Skoda Modifications

[Martin]

It's a bit tricky with the wagon, if you drop the rear it's not good when fully loaded

[dArK5HaD0w]

Mine dropped 30mm up front and 20mm at the back. Screwed up the xenon auto levellers.
I wasn't pleased with that.
30mm drop at the back too would've been perfect.

[OctaviaKid]

Would the stock RS springs fit a 118? Lift back?

[brad]

Would the stock RS springs fit a 118? Lift back?

yep. No probs. All the springs are interchangeable - even between wagons & hatches.

The only issues you need to consider is the difference in engine weight & the extra kgs awagon has at the back.

one of the guys added RS springs to his 1.9tdi manual & it actually lifted the nose higher because the 1.9tdi manual is the lightest drivetrain combo.

I have Eibach RS diesel wagon springs on my hatch and it did lower it but not huge amounts (25mm?) which suited me fine as I mainly wanted the higher spring rate.

looks like this with 225/50r17 tyres. NB they are 13mm bigger radius so make the drop appear to be more than it is:


Compared to this with 205/55r16 (the bak gap is exagerated slightly because of the driveway profile)

[OctaviaKid]

So as well as some sort of drop, assuming my f/l 1.8 is lighter than an rs, the handling should be better right? Sorry for the dump questions I have no idea about suspension.

[Martin]

It's not a big difference

The RS has a stiffer frame, different rollbars and springs, bigger feet?

I would expect you can put the RS running gear onto your car
(I have the original shocks/springs/roll bars available)

[OctaviaKid]

How much would I be looking at to do a change over like that? Just trying to make my 1.8 feel a little more sporty, without losing an arm and a leg.

[brad]

Yes, the car wont nose dive as much under brakes; there'll be less roll going around corners; the body won't wallow as much when the road has undulations. Because there is less overall body movement before everything compresses to the same level as previous you'll perceive that the car is reacting quicker. eg:turning into corners quicker, feels "sportier".

Depends on what bits you are changing.

Fronts will take a professional that's done the job before about 45-60m per side whether it be just springs, just dampers or both.

Front sway bar I have no idea but you have to drop the x-member so I assume it's 1.5-2.5hrs?

Rears will be 15m per side for springs (it's just 1 bolt) & 20-25 min per side for dampers (3 bolts plus the top mounting nut).

Rear sway bar is about 30-40 minutes (8 bolts).

Any of the work on the rear is relatively easy if you have the right spanners / triplesquare bits & a jack/jackstands.


How many km has the car done? What tyre pressure do you normaly run & what tyres (brand/ model /size) do you have?

[OctaviaKid]

Would it improve the actual handling ability at all or just the feel?

The cars done 23xxx kms
Tires are from factory - B/stone turanza er300, 205/55/16 normally run 34-36 psi

[brad]

Dampers should still be OK. I kept mine until 105,000km which was probably 10,000km too much. Heavier springs will tend to wear your dampers a bit quicker & also maybe show a bit of under-damping for the spring rate but it isn't hugely incompatible.

I used to run up to 42psi when I had 205/55r16 tyres. It stiffened up the sidewalls & helped with turn-in, roll etc. Generally I stayed around 36-38psi.

The ER300 are a touring tyre so you could go to a slightly more performance orientated tyre or better still go to some lightweight (15-16kg) 17" rims/tyres. They come up on the 4sales every now & then & definately help.

Plenty of options open to you.