Power Gains Mk4 1.4L 2003

Nothing really, it's a small little engine and produces power to match.

You could spend a couple of hundred quid on performance air filter and exhaust, but really you'll probably end up going from 75hp to 80hp, which is not really worth the bother.

Save the money and put it towards something quicker in a year or two.

I found that treating it to super unleaded, ie Shell's best, improves the low end drivability and does seem to make it a bit more acceptable, it should not be able to make the best use of Shell's best, but my wife's previous 2002 Polo 1.4 with the BBY did, to the extent that if I had stopped using that fuel, she would have got very annoyed!

Edit:- on the topic of air filters, a friend serviced his daughter's 2004 Polo 1.2 and stuck in a cheap motor factor provided air filter, that did not work and had to get returned, as that low powered engine was a lot lower with that filter fitted, he then went and bought a VWG genuine part and that sorted things out.

Oh, and I always ever only use NGK plugs in any VWG cars I run and service.

Another Edit:- Redex, I don't think that it is the wonder stuff it once was, I only ever use it in my motor mower now, which is a pity as it did used to help things in the past in a different formulation maybe.

From my understanding RedEx is just a mixture of various oils and solvents with abit of ATF fluid thrown in??

R3k1355 said:

From my understanding RedEx is just a mixture of various oils and solvents with abit of ATF fluid thrown in??

Click to expand...

Oh how cruel, though maybe true! About 20 years ago, while running Ford 1600 things with twin choke (Ford)Webers, if you dumped a generous amount of Redex in, you always got improved MPG for that tankful, same I seem to remember when running Ford Orion Ghia 1.6 Injections as well, that just does not happen anymore, conspiracy theorists would claim that fuel companies saw to that as that is not good for business?

I used to dump in what was advised for a fuel system and engine clean out, ie heavy doping, once a year, but no more, still I stick with Esso so maybe no need for that now.

Edit:- maybe it needed the ATF to give it that nice red colour?

I've got a newer Ibiza 1.4 (2015) with a whole 85 bhp rumoured to be under the bonnet.

The only thing I've found to work is:

"Rev the t1t5 off it!" below 3000 there's nothing!

camelspyyder said:

I've got a newer Ibiza 1.4 (2015) with a whole 85 bhp rumoured to be under the bonnet.

The only thing I've found to work is:

"Rev the t1t5 off it!" below 3000 there's nothing!

Click to expand...

Well, compared with the earlier Ibiza with the 75PS engine, what you have there is a lighter weight car with 10PS more power, and it certainly makes a lot of difference at these lower power levels.

I frequently drive my daughter's 2009 Ibiza SC with the 1.4 85PS BXW engine, and it is fine for general knocking around, certainly a pleasure to drive when compared with the 2002 Polo SE 1.4 75PS BBY that my wife used to have - even when that Polo was running on Shell Nitro stuff! Now her current car, an August 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL, is a lot better if you are in a hurry.

Edit:- camelspyyder, that old engine that your car has, might be lowish on power and not brilliant on MPG, but as it is old tech, it should remain reliable where the TSI engines and TDI might just not!