My Green Skoda Fabia (VW Polo) R3 CRTDI - finally smashed the 3L / 80MPG barrier

[COcyclist]

Originally Posted by GreenTDI

The seats are out, but what you see is the backrest, which is anchored in the chassis with bolts. Too big job to build in and out every time

I love it Green! I did a conversion of an old Dodge Caravan that I have. It is so much better than a tent.

You may want to take a closer look at those seat backs. I’m not sure about the Skoda but on my Golf the seatbacks slide out in a minute or less. On the driver side there is a plastic catch that slides back with a flat blade screwdriver and it comes forward and slides off the middle post. Almost no tools required. The 2/3rds seat back is heavily reinforced to hold the center seatbelt in a crash. I removed the seatbacks and spare to remove almost 100 lbs of unnecessary weight in my car.

[GreenTDI]

Well, I took some time yesterday to look at those seat backs, and it's like COCYclist described. The 1/3 part is quite easy (if you know how to do it, that clamp is well hidden), the larger 2/3 part needs more attention, because of the seat belt. Therefore the belt holder must also be removed, with a multi torx. With those backrests out, the entire trunk lining could also be removed. Now it has really been reduced to bare metal. This isn't something I will do every time, but good to know that it's possible.

A quick weighing of those parts resulted in 24 kg or 53 lbs. That now makes a total of 75 kg or 165 lbs weight reduction.

My car now drives like a van. Thanks to the extra driving noises and the rear suspension that reaches for the sky and gets bouncy!

[GreenTDI]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

That must be absolutely amazing country for thousands of kilometers.

Yes, quite impressive with the fjords and many bridges. The speed limits in those countries are also quite low, which only benefits FE!

[COcyclist]

Originally Posted by GreenTDI

My car now drives like a van. Thanks to the extra driving noises and the rear suspension that reaches for the sky and gets bouncy!

I added some extra sound deadening and build a lightweight wooden flat floor with carpet but it is still noisier than having the full interior. I prefer to carry my bicycle and skis inside to help aerodynamics.

[GreenTDI]

Originally Posted by COcyclist

I added some extra sound deadening and build a lightweight wooden flat floor with carpet but it is still noisier than having the full interior. I prefer to carry my bicycle and skis inside to help aerodynamics.

Good one. The standard boot floor also consists of wood with some fabric covering, so put it back. Those few kilo's give a lot of comfort. I prefer to carry everything in the car. It has roof rails (like every estate car) but never used them -> that's something else to look at. It certainly causes drag.

[GreenTDI]

Another good score yesterday, considering the lower outside temperature and high average speed.

Result: 81.2 MPG or 2.9L/100km
Distance: 49 miles
Average speed: 51 MPH
Weather: sunny 18°C, 7 MPH wind NW
Road profile: 80% highway, flat

[GreenTDI]

I happened to find out that the Fabia hatchback Greenline from the first years (2010 - 2012) came with a stock kammback aero spoiler. OK I've already seen it, but never thought about it. The trunk door seems identical to the estate version, but of course the estate has a longer roofline and maybe the slope of the spoiler doesn't quite work for my car. It would be great to get my hands on it to try. Unfortunately these hatchbacks are quite rare ...

[Leinaad]

Parts numbers for the rear door are different for the hatchback and combi, same for the rear glass. So it won´t be p&p.
Price for the spoiler new from the dealership is 477€ for the middle section (5J6827933GRU) and 208€ for each of the side sections (5J6827934GRU & 5J6827932GRU).
Still would be nice to see such a spoiler on your car.

[GreenTDI]

Originally Posted by Leinaad

Parts numbers for the rear door are different for the hatchback and combi, same for the rear glass. So it won´t be p&p.
Price for the spoiler new from the dealership is 477€ for the middle section (5J6827933GRU) and 208€ for each of the side sections (5J6827934GRU & 5J6827932GRU).
Still would be nice to see such a spoiler on your car.

You found that quickly! I did have the part numbers, but I can't find it for sale. Perhaps at a Skoda dealer, but those prices are crazy . It must then be found at scrap cars.

[Leinaad]

How about a complete tailgate
Greenline tailgate

That was my first search result there might be more. I guess most used spoilers will be sold as a complete tailgate.