Seat Leon Cupra Tdi

Seat Leon Cupra Tdi - pics resized

I've been a member here for a while and not actually put any pictures up of my dirty derv - some of you will know what Seats are and some of you might not. In essence it's a Mk4 Golf wearing a different suit.

I hope you like it as much as I do, it's the first Tdi i've had and the first diesel too - there is no way i'm going back to petrol unless our Govt half the price meaning i can afford a V8.

What's been done?

Engine;

CustomCode Ph1 remap 194Bhp and 303lb/ft of torque
Decat and SS rear silencer with 6x4 oval trim
Green panel filter
Oil catch tank - currently disconnected until i work out some issues

Suspension & Brakes & wheels etc

Eibach shocks and springs - 40mm on OEM ride height
Powerflex Bush kit all round
OMP upper front brace ( i just destroyed the lower one on a stone) that's getting replaced with an A3 one.
Eibach front and rear 25mm ARB kit
Custom rear strut brace
Porsche Boxter Calipers with 312mm grooved discs and braided lines
16mm rear spacers to keep the rear wheels in proportion to the spaced fronts.
10mm front spacers to clear the brakes
18" RS6 replicas with 225/40/18 Falken 452 Tyres.

Interior;

VW W8 light
Mk4 Golf Gti red recaro seats - much more supportive than the OEM ones.
Golf Armrest
Boost gauge and oil temp gauge in A pillar pod

There's a load of other minor bits and bobs but that's the main stuff. There's still things i want to do, one of the main ones will have to wait until the original turbo dies on me - that's the only way I can justify spending that kind of money.

Anyway some pics.

As she started out



New interior was one of the first things to get done - a massive improvement.



First off some new wheels but didn't get on at all well with the polished lip so went for these instead, also had it lowered at the same time.



Prefer HID lights but they don't work well with reflector headlights so fitted these, much better beam pattern and i think they look better. Right pain in the proverbial to fit as it required dismantling the headlight lens to drill out the bulb holder to allow the HID bulb to fit.




Got fed up with the standard hifi very quickly so it was upgraded, it's much tidier than that now.





After killing several sets of brake discs I've ended up with these on. Off a porsche boxster but a bit tired when i got them


Nice and subtle but definitely an improvement!



The business end of things is usually pretty clean



After a bit of practice and several days worth of work it's kept like this most of the time.

wow...what i would give to have those offered in the US! nice setup. are the seats higher end than the VW? ie more toward an audi?

Nope it's the ElCheapo spanish cousin of both - the only difference i've found is the number of screws holding it together and the price.

The new Leon is the same floorpan and running gear as the Current Mk5 Golf. I just don't like the new shape as much as I like this one.

Why can't we have these beauties over here.

Now why can't Seat do those off the shelf?????????
Is it quick?

It's quick enough - 300lb/ft of torque makes it good fun on the move and in the gears, to 60mph - probably around 7.5 seconds i'd guess. The real strength is from 30 and above when you're already moving.

Few updates to this.

Having spent a pleasant afternoon down at SFS, i am pleased to report I have pipe number 4 in the above diagram fitted. SFS have my OE pipe which they're going to use as a template for the final product, i have a 'temporary' replacement which is almost the final product. I expect to have the final version before the end of this month. Obviously pipes 17, 16 and 7 are already finished and retail products.

Having dealt with Antony (he also did the fitting - and he bled for the privilege) i can only say I'm utterly impressed with the level and quality of service. It's not that i've been plied with free tea, given loads of freebies or anything like that. Nor have i been offered 'special' pricing. I've just experienced good old fashioned customer service from people that care about the customer and the finished product.

I'm also happy to confirm it's all made in house - something about the smell of fresh silicon being worked with

I am also happy to report that pipe number 11 in the above diagram is no longer a myth in the world of Tdi - it's going to be very real in the very near future as are some uprated clips to hold it all together - these will also be available for the stock pipework. So all you boys and girls with leaky FMIC pipe seals will finally have a solution for the problem.

Anyway below is what i've got so far, the pipe on the top right is for airbox to inlet bit - i'll work that bit out on my own.

I will update this post as more becomes available and with pics of it in the various stages of fitting which will be on the 18th of this month at TotalVAG.





Headlights finished and fitted





Dual projector lenses in each headlight with HID lights fitted to both main and dipped beam.

Rear brakes from a Mk1 TT gives me 256mm 22mm thick vented rears, standard was 232mm 9mm thick solid so a definite improvement. Painted in satin black to keep things nice and tidy.



You can just see the spacer needed to move the calipers out enough to clear the discs.



Finally got matching front and rear discs!

New exhaust time!

Old system


New system



Full 2.5" turbo back, unsilenced and no CAT - flew through UK emissions testing too.

are the brakes larger than something from an Audi TT. If so what did it take to get them to fit up?

Yes - Audi Mk1 TT 3.2 rear brakes. They needed a small spacer fitting between the carrier and the hub - other than that, a direct fit. The fronts are porsche calipers on custom carriers running 312mm discs.

IMO the new Leon is a way better looking car. A beautiful thing, even the slow models look fast

The same as a Golf underneath, of course, but Seat's schtick is sportiness, so they come with stiffer springs and a few sportier engine models etc etc than VW and Audi.