[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

A lot of people are, however, the 5-spokes generally come with a certain character - and i'm not sure that character matches the Laura.
I definitely prefer the LV5. I think they go better with the car.

No chance of getting your hand on these ? >

Thanks Rehaan

I know the 5 spokes generally go well with the Jap cars or the ADV.1 5 spoke alloys which look amazing on the supercars( atrociously priced though at over 60000INR per wheel )

Even I like the LV5, unfortunately its out of stock. There are a few other options which I will check out before finalizing.

The OEM 17inchers are pretty difficult to source through the dealerships.
The "Zenith" and "Cepeus" are the ones I like (though they are similar to the twin spoke ones I already have) but the dealership tries hard to sell only the "Pegasus", that too at an inflated price

The one in the picture you posted is available only in 18inches and I am definitely not going for 18inchers.

I am leaning more towards the matte black ones as they will go well the blackened roof of the car.

[robimahanta]

Tried out a lot of wheels but finally went with my heart and got the 5 spoke one. Also did a few other cosmetic upgrades to bring out the sporty character.

The wheels with 17inch Michelin PS3


The wheels are now perfectly aligned with the body. Even though the car is lowered with sports springs it doesn't scrape due to the stiff suspension.
The handling has further improved and its now like a go-kart with power steering.



I drove down with a friend to Kabini (Nagarhole National Park) without scraping even once. People who have done this route know how horrible the last 10km to Jungle Lodges Resort,Kabini is. Besides the BLR-Mysore highway is known for its bumps (I was extra careful though)

Few other images..will upload better images after a wash!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Got the car back from a wash which was long overdue.

Today I experienced a weird wind noise (a sort of loud blowing sound) coming from the driver side A pillar/ORVM
I called up Peter (Pete's) and he said its a common issue with FL Laura's which appears when the crosswinds hit the ORVM at a particular angle. The noise comes at around 120km/h and is impossible to predict when its gonna appear. I have been driving this car for over 28k kms and this is the first time I experienced it.
A quick check on the briskoda.net site yielded further details of the issue.

Facelift Octavia Vrs Wind Noise At Speed - BRISKODA.net - The Skoda Forum and Community

Has anybody else experienced this?

Such a head turner this Laura VRS. Great show! God bless!
Enjoy many miles ahead!
Feel like buying a nice used old Octy just for fun and give it to my Dad as a daily driver so that I can use it once in a way.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Tried out a lot of wheels but finally went with my heart and got the 5 spoke one. Also did a few other cosmetic upgrades to bring out the sporty character.

Wow! You've really gone all out to change the character of the car. The white grill outline and the headlight eyebrows look super. Good to know that you've gone ahead and lowered the car and even better to know that you've managed to not scrape the underbelly on the Mysore highway. The raised suspension on the stock car does look ugly.

Even with my stock TSI, I've had lot of fun messing with the big boys (Read : big Germans) on highways. I can imagine what your modded TSI could do.

Just a suggestion : Get rid of those mud flaps. They look out of place in your car IMO.

[ketla2411]

Good show Robin.
Am a sucker for 5 spokes too, but here it makes the Laura look naked from the side if you know what I mean. Just my opinion.
The remap, Tarox rotors & B6 suspension will give you supreme confidence at speeds, goading you into "corner carving" antics you wouldn't dream of doing before.
Enjoy your ride to its fullest now pal

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by ketla2411

Good show Robin.
Am a sucker for 5 spokes too, but here it makes the Laura look naked from the side if you know what I mean. Just my opinion.
The remap, Tarox rotors & B6 suspension will give you supreme confidence at speeds, goading you into "corner carving" antics you wouldn't dream of doing before.
Enjoy your ride to its fullest now pal

Thanks.
I guess you are planning an upgrade on your white RS at Pete's soon Ketan.

[ketla2411]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

I guess you are planning an upgrade on your white RS at Pete's soon Ketan.

You got me on that one Robin, didn't you ??
Peter must have surely 'revealed' some of the devious plans he has cooked up in his mind for me, since you summed it up so well by revealing the colour of my vRS as well as my name !!

[prithwi-81]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Got the car back from a wash which was long overdue.

Attachment 941855

Today I experienced a weird wind noise (a sort of loud blowing sound) coming from the driver side A pillar/ORVM
I called up Peter (Pete's) and he said its a common issue with FL Laura's which appears when the crosswinds hit the ORVM at a particular angle. The noise comes at around 120km/h and is impossible to predict when its gonna appear. I have been driving this car for over 28k kms and this is the first time I experienced it.
A quick check on the briskoda.net site yielded further details of the issue.

Facelift Octavia Vrs Wind Noise At Speed - BRISKODA.net - The Skoda Forum and Community

Has anybody else experienced this?

I have this annoying issue as well... quite random. I've narrowed the source down to faulty rubber lining on the doors. Mine used to come from the front door first. I replaced the lining and it went away. Then it came back again and on inspection it appeared that my rear door lining had a small tear in the part where it attaches to the door. Used some flexi glue, and realigned it. No trouble so far.

I suppose this happens because the lining is very fat as there is a huge gap between body and door. Unlike other cars where the gap is a lot less, the skoda lining has a lot of flex and gets damaged over time causing leaks in air and water (yes, once i was riding in a storm and my damn driver's side door was leaking from the top!!!).

Skoda dealers cant do anything about it.

On the oem vrs rims.. you still got em up for sale? would love to pick em up from you.

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by prithwi-81

I have this annoying issue as well... quite random. I've narrowed the source down to faulty rubber lining on the doors. Mine used to come from the front door first. I replaced the lining and it went away. Then it came back again and on inspection it appeared that my rear door lining had a small tear in the part where it attaches to the door. Used some flexi glue, and realigned it. No trouble so far.

I suppose this happens because the lining is very fat as there is a huge gap between body and door. Unlike other cars where the gap is a lot less, the skoda lining has a lot of flex and gets damaged over time causing leaks in air and water (yes, once i was riding in a storm and my damn driver's side door was leaking from the top!!!).

Skoda dealers cant do anything about it.

On the oem vrs rims.. you still got em up for sale? would love to pick em up from you.

Thanks Prithwi for the info.
I have not felt the noise again till now. It was a one off incident and I am sure it was the door seal rubber of the driver side door. Maybe some sealant will help, but I am not too bothered about it.

The rims are unfortunately not up for sale..just gonna hold onto it for a while.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

....................

robimahanta,

I love the way you're going about your business of methodically doing up your vRS. And it looks bangin' now! Love your choice of wheels and everything else! I followed your initial stage-1 mod and we've arrived at a car that looks proper for all it's worth! It's really fab!

Now out of sheer greediness, you might just go in for a turbo upgrade and then work your way to a 300+bhp - stage-2 situation.

[varunsonu]

Hi robin,
All of the mods are looking fantastic.. way to go dude..
i am also an aspiring candidate for the remap. I had inquired alot for it in 2010 but it was not available. The plan was just dropped then. But now reading your thread, i have got the ich again so basically can you share the experience of the extra punch and if it is worth it and if a person dosen't like it can he go back to stock? Also is it even recommended in a completely stock car?

thanks

[blackbeast]

Hi Robin

I love this thread and have been following diligently. I have a couple of questions
1) Are you going to skoda for regular services ?
2) pete's folks would come down to bangalore for maintenance jobs if any and what is the warranty
3) how much does it return with some spirited and normal drive on highways?

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by varunsonu

Hi robin,
basically can you share the experience of the extra punch and if it is worth it and if a person dosen't like it can he go back to stock? Also is it even recommended in a completely stock car?

thanks

Originally Posted by blackbeast

Hi Robin

I love this thread and have been following diligently. I have a couple of questions
1) Are you going to skoda for regular services ?
2) pete's folks would come down to bangalore for maintenance jobs if any and what is the warranty
3) how much does it return with some spirited and normal drive on highways?

@varun
Yes its possible to get it back to stock if you don't like it. But I cant imagine why would anyone do it as after the remap its a much better car. And yes, it can done to a stock car but I feel you need to atleast change the shocks to get the real feel.


@blackbeast
Yes I am doing my regular service at Skoda (Salem/Bangalore). But I do it every 10000km instead of the recommended 15k.


Well there are a lot of Pete's cars in BLR and they are a friendly bunch who go out of their way to help you out. They have a branch in Bangalore and have started Stage 1 remaps in BLR itself
As for the warranty, it depends on the part concerned.


Oh! The perennial "kitna deti hai".
During spirited highway drives (150-170), it gives around 8-9km/l but if you drive with a light foot (90-110) in 6th, you can even eek out 14km/l


The 35,000 km update


Its been uneventful. Had two wonderful drives down to trivandrum during the last month. It never ceases to please me. Did an oil change with change of rear brake pads.

[diffuser]

Hi Robin ,

First let me congratulate you on having such a head turner . I love how your mods have been clean and tasteful . I'm contemplating getting a Laura TSi myself . Have to decide whether I should get the Ambiente trim or the vRS given that there is a 2.5L(OTR) price difference here in Chennai . I have a question for you though .

How many airbags does the Ambiente trim come with ? I couldn't find the answer on the website . I only have the vRS's brochure with me and it has 4 airbags .

Thanks,
Balaji

[varunsonu]

Originally Posted by diffuser

Hi Robin ,

How many airbags does the Ambiente trim come with ? I couldn't find the answer on the website . I only have the vRS's brochure with me and it has 4 airbags .

Thanks,
Balaji

the ambiente has only 2 airbags.