Fabia 1.4 8v... Not tunable?

[sbtUK]

Hi there

For my first car related post, I thought I might get a few suspicions and things that I've heard confirmed or denied.

Running around in a 2001 1.4 8v Fabia, I'm not all that happy with the amount of power/torque it develops (68bph/88ft-lb). I've heard from a few people that the 8v version isn't all that tunable, but the 16v version isn't half bad for tuning.

I'd really rather like to know if this is true, and if so: why?

If it's not true, then does anyone have any advice on what Modifications to go for? Preferably in a nice power vs cost and ease of fitting sorta way, if possible


Many thanks!

 

[obi_waynne]

Generally speaking the more power you start with the greater the return on your investment. Plucking some figures purely from the sky...

70bhp + £3000 = 85-90bhp
150bhp + £3000 = 200-250bhp (or 350bhp if turbocharged!)

You can make the car more fun though . Some suspension mods will dramatically improve the handling. DONT FIT AN INDUCTION KIT as this will stuff the low down Torque. Get a panel air filter instead. Keep it in good condition, if the mileage is around 70,000 you might benefit from the Power Boost spray which decokes the engine.

 

[sbtUK]

Thanks for the quick reply

The milage is only at 46k at the moment, but I shal remember that for a later date.

I'm all for making it more fun. I'm assuming that I would need to fit new shocks and springs, and then have the camber/caster etc adjusted accordingly. The Fabia does suffer from exesive body roll at the moment, so being a bit flatter through the corners would be great. Especially given my main hobby at the moment seems to be finding out how quickly I can get across the local moors without breaking the speed limit

I'm glad you mentioned not fitting an induction kit, because I had an argument about that very thing with a guy I know who "knows about cars". Everyone knows someone like that, I think. Needless to say, I figured it wasn't the best thing to fit, and he thought it would provide massive gains like it supposedly did on his brother's mate's girlfriend's dad's 1L corsa

Anyway... Thanks for the advice! I'll be sure to stand firm on my original assertion that fitting an induction kit is a bad idea, and if I get my pay rise this month, I might just invest in new shocks and springs. I think a nice new set of decent tyres would be a good idea too.

Thanks!

 

[obi_waynne]

Many people think more noise = more power. Stick it on a dyno and the truth is revealed. Springs and shocks, 30-40mm lower. Adjustable shocks are so much better than fixed ones. You might be able to get a set of nice alloys with tyres from a breakers yard. Will Audi/VW/Porsche wheels fit the Fabia?

 

[pgarner]

not completly sure but how much difference is there between the 8v and 16v head. it might be possible to change the heads

like waynnes said the more you pay out for parts the more youll get back

main tip is to aviod tuning boxes of ebay who promise 15% increase for £15 ?????
watch out for other gimmicks such as vortex generators plug in superchargers etc

 

[sbtUK]

main tip is to aviod tuning boxes of ebay who promise 15% increase for £15 ?????
watch out for other gimmicks such as vortex generators plug in superchargers etc

Thanks for the advice

I tend to be pretty wary of such things, to be honest. The whole "If it sounds too good to be true" thing, and all that.

The latest one I've seen is the little box that "speeds up" the response of your fly-by-wire throttle. I was under the impression that you couldn't get much faster than the speed of light

Waynne: I'm not sure about the Alloys. I'll have to look into that!

 

[pgarner]

i think the fabia and vw/audi share the same pcd on certain cars most are 100 x 5 stud if im right