lozgti

Why choose a skoda octavia or fabia for tuning and shooting round a track?

Can't imagine the chassis makes an octavia the greatest handler in the world,same for the fabia.I understand the potential of the 1.8T for tuning and the tweeking capabilties of the fabia.....but it still doesn't explain it

Why are all of us interested in these cars and why are people doing them up and racing them round tracks at up to 170mph and going round the Nurburgring alongside porsches

Why didn't you/they choose a car more suited for track days,Caterhams etc I know many of you can afford it,but you still choose a skoda octavia

So,a proper reasoned explanation please.The only one I have been able to think of is that you enjoy torturing supercar/hot hatch/track car drivers with the sight of a small/medium family skoda hatch overtaking them

Come on.Why did you choose a skoda for this job?

Jimmy

I don't use mine on track but I think it boils down to a number of reasons. Usually people can only afford to buy and run one car so that vehicle needs to carry out a multitude of functions. Take the kids to school, up and down the motorway on business, family holidays and the odd blast around a racetrack to name but a few.

The 1.8T engine is also highly tuneable for relatively little outlay yet is also very reliable. Couple that to the fact that the Octavia is rather inexpensive to buy, maintain and insure compared to other cars also adds some weight to the argument.

The above could be equally applied to the Fabia I've just used the Octy as an example.

Aveleydave

I think that covers all the angles

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2005 Yellow Octavia vRS
2005 Triumph Sprint RS

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walkie

Was going to post something simular saying 'Hit the nail on the head'

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Having a little break, concentrate on the more important things in life, swmbo and my training.

See you soon folks, take care - James

Shifty

I bought my Fabia because it was what I wanted at the time. I have been sucked down Briskoda's slippery slope of modifications, and ended up with a proper wolf in sheeps clothing. It is just coincidence that I have ended up on track with it.

You say there are better cars for track days, and you are of course right, but nothing quite as suprising as a small diesel powered Skoda hatchback. Faces like are a regular occurence. Plus I got 18mpg flat out around the ring, a Caterham wouldnt achieve that, nor would it climb the hilly parts aswell as the oil burner.

A good question lozgti, and thats my personal answer.

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Tom_vRS

Also, as its blatently irresponsible to drive too fast on the road, the track is a good place to let off steam... and also to become accustomed to the limits of the cars handling!

Its only fun at the end of the day. If it were to get competetive - then I'd get an Atom!!

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97/R BMW 328i in Boston Green.

DaveU

I dont think most people buy them as track cars - most, like mine for example just started out as my primary car, used for going to work and going to see family, do the shopping etc.
Then Adrian sorts out a group buy for a Jabba remap which is so good you cant turn it down. It's pretty much all downhill from there after the modding bug bites

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Dave


Dave's new runaround ^

The Beast: 2001-2007 (now re-homed).
5 1/2 years of frightening the living daylights out of other road users and ashaming various high end cars.

Stuart_J

I think youve hit the nail on the head, Oh & you forgot whipping Ferraris asses on the Cannonball

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Speed is an addiction for which thankfully there is no cure

Leeboy

Certainly think we've covered it all here. If I had the cash, I'd probably want a BMW M3 to trash around a track, because as others point out, it is irresponsible to drive as fast as you can on the road (by which I mean, late braking and high cornering speed).

However an M3 costs a lot of cash and then some more to make the few basic mods that any road orientated car needs to be useful on the track.

Skoda Octy vRS on the other hand is:

cheap (for the level of tech),
offers plenty of tuning options (once you realise that what can be done to a VW, Audi or Seat can be done to your Skoda),
and as everyone else points out, has a boot the size of your gran's undies (will readily take 6+ 25kg bags of sand from Wickes),
as well as being perfectly capable of pottering around in grid locked town centres,
and then happily keeps up with other WRC derived machinery, e.g Imprezzas and Evos.

Oh and as StuartJ reiterates, it's great to wipe the grin off peoples faces as you accelerate away. (And yes, I've had the pleasure of owning 3 rear engined Estelle Skodas in the past and had all the jokes back then. Not that this has made me psychologically imbalanced ever since .)

Lee

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Lee

Want to be carbon-neutral while driving? Hold your breath!

Stuart_J

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Speed is an addiction for which thankfully there is no cure