Joel Mitchell
Leon Cupra 20v
Turbo
Year: 2002
Mileage:
59,000
Current Mods:
Stage 2 AmD remap, Milltek exhaust inc. cat, Forge diverter valve, turbo intake hose, Quick shift, Intercooler & Induction System, 4bar presure regulator, Eibach springs, 205/45/16 Fulda Carat Excelero tyres, EBC brakes with Yellow Stuff pads
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This month the Seat’s keeping me very happy indeed; my plan when buying the Leon was to get a car that’s practical, a car that can be used as a family wagon to get from A to B in. I obviously wanted a car that I could play around with, but never thought I’d go this far or get these kind of results! So after I introduced by big pile of Forge goodies last month, it was finally time to get over to AmD in Essex to get the awesomely made Forge bits in place and hopefully get some performance figures too. Arriving at AmD, the boys down there were as keen as me to get all the pieces together. In total we ended up fitting a front mounted intercooler, an air induction system, a quickshift kit and also a fuel pressure regulator to raise the boost pressure to 4bar, rather than the OE 3bar. Also, I now had all the parts to include a Stage 2 remap! The day kept getting better. Kenny got to work removing the front bumper – as you can see from the pictures, he taped up the headlights and around the front wings to prevent them from getting scratched; top service. After the bumper was removed it exposed the crash bar, which needed to be replaced with the Forge one, which is slimmer and also has brackets to hold the intercooler in place. Once the intercooler and bar were in place, it was a simple job to remove the old intercooler, which was tiny and hiding away in the wing. Kenny removed the headlight to get the supplied hoses into place, then the intercooler was ready! Next job was to fit the induction kit. After removing the standard airbox and the battery, the pipes were easy to fit and clamp into place and the cone filter fitted into its new home behind the fog light; in this case I’ve left the foglight out, as I’m going to push more air into it using a cold air feed in its place. Next job on the list was the quick shifter, which was a doddle for Kenny as he’s fitted hundreds of these and highly recommends them. I had the option for a quick or longer shift as these kits are fully adjustable, so I went for the quickest option. The kit just replaces the old one on top of the gearbox and works brilliantly, although it feels a little weird at first. Kenny then proceeded to put the car back together ready for the fuel pressure regulator and AmD Stage 2 ECU map, then we were ready for the rolling road. The figures came out great, the car when I took it there standard a few months ago was giving 181bhp and 174lb ft torque; now it had jumped to 230bhp and a massive 254lb ft of torque! The guys down there were impressed too, as this is a ‘learning kit’ so should get more gains as it’s used more too. Sounds brilliant! I couldn’t wait to get the keys and take it for a spin. Shaun took it out first and was impressed, the car was pulling so strong. He was happy with the work carried out and handed the keys to me. The drive home was fantastic! Now I've had the car for a few days the difference is incredible, the car feels powerful but also very smooth. Massive thanks to AmD and to Forge for making such wonderful pieces of equipment! As I've now done pretty much everything I can to the engine bar a big turbo, I've also focused this month on the handling of the car, with a set of Eibach springs, some Fulda 205/45R16s tyres and a full set of EBC brakes, including Yellow Stuff pads. Now this is all on, the car feels so great, the suspension is firmer and lower without being silly and the car stops and responds instantly, with the brakes and rubber all working well together. All in all a great month for both me and the Cupra... what next? |
