Initial impressions of my new Octy RS 162TSI

[Spinifex]

I always understood big brakes was better.... not only due to the increased centrifugal forces with a caliper clamping the outside of a larger disc, but the heat absorbed by the discs is distributed over a larger area for dissipation to atmosphere, hence better cool down?

[Mysticality]

I always understood big brakes was better.... not only due to the increased centrifugal forces with a caliper clamping the outside of a larger disc, but the heat absorbed by the discs is distributed over a larger area for dissipation to atmosphere, hence better cool down?

Think of it this way instead, a motorbike engine heats up quickly but, when you shut it down it cools down quickly.
A truck engine heats up very slowly; but once shut down can still be warm hours later. Same principle.


EDIT: I'm not saying that bigger isn't better, but there is a point where you need to get into clever things like two-piece rotors or fancy rotor venting to get additional benefit long-term from such large units. Hence why I now run 355x32mm two-piece discs.

[Spinifex]

I am no engineer, but I have to disagree with your analogy.

You're comparing a tiny motorbike engine, that has barely any cowling or air-restriction, and is being air-cooled by ambient air, versus a massive diesel truck engine, that's hidden behind hundreds of kg of extra weight/bonnet/guards/radiators, etc, etc, with almost NO ambient air-cooling whatsoever.

That's not really a valid comparison.

While I haven't read up on the theory behind 2-piece rotors, I fail to see why enthusiasts/racers/car manufacturers would offer bigger brakes on their performance cars, if they would become more prone to fade.

[DETROITCANDY]

I bought an OBDeleven when I got my car in August, I haven't managed to do anything useful with it yet (I really haven't sat down with it yet for more than a 3min at a time).

There are lots of 'apps' but the only ones that i'm interested in from the list are 'High beam assist', 'brake disc drying' (maybe for next winter), 'high intensity brake light', 'XDS interaction', 'Auto lock' and 'sound actuator'.

I can't see any for tailgate close on button, traffic activation, auto sunroof close using rain sensor which is why I initially bought the thing.
Also it looks like even with the 'PRO' version you need to pay to top up credits to switch the 'apps' on. I've reinstalled the OBDeleven app and re-entered my pro activation code but it still says I need to buy credit.
I've read there are other ways to do unlimited changes to the code manually but I couldn't figure it out within the 15min total time I've spent playing around with it.

[Mysticality]

I suppose a better analogy would be those two engines, each sitting on a pallete, in a room with controlled temperatures, etc etc.

The example I gave above is based on my own experiences with the standard 312x28 front & 272x12mm (solid) rear vs the 345x30mm front & 310x22mm (vented) rear R32/R brakes I fitted. Noticeably heavier, and prone to fade whereas I *tried* to fade the stock brakes, and never could.

I now have 355x32mm two-piece front fitted and am about to combine that with something along the lines of 320x12mm rear two-piece so we will see how that goes.
The 355x32 & 272x12 is a good combination with decent feel... if a little front-biased.

What I'm saying is, bigger is better to a point - but for a huge 12kg solid steel disc there is only so much you can do before you have to give it time to cool. Hence, fade.

[woofy]

I haven't checked recently, but on Briskoda they found this year that the diesels had the smaller brakes on the front similar to the Golf GTi whereas the petrols still had the bigger GTP brakes. I noticed mine were a lot bigger than my Mk2 thats for sure. There are debates over where the bigger ones were just an image/marketing thing.

[Mysticality]

I haven't checked recently, but on Briskoda they found this year that the diesels had the smaller brakes on the front similar to the Golf GTi whereas the petrols still had the bigger GTP brakes. I noticed mine were a lot bigger than my Mk2 thats for sure. There are debates over where the bigger ones were just an image/marketing thing.

I've heard this, too. When we get a vRS TDI in the showroom, I'll be able to confirm this.

[Lams]

Back to the previous topic, I have a VCDS if you want to play with some settings, you're welcome to come try it
As soon as you get your car back!

[Spinifex]

Thanks Lams - I may take you up on that offer.

Still waiting to hear what the issue is with it.

I actually just bought an ODB11 plugin too.... not sure how much "programming" I can do with it, compared to the VCDS... but having the bluetooth diagnostics to a laptop/pad will be handy (until the novelty wears off)

[Lams]

the VCDS was very handy in my previous job. But since my immediate family and inlaws all switched to VW, it became even more handy (some of them were DSG and quite a few of them were problematic cars). It was also handy for things like swapping headunits, adding a GTI steering wheel to my Caddy etc

The Skoda is our first new car in a long time but now that I have 4 heavy vehicles to look after, it's been a bit neglected. I've done the traffic enabling, put OEM LED license plate lights on and did the auto rain window closing thing. I'd also look at disabling the 'clutch on' engine start sequence when I can be bothered...

I'm in Mt Gravatt - just send me a message if you need!