Ibiza Cupra (Mapped) v S3 (mapped)

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ianysm

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More of a back to back test. A friend brought round his mapped Ibiza Cupra (approx 210bhp) today so we warmed both cars up then went for a back to back test along the same bumpy peak district roads. Outside temp = -2.0!

What a difference. Bluntly the S3 walks all over it. Smoother ride, far nicer cabin and driving position, better steering, less crashy, more lateral grip, a much more secure feel and far more punch (unsupprising though as mine has another 40bhp!) and the Ibiza is only on 40k miles! My friend couldn't believe the difference when he drove the S3. One thing i will give in the Ibiza's favour is that it had a more chuckable chassis, but frankly the suspension was so crashy it never felt happy!

Not a car i would recommend to anyone i'm afraid! To think he swapped his DC5 Integra Type R for it aswell, now that was a good car!
 
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My friend back in the day swapped his ibiza cupra for a dc2 integra and I would of said keep the cupra any day. I drove the ibiza and it was alot fo fun. Much more fun day in day out than that noisy *** vtec thing.
 
I personally didn't think there was much in it between a remapped cupra against my remapped S3 in a straight line. I could only pull away at silly speeds(100kph+)!
 
Big difference between these two! I forgot to add the brakes were better in the Cupra but it was a lighter car!

Its a 2004 model i think?

I'm sorry but the Integra is a far better drivers car. Very noisey and hard core day to day but the crashy suspension on the Ibiza is completely at odds with its relaxed power delivery. Plus in this weather the spike of torque just causes wheel spin!
 
ibiza cupra (presume a mk4) - Power to Weight Ratio (BHP Per Ton) : 177.81
audi s3 - Power to Weight Ratio (BHP Per Ton) : 176.12

In straight line terms it should be little in it. If there was, something wrrong with it

Twisties, S3 should feel much more planted than an ibiza
ibiza is more chuckable as it is much lighter BUT its overall chassis as stock is not great

As for other comparisons - what do you ****** expect! lol
seat ibiza and audi s3 - totally different class of cars and prices

like saying an S3 is not as good as an S6.. point being... pointless comparison apples and pears
 
Pointless or not its always worth a mention. After all, engine is very similar just in a different package.

Quite a big difference in a straight line but i guess its the extra torque that is being noticed when driving one then the other.

Whats a Leon Cupra R like? Reviews back then suggested the Leon was the better handler?
 
Is the bhp/weight ration, just more to do with acceleration rather than top speed, or does weight effect top speed aswell, like a standard s3 would have same bhp/weight as a 1 tonne 150bhp car?
 
Its a gauge of accelleration, braking and handling. Though, Torque to weight ratio is a more important figure in road cars yet is rarely mentioned.

There are other factors though like gearing and aerodynamics

I one tonne 150bhp car would be a decent a-b machine!
 
Power to weight ratio is an overall view of how a car should perform in a straight line.

If a light weight car vs a heavy poweful car, the lighter car will get a quicker start as it has less weight to resist its movement, however once air resistance comes into play the more powerfull car will take over.

Power is the rate of change in energy. The rate of change of chemical energy to mechanical energy. A car that has a high power output will be able to convert it energy quicker, this is what you want to have a more powerful and efficient engine.

light weight, low powered cars dont have the power to overcome the resistive forces such as air so they tend to have low top speed, obviously thing such as gearing count also. Think of a Bentley Continental GT. Very very heavy car and not the best power to weight ratios but has a lot of power, so its able to convert energy much quicker, giving it its crazy top speed of near 200mph.
 
ianysm said:
Pointless or not its always worth a mention. After all, engine is very similar just in a different package.

Quite a big difference in a straight line but i guess its the extra torque that is being noticed when driving one then the other.

Whats a Leon Cupra R like? Reviews back then suggested the Leon was the better handler?
Click to expand...

still pointless to me
compare my ibiza then
600bhp/tonne

still 1.8t

will nuke a remapped s3.. apples/pears again

totally different class of cars regardless of engine
 
S3 Nattie said:
Power to weight ratio is an overall view of how a car should perform in a straight line.

If a light weight car vs a heavy poweful car, the lighter car will get a quicker start as it has less weight to resist its movement, however once air resistance comes into play the more powerfull car will take over.

Power is the rate of change in energy. The rate of change of chemical energy to mechanical energy. A car that has a high power output will be able to convert it energy quicker, this is what you want to have a more powerful and efficient engine.

light weight, low powered cars dont have the power to overcome the resistive forces such as air so they tend to have low top speed, obviously thing such as gearing count also. Think of a Bentley Continental GT. Very very heavy car and not the best power to weight ratios but has a lot of power, so its able to convert energy much quicker, giving it its crazy top speed of near 200mph.
Click to expand...

I doubt aero is a factor in the described post... they were not travelling fast enough
when travelling fast the one with the best cd figure vs its power will ease away, assuming gearing is not a factor

this discussion is verging on drivvle with the crazy comparisons being made.. lol
 
I wasnt really referring to the titled post as such, mainly to the person who asked about top speeds and power to weight ratios. But ye aero wouldnt play any effect at the speeds they were likely to be travelling at.

However I think a Ibiza remapped vs standard S3 is more a realistic comparison performance wise (even though they aint the same class of car). I was trying to get one before my S3, really like them.
 
S3 nattie, power to weight ratio is a good indicator, but gear ratios and final drive will have a big impact on acceleration if the two cars have different ratios. i'm assuming that an Ibiza and S3 would have a similar stack of gears?
 
gareth_oau said:
S3 nattie, power to weight ratio is a good indicator, but gear ratios and final drive will have a big impact on acceleration if the two cars have different ratios. i'm assuming that an Ibiza and S3 would have a similar stack of gears?
Click to expand...

Nope, S3 gearing is shorter, and it also has more transmission losses due to being 4WD(part time of course).
 
badger5 said:
this discussion is verging on drivvle with the crazy comparisons being made.. lol
Click to expand...
i was just reading through it and cringing...

Bill, i was in a car park the other day, i totally blitzed this porsche that was parked up. he was loading his shopping into the boot, what a mug, my golf wiped the floor with him. dont ever buy a porsche...
 
erm, there is such thing is taking a point to the extreme...... but well done and full marks for effort chappy
 
read it again welly ;)

*helps Matt retrieve his tongue from Bill's ***** - Bill don't say i never do you any favours and remember this when i price that GT30 up again (the one i'll never commit to :) )
 
I've quite often wondered how the Seats compare to their other VAG stablemates.

Sounds like a fair comparison to me actually, it's not like the OP was boasting about racing and which car won or something of that nature. Give the guy a break, he was offering his experience of what to many people would be realistically comparable cars in a real world environment.
 
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