The Ibiza Cupra is fitted with the highly tuneable 1.8T engine, making it a great choice for tuning. Here’s how to make it even better
1. TRANSMISSION
The clutch will be high on your list of upgrades if you’re looking at upping the power, and a Golf G60 flywheel with a VR6 clutch is a common upgrade. Whilst the standard six speed ‘box will handle modest levels of torque, a limited slip differential would be a wise investment.
Not your average Ibiza engine bay...
2. ENGINE TUNING
The 1.8T engine in the Cupra R is highly tuneable, with a simple remap offering between a 30 and 50bhp improvement on the car’s standard 178bhp. The car is fitted with a K03 turbo as standard, with a common upgrade being to fit a K04 turbo from other 1.8T variants. This, combined with a larger front-mounted intercooler, bigger injectors, induction kit and a free-flowing cat-back with downpipe will see you on your way to 350bhp, and lots of fun.
3. WHEELS AND TYRES
A lightweight set of 17in alloys would be a great addition to the car, something like OZ Racing’s Ultraleggera. The arches on the Ibiza aren’t big, so a 17 would be the largest wheel you’d want to consider, with 205/40×17 tyres being the best size.
4. SUSPENSION
We’d recommend you ditch the standard suspension in favour of some aftermarket coilovers. Something like a quality offering from KW or some FK Silverline coilovers would be a good choice. Aside from that, it depends how far you want to go; anti roll-bar kits, uprated bushes and anti lift kits are all on offer for the car.
5. STYLING
There’s not much that you really need to do to the Ibiza to improve the looks. You could consider saving some weight by fitting a carbon bonnet, but aside from that the car is already well specified with an aggressive looking front splitter and side skirts from the factory.
