View Full Version : how to tune a st. Leon Cupra?
Hi all!
My Leon is a standard 20VT as we call it in Greece, thats the Cupra for you.
a) After driving a TT I realised my 180bhp is not enough, so I'm looking something close to the 225bhp the TT has.
Whats the way to go?
b) I've also heard that the standard dump valve is crap, so I'd rather have a decent one making that nice sound!! :p :p
Which one do you suggest and whats the set back?
c) My mate has a 330bhp BEAST S3 (tuned by MTM if you've heard about them, they're the bollox but charge up the roof!) and he's interested in those LCD screens that display stuff like turbo pressure, oil temp and the like.. How much are they for and where (www) can he find them?
Sorry if this is brought up quite some times!
Cheers!
Boulekos offers a kit for 285hp at a cost of 4.695euro.For 240hp the cost is about the half,as I have read.Without new turbo the limit for a leon is 215hp...As for the dump valve you should prefer a forge one (close type).Open type valves that make the swooooosh noise seem to lead in power loss (several hp).
The best solution though is to find a good s3 engine that has a potential for more hp easily...That's my opinion.
:cheers:
Aris, I find the 285bhp that Boulekos offers a high price to pay.
I don't doubt that he has the experience to offer a high quality tuning, but..... my friend with the S3 before going to 330bhp was at 285bhp and if I'm not mistaken the only changes were
a) re-programmed chip
b) modified airbox & new filter
c) 70mm twin exaust pipes instead of the standard 60mm.
The price for that was 1,200,000drx (back then!:D ) that works out to something like e3,500.
The tuning company was MTM who have great experience in VAG tuning.
However, the S3 has twin intercoolers so I understand that I may need to pay something extra for the same bhp (perhaps new intercooler etc)
I will ask them tomorrow probably for a final price, however I was looking at something cheaper and not so powerful in gains...
SEAT Exelixis offered me 210bhp with a new chip, for e750. How realistic is this keeping in mind they won't even change or modify the airbox...?
An Audi S3 engine is always nice....but who's paying!!?? :( :(
The s3 has a bigger turbo than our leon and that's why is capable of more than 50hp increase with a new ecu...Now as i told you the limit for our leons is 210-215hp.A friend of mine has a new ecu by nothelle (210hp) and it costs about 1500euro.Here in greece there is also Abt that promises 210hp with a new ecu too.Some skoda octavias are offered brand new with 193hp by ABt and only 1500euro higher price.Abt offers 210 for a leon.
The only thing I don't know is what a modified airbox is...I've seen that mtm uses it and also does Abt in some performance packages.There are many options for 210hp with only a new ecu though.I'll take my friends 210hp leon for a spin and I'll let you know.
oh and this figures don't require a different exhaust even though a better one would definitely help for more low end torque...
:cheers:
Ari, no matter how simple it might sound, from what I know, a modified airbox is simply an airbox with holes that let more air in, and of course a better filter inside.
If you have a "xoani" (???) placed behind the engine, it will suck hot air in which is not good. So instead of doing tricks to fit it somewhere infront of the engine, you modify the airbox and it works better. Thats what MTM told my friend.
I read about the Boulekos Leon 20VT4 in 4Troxoi and I'll give him a ring in the near future..
By the way, do you have the version with the electric folding mirrors? From what I know they stopped it after the first batch of 20VTs....
Yes my car has the electric folding mirrors.They have both the same size.Another 20vt I know has the passenger's mirror smaller than the driver's...
We'll keep in touch, ok mate?
:cheers:
Hello car mates !!!
Just to add some info about the S3/Leon engine comparison.
The S3 uses a native KKK04 turbo instead of KKK03 that our car has...So its prone to better overboost than ours...Also it has better designed pistons (for accepting the extra boost)
So to be able to match the specs of the S3 engine, as you said, you've better buy one....because its a lot different than Leon's.
Have you reached above 230 km/hour ???
regards,
Yagos the North Hellas connection
No, I've top out 200km/h...But even at this speed the car seemed quite steady.The road around here isn't suitable for more.When I set off for Salonika though I'll press the pedal to the metal.Outside Larisa the road is excellent for top speed...
From what I know, the differences of the S3 & Leon in terms of the 1.8T engine are the KKK04/03 turbo, the second intercooler and the different pistons like yagos said, (sfirilata)..
This is something that can be replaced, the turbo can be replaced and upgraded to a KKK04 and as far as the second intercooler is concearned, perhaps you could replace the one that we've got with a new bigger one..
I want to believe that with these changes we can have an S3/TT 225ps kind of engine that will handle the extra power.
Aris how much did you pay for the Cupra bumpers? The electric folding mirrors are not available since last summer as Technocar told me! Neither is the socket in the boot nor the memory seats.
You couldn't even ask them as extras, they just stopped offering them. I'm placing the order for the Leon next week so I'll have it sometime in May, I'll be back from england in June anyway so I wouldn't mind waiting a couple of weeks more for the folding mirrors... Oh, by the way the only colors available are Silver/Yellow/Black/Blue... The red and azzalea red (bordo) will not be available anymore!! (I wanted a red)
Yagos, the specs say top speed 228 or something, however I've seen 240 koderisia in Athinon-Lamias so I guess it won't go above the official 228km/h if standard.. That was in a 20VT, the max I've seen in a 20VT4 was around 220....
Anyone changed suspension?? Seat force offers a bilstein full suspension for I think 300,000drx. I'm getting the 2motion so I guess I might need that.... :( :( :(
Yes with these changes you can have an engine similar to an s3-225hp.The forged pistons you are reffering to are responsible for the compression ratio which s3 has (8,9:1).The leon has 9,5:1 .The cost won't be too high I think.I plan to visit Salonika sometime so I'll have a look at Nothelle.They are saying about a new stainless steel down pipe and a new exhaust system...
The Cupra V6 bumpers cost me around 2500euro.These include front,rear and side skirts.With these bumpers the leon is much better than the standard one and the intercooler gets a better air stream.
My leon has the electric folding mirrors and the socket in the boot but it lacks the memory electric seats.These seats are standard on the leather recaro's on Cupra v6.The color is Flash red and I like it very much.
I am quite sad today...The reason is that yesterday I had a street race against an Alfa Romeo 155...I thought it was a simple 2litre 155hp...But I was very WRONG...The guy when changed into second took a lead of 10 metres!!!Then I saw a boost gauge and today I learnt that that alfa was 2.0 litre turbo with 240hp...
:( :( :(
hmmm.. Seat Force asked me e2800 for the JE Design bodykit apart from the adjustable race/street spoiler and the front grills.
The car looks like a real BEAST with the 2 exhaust pipes from the left & right but the bad thing is that the world is full of this bodykit...Not the proper way of "individualizing" your car, however I think I'll get it sometime when I get the money.
My main priorities are the Sony MP3 player, a dump valve and a light tint on the windows..
I can't say anything about the Alfa, apart from the standard "if it ain't VAG it ain't worth jack sh*t", however when I was driving the TT I was racing a standard CRX when I suddently heard a mighty ROARRRRRRRRR from behind...
next thing I saw was a silver :devil: Diablo:devil: passing us as if we were standing... :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
:cheers: