Tuning the Skoda Superb

"The sublime Superb"

The Skoda Superb is based on the A5 and Passat platform. Skoda have produces one of their finest cars to date and there is a lot of scope for Superb tuning.

Handling modifications are usually your first port of call for the Superb. We suggest that you fit uprated suspension and lower the car by 30-35mm as this will really improve the handling which some criticised as being a big vague. Larger drops require arch work - especially on models already equipped with sports suspension (like VR6 engined Superb).

Top end power should be your overall aim on the Superb with a nice fat peak torque band and this is very attainable given the engines you have to play with. Quite a few TorqueCars members have kept the Superb looking standard and removed the badges to create the ultimate sleeper!

The best power gains come from larger engine sizes especially the 1.8 Turbo and the stunning VR6. The more you start with the bigger the return on investment so engine swaps are good value mods for small engined cars. Our choice of engine would have to be that 1.8 Turbo as it is so easily tunable and very strong.

Tuning modifications.

The following modifications are usually performed by our members on their Superb projects, decide how far you want to go before you begin.

Getting the right mods for your planned usage of the car is vital. Stage 3 (competition) mods just don't work well on the road.

Stage 1 mods: Exhaust, Panel air filter, Remap, lighter flywheel

Stage 2 mods: Fast road cam, ported and polished head, fuel injector & fuel pump upgrades, (Intercooler  upgrade on Turbo models)

Stage 3 mods: Engine balancing, forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), competition cam.

You can still perform the modifications we recommend to the 1.8 Naturally asprirated engines but you should only expect a modest power gain of 10-20%, for the same amount of money you could do an engine swap to the 1.8 Turbo and get an instant 100% power hike. TorqueCars would instead prefer to focus on improving the handling and braking of the smaller engined Octavia models.  This will create a fun car that is good in the corners.

The VAG 1.8 Turbo engines were stunning, a real favourite of ours, and a simple remap is all you need to raise the power from 160bhp to around 225 bhp. Fitting a larger turbo, many choose the KO4 or KO3s will  raise the potential as the standard KO3 runs out of puff quite early on (around 5500rpm).

On the 1.8T engines it also pays to get a heavy duty recirculating diverter valve (blow off valves have caused error codes to show) and we would also uprate the intercooler. The 1.8 Turbo engine has been used in a number of powerful applications including the sporty Audi TT and can cope with power figures of up to 300bhp and even more on standard internals.

The main differences between the 1.8T 225bhp and 150bhp engines are in the head and intake. Swapping the head will help lift the performance potential of the 1.8T and a custom remap can squeeze out a little more of your other mods as well.

The diesel engines lend themselves very nicely to a remap and have another 30% power gain to give on standard internals. Uprate the intercooler and exhaust for further gains.

Skoda Superb Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

The next area for modification is the intake and exhaust. Derestricting the airflow into the engine is the primary part of tuning so get a better flowing air filter. Induction kits sound great but due to the warm air in the engine bay they will not add noticeable power and actually rob you of power. Sports exhausts balance the flow of air throughout the engine. But if your exhaust is too large, ie it is over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose a lot of the flow rate and lose power on most engines.

Gas flowing the head will allow you to maximise your air/fuel charge. Leave this to a professional though with a proper flow bench and machine tools. As the exhaust only uses 2 vavles there is a lot of gain to be had by opeing up the exhaust ports. When you start tuning your Superb you will find that the standard clutch starts to complain at power gains taking the car to over 240bhp, so get an uprated clutch.

Remaps offer significant power gains on all turbo charged cars although the early 1.8TFSi has a few weaknesses. On NASP engines the benefits are doubtful. However a remap on a NASP engine will help unleash the potential if you have done a lot of mods like cams, exhaust and head work.

Skoda Superb Wheel modifications.

Because alloy wheels are lighter they improve performance and they help to cool the brake disks. Large Superb alloy wheels can decrease performance. If you get big alloy wheels you will be changing your final drive ratio. Aim to keep the overall rolling diameter of the wheel the same as supplied from the factory. In all cases we do not recommend going above 17 inches. You may find that VW and Audi wheels fit and this gives you an impressive range to choose from.

For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss Superb options in more detail with our Superb owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Skoda tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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This article is flagged for an update, so please pass on specific tips below that I can include. All articles, and content was written by me, Waynne Smith TorqueCars founder. Some outlines are just too general so I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Skoda. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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