My '02 Seat Leon

MrLeon

Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
36
Location
Finland
Car(s)
2004 SEAT Leon
I thought I'd post my motor too.

Edesta.jpg

Sisalta.jpg

The rear end

It's a 2002 Seat Leon 1.8 20VT Sport. That means it has the almost legendary VAG 1.8 turbocharged engine with 180hp and about 240Nm @ 1950-5000rpm. 8)
Sport equipment level gives 15mm lowered & stiffer suspension, better seats and those multispoke 16" alloys, not much else I can think of.

It's a relatively small and light car (1250kg) so the 180hp engine and 6-speed manual box with short ratios give it pretty decent performance. 0-100kmh (that's 0-62mph) is dealt within 7.5 seconds and the top speed is 235kmh (147mph). But what I like most of all is the torque that little engine provides: 60-120kmh in third gear takes just over 6 seconds.

Shortly after I bought the car, I fitted the car with Eibach's Pro-Kit springs and 18" 20-spoke alloys.
Side view
Straight out of a car wash

The ride with those heavy 18" wheels and 40-series low profile tires was at best quite poor (that was expected though), so I only used them for one summer and sold them forward.

Last winter I changed the suspension once again to Eibach Sport-System incl. sports springs and shocks. It really changed the car's driving dynamics to a whole different level. Not too harsh but really controllable and safe.

Having a little play on an empty yard

When the spring arrived I purchased 8x17" O.Z. Racing Superleggera wheels and fresh Falken FK452 rubber.
The O.Z. wheels don't only look good but they're technically superior to most wheels out there. They're very very light (only 7.5kg a piece), very strong and true.

O.Z
Those skidmarks aren't (all) mine. :rolleyes:

New pedals and floor mats
I've also had the windows tinted lately. Will post a pic soon.


All in all I really like the Leon. I think it looks much better than most competitors and is better value as well. It's fun to drive, economical (it does 8l/100km or about 30MPG) and looks good. Recommended. :)

This one cost 15000 euros when it had 90000km on the clock. It's pretty much a standard equipped 1.8 20VT Sport with only metallic paint and cruise control as factory options.
I know, cars are very expensive in Finland.. :(
 
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A few of pics with the windows tinted:
Kalvot1.jpg

2 and 3.
The front side windows are tinted with 50% film, the rear sides are 35% and the rear window is 20%.

I'm also planning to paint the black bumper parts in body colour sometime soon.
 
You really hit it right with the OZ wheels. Wonderful looking.

Does SEAT sport have a line of performance parts? Any chip tuning in the future?
 
Seat Sport does have a line of products such as floor mats, suspensions kits, body kits and so on, but they're all just way too expensive for my liking.

I'm not sure about chipping or in this case remapping the ECU as I've read quite a few horror stories about total engine breakdowns and slipping clutches. Mostly they work alright I suppose.
Many people say once you try a chipped 1.8T you don't want to drive a stock one ever again. I can believe that as the power increase is pretty impressive; from 180 to 200-210hp and from 240Nm to 300-320Nm. It's amazing how much hidden power that little 1.8T packs inside.

Here's a short clip of my little hair dryer spooling up :mrgreen: :
Click
P.S. It sounds much better live. (and that isn't on full throttle ;))

And this is my upgraded audio system:
Sony & Apple
Those are Sony's new CDX-GT710 car stereo and a second generation 8Gb iPod nano.
It's my first ever iPod and I must say that it's absolutely amazing!
I thank you America for iPod.
 
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I really like the leons. A friend of mine has the 150bhp diesel with the cupra kit, looks the dogs bollocks and goes like stink too. All that with 50mpg :D.
 
Nice to see more SEAT owners around. :)

Nope, this isn't a Top Sport, it's only a Sport. :( Basically that means my car doesn't have the TS bodykit and A/C.
Top Sport Leon

Here's another pic with the winter tires:
Talviseat.jpg

I really need proper studded tires for next winter. Those studless ContiWinterContacts were just way too slippery but also fun and interesting to drive. :p
 
I just got my car back from the paint shop.

Here are some pictures with the bumpers painted in body colour:
Leon1.jpg

2 and 3

I was surprised how much that little bit of paint actually changed the car's appereance. In a positive way that is. :)
 
Looks great, changes the look of the car almost completely, specially the profile :)
 
Can you push the "S" on the back hatch to reveal the keyhole?

Yes you can. The "S" flips open and works as the opening lever for the boot as well.
It's a clever little feature, isn't it? 8)

Most of my friends couldn't get the boot of my Leon open without asking. It's a sort of intelligence test I guess or then I just happen to have stupid friends. :(


Thanks for the comments, yours too bone.
 
Wow, I really like the new look.

I'm always surprised when people have cars painted, I guess I just assume its always really expensive. I'm lucky you cant tell the rub strips aren't painted, its all black. :cool:

Yeah, I hear the 1.8t really feels fun once the torque limiting it taken off. VW sure make one heck of an engine.
 
I'm always surprised when people have cars painted, I guess I just assume its always really expensive.

It wasn't that expensive, only 250 EUR (or about 336.1123 USD :p) considering that it included a full 3 days of work, most of which was spent with sanding the bumpers smooth, and the paint materials.
Definetely worth the money IMO!

I think I won't be doing much to the car anymore as more radical changes might influence (lower) the market price of the car.
I'm very happy with it anyway, it's a sort OEM+ version of the original Leon. :lol:
 
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