver to hussle the 406 round the bends well enough to keep up with an Impreza. Maybe if the 406 was driven by a rally driver and the Impreza by a below average driver but even then the pug would struggle.

I really miss being able to have a backroad blast but blasts off roundabouts, cruise control and electric everything make up for it..................for now

EDITED to add: Imlach everyone seems to think I'm a crazy driver too but I struggled to keep up with a Berlingo van on the section of coastal road between Port Seton and Aberlady (in the saxo vts btw). The guy was willing to push far far harder than I was. I was the way that thing moved around!!

john banks

Kenny, it is a vRS, wife's company vehicle. Staying standard, torque curve is nice and wide and flat, nice to meter out the torque with FWD. It is at least as accelerative as the 406, but stops and corners as well as doing over 30 mpg

ozzy

I only mentioned the twisty stuff coz that takes ability (not that I have any to shout about), but just to emphasise why I'm not a point-and-shoot kind of person.

You probably just get the rep from the well-publicised "incident"

I haven't spun my car yet, although I've had some pant-filling experiences over the years including several near misses with wildlife (deer & sheep .. and involving the car before anyone starts), an excursion into a field (luckily open gate was the run-off) and some lucky escapes with the local constabulary.

Thankfully (and I hope out of my own common sense), I've never involved anyone else in any "incidents" of my own and has so far kept me well out of trouble.

It's that (supposedly) respectable Dr Banks that seems to be out there raging his own private war on Motorcyclists that everyone should watch out for

Stefan

ozzy

Being a Czech car, I've only respect for the Škoda's.

Not a fan of the plain looks from the Octavia 4x4, but I really do like the Fabia. Drove one in the Czech Republic a few years ago and it was up to the usual VW standards.

Is the vRS is the Diesel model? What's the sportiest petrol model?

SiPie

74% crazy I reckon

john banks

vRS Fabia is a diesel 130 BHP, bit tunable up to 180+ BHP quite easily I hear, but surprisingly heavy.

vRS Octavia is a petrol 1.8T, 180 BHP. 177 lbft from about 1900-5000 RPM though. Nice all rounder.

I don't harrass motorbikes, I just don't let them harrass me But given other threads, I think I'll drive like miss daisy around them in future.

LG John

Uh-huh, sure First it'll be a remap/chip to iron out little flat spots and thicken the feel of the car up. Then the sports cats will go on, followed by the slightly bigger turbo before finally the uprated intercooler goes on

Lol @ Sipie, your 99% crazy mate and I feel that 1% is what keeps you alive

Most probably, I never have or never will regret posting. I'm an honest and open person but I understand many others will have had such incidents and never told a soul. Nobody even saw mines so I could have kept it all to myself and the bunnys that took cover in the hedge

john banks

Not with FWD Kenny, I think less is more. There are no flat spots in the standard mapping, it is very smooth, I think it is nice as it is. With AWD you can put up with a lot more torque and spikey delivery.

pugoetru

Well i for one agree with saxo boy i have now driven a 406 v6 and a leggy turbo and performance wise there is not a huge difference ok the scoob has grip and corners better but thats not what he is on about

Midrange it WOULD be close even my 505 v6 pulled like a train in the midrange 2k-6k just kept pulling also very smooth and civilised unlike a scoob

kevinperth

think ive been most misunderstood by most on here on this one , i was more taking the pi$$ than anything else .saxo as long as your happy and all that .did find it a bit funny that saxo was wanting to challange scoobys around edinburgh. another point thats sprung to mind is what fuel was the wrx running ,what condition was it in etc etc?

would also like to point out that i wasnt getting involved in a my cars better than your car debate. definitly no point in that one is there

hopefully ill catch up with you saxo and we can debate this over a pint sometime

SiPie

Hang on .......

Have I walked in to the wrong place or is this actually a Scottish thread actually up and running

Well done Kenny

PS Clio 182 (not cup as ****ty seats, but with cup chassis) on way for return from NZ, semi economical for H to do her big mileage and should suit playtime for me in the evenings. Focus stays as work hack, just to see how long it takes to break it (tried but honestly can't...! Great heap of tin)

Yeah I know mate, swore I'd never do the Renault thing again due to dealers, but having dealt with a certain dealer not far from me over the scoobs life, it can't be much different

Catch up soon

LG John

Nae bothers

I found fuel made little difference to the actual performance of my scooby. It just stopped it blowing up

Happy isn't actualy the term. At the end of the day the 406 is a work hack until I can clear some other debts but its got acceptable performance and is comfy with good toys. I'm could sh@g an Impreza again or better yet and S2000

Not hard, just took a wee controversial topic to draw them out

182!!! YOU B@STARD, that's so not fair. Let me know when she's run in I REALLY want a run against 182.......straight-line of course. I can pass my mates MK1 vts and he got a decat, filter

pugoetru

saxo boy is your dead 406 from the thread about depreciation a v6?

SiPie

Dunno if this applies to the 182, but apparently the 172 engines that have had their necks rung out from the start, went on to loosen up perfectly and produce a few more bhp

Read that somewhere

Why did they put those ****ty seats in the Cup ?

Now you tell me ......

LG John

That really is the big debate these days - to run in or not to run in!

Yes the dead 406 was a v6 and it was namely John's old 406. It was a MUCH nicer example than the one I have now but in fairness whilst the one I have now looks a little tired it drives 'fresher' than the older dead one.

ozzy

I ran my Impreza in ..... by thrashing the nuts off it. The day I collected it I pottered down from Stirling at 55mph. It was cool just to get some admiring looks and a few waves

Some m8's came round to have a look and go for a ride. Needless to say the gentle driving lasted the 20-miles driving back from the Dealer. With 25-miles on the clock it was raced around some dual carraigeway and 4-wheel drifted around some local roundabouts

5.5 years and 75,000 miles later and the only problems I've had were a duff 02 and MAF sensor. Engine has never skipped a beat. I do let it warm up a bit and give it some gentle driving and a bit of idling before switching off, but other than that I just jump in and drive.

Unless there's a way of inspecting the internals without opening it up or interfering with it's normal operation I can't see how anyone can answer the debate. Some cars let go at 20,000 miles others with a hard life can last well over 100,000.

I would say most likely causes are faulty sensors not being picked up soon enough or some fuelling issue.

And before I knew any better my Impreza was run on some NUL for a few months early in it's life and it still never blew up and I was much harder on it back then.

Stefan

In the ring of fire

woohoo an active thread

someones been using the dimmer switch again

p1doc

very good of you to support a scottish thread stephen

pugoetru

saxo do you know what ignition system it uses as i need a full ignition/fuel system for a v6 but it must have 1 ecu for everything and preferably wasted spark three coil system if so how much for it

LG John

Don't have a clue make but no reasonable offer will be refused for parts so look up what system its got and feel free to come take the bits you need off it Its a 1997/P with the phase 1 194bhp engine.

john banks

IIRC, it had a coil on plug arrangement - quite bulky coils which sat inside the spark plug tunnels.