View Full Version : Red Line
When can i red line my leon cupra without doing any serious damage to the engine. So far i have done 350 steady miles. Also when will i notice a big difference in performance as i have been told that they loosen up after so many miles.
Thanks
Andy
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Mine started to really loosen up at around 5k. Goes very well now!
Rich
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Seat Leon 20v Cupra T
"L3ON CR" Silver and fully loaded
I'm gonna chip it :)
you need to give the engine a good 1000 miles before you start giving it a bit of stick. Start building the revs up slowly from around 800 - 1000 miles to allow the engine time to break in gently. The more time you give it to bed in the better it will be.
Thrashing it too soon with simply shorten the life of your engine. As mentioned though it takes around 5000+ miles for the engines to really loosen up.
As for the redline you should never have to go near it. The engines have so much low down torque and power that there is no need to use all the revs available.
I often find myself short changing to get the best out of it. The low end torque on the 20VT motors is very impressive.
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I found my car didnt loosen up properly till it had around 20-30,000 miles on it and the more miles it gets, the better it seems to go http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/smile.gif , i waited till i had done around a thousand miles before going near the redline and then built it up slowly over the next 500 miles,
I do find redlining it is worth it in my car to get extra power, it really seems to pick up at around 4000 rpm all the way to 6000 rpm, my rev limiter doesnt start to cut in till 6600 rpm and is fully in by 6900 rpm even though this is well into the red!!
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Flash red Seat Leon 20VT Cupra 2001 model
steve.leon
12-09-2001, 20:46
Leon is just like my impreza, gets better with more miles. when I got rid of the impreza it had 35k on it and was going better than ever. Leon has 2k on it now and I am just starting to open it up. Agree about the torque, I normally up shift b4 4k rpm, but its nice to cane it every now and then http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/smile.gif
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Steve
Cupramax
13-09-2001, 23:18
Mine was so tight when I picked it up I took it back to the dealer to have it looked at as I thought there was something wrong with it. First 1000 miles or so should be below 4000rpm apparently then you can start giving it some welly.
Have done 4000 so far in mine and its starting to loosen up nicely. Traffic light scalps so far include Audi A4 2.8 quattro, BMW B3 3.0 Alpina and Merc C Class sport coupe 230 Kompressor!!! http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/biggrin.gif
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Max
Imperial Blue Leon Cupra Y204 BAA
Does anyone else notice more torque after 4000 rpm ?, if not my car might have a fault under 4k ?, everyone seems to be saying that the leon has a very flat torque curve whereas my leon has a step in power at 4k http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/frown.gif
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Flash red Seat Leon 20VT Cupra 2001 model
Cupramax
14-09-2001, 00:16
Nope, mine stays pretty flat really. Comes to life about 1800rpm and doesn't tail off until about 6250rpm just before the limiter cuts in. No noticable difference in pull all the way through in fact mine pulls strongest from 2000 to 3000 then seem to tail off a bit if anything but this is probably down to the very conservative standard engine management setup.
I'm sure a chipped setup responds a lot differently. http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/smile.gif
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Max
Imperial Blue Leon Cupra Y204 BAA
I disagree a bit on the torque. Sure it comes on quite strongly in 2500rpm, but nowadays I find myself reving up to 6500rpm many times. The best effort is only after 5000rpm. So I change to 2nd in about 60 km/h and to 3rd in 100km/h.
I also started redlining already in 1000-1500km, no I have about 15000 in the meter and it feels a bit stronger.
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Sami
Black 20VT
The car knows that it is less than 1000 miles old and will not give max performance and is also learning your driving style. So drive it as you wish to later on as it needs to learn from you but is clever enough not to allow full power etc within the first 1000 miles.
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Graham @ Amethyst
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SWINNY:
The car knows that it is less than 1000 miles old and will not give max performance and is also learning your driving style. So drive it as you wish to later on as it needs to learn from you but is clever enough not to allow full power etc within the first 1000 miles.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
These "adaptive" ECUs are clever things...
Once it's run-in and "learned" that you want to thrash it http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/wink.gif however ~ the manufacturers torque claims tell you how it should act:-
VAG claim 173lbs.ft CONSTANT from 1950rpm to 5000rpm. The car should therefore provide CONSTANT (ie neither increasing nor decreasing) acceleration from 1950-5000rpm, tailing off slightly beyond 5K. (Discounting increased resistance as you speed up)
Torque is the force you feel shoving you back into your seat.
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SWINNY:
The car knows that it is less than 1000 miles old and will not give max performance and is also learning your driving style. So drive it as you wish to later on as it needs to learn from you but is clever enough not to allow full power etc within the first 1000 miles.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Does this mean that you can attempt to 'thrash' it during the first 1000, but the ECU wont let the engine take enough shit to damage it ???
Is there still a recommended rev limit that you shouldn't take past while running in ??
...Of course making sure the engine has reached running temp before planting the right foot http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/wink.gif ....
[Message edited by Tadger on 14 September 2001.]
Mosser,
I drive the Ibiza cupra (stock) and I have also noticed the power surge at around the 4K rpm mark. Being a different car though I'm not sure we can compare the two. Any ideas anyone?
Damo
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Just to check i wasnt dreaming the power surge i have been out and checked, and there is definatly a power surge at 4K, I know this because i can hear to turbo wind up even faster (higher pitched noise) at 4K even though my foot is on the floor on the loud pedal !,
I am going to build my own VAG 1551 ? and hopefully it will give me access to more precise results as to whats happening !
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Flash red Seat Leon 20VT Cupra 2001 model
ibizacupra
16-09-2001, 19:33
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
I am going to build my own VAG 1551 ? and hopefully it will give me access to more precise results as to whats happening !
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Build your own 1551?
Smart chap!
I use the Ross-Tech software version and its looks to be able to do everything I want from it. http://www.ross-tech.com if you wanted to see what it is.
regards
Bill
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/cool.gif
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http://www.badger5.co.uk
Thanks for the link, i might use their software but build my own interface, i recon i can build it for about £30, the seem to want $100 for their interface http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/eek.gif http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/eek.gif http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/eek.gif
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Flash red Seat Leon 20VT Cupra 2001 model
steve.leon
19-09-2001, 19:23
the force shoving you back in your seat is acceleration not torque, torque (if was acting directly on you) would twist or turn you, its the force 'turning' the wheels so 180 pounds of torque would turn a mass of 180 pounds (at something like one meter from point of rotation if I remember o level physics correctly - it was 20 years ago so don't quote me) http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/cool.gif
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Steve
ibizacupra
19-09-2001, 20:07
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by steve.leon:
the force shoving you back in your seat is acceleration not torque, torque (if was acting directly on you) would twist or turn you, its the force 'turning' the wheels so 180 pounds of torque would turn a mass of 180 pounds (at something like one meter from point of rotation if I remember o level physics correctly - it was 20 years ago so don't quote me) http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/cool.gif
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Torque turning the wheels producing the acceleration...............I think was meant.
Bill
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/cool.gif
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http://www.badger5.co.uk
i spent most of my physics lessons down the arcade so ill take my dunces hat and leave y to it http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/tongue.gif
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DAZ the AMETHYST parts manager ( flapper@seatcupra.net )
(refreshing the PARTS most other dealers cannot reach)
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mosser:
Thanks for the link, i might use their software but build my own interface, i recon i can build it for about £30, the seem to want $100 for their interface http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/eek.gif http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/eek.gif http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/eek.gif
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Have you got a PCB diagram, so i can build one ?
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