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Skoda Octavia RS Mk3Stage 1 to Stage 4 tuning guide

The petrol Octavia RS has the same EA888 Gen 3 and IHI IS20 turbo as the Golf GTI Mk7, in a hatch or an estate. It came with 220 PS, then 230 PS, and from 2017 with 245 PS, a 7-speed DSG and an electronic front differential Skoda calls VAQ (Skoda's RS 245 press kit). RS 245s from about 2019 have a petrol particulate filter, which decides what's road-legal at Stage 2. Most software and engine parts are shared with the Golf; the downpipe and exhaust are Octavia-specific.

Years: 2013–2020
Engine: 2.0 TSI EA888 Gen 3, IS20 turbo (CHHB, CHHA; DLBA and DKTB on the 245)
Gearbox: 6-speed manual; 6-speed DSG (DQ250), or 7-speed (DQ381) on the 245
Stock power: 220 PS, 230 PS, or 245 PS / 370 Nm

Power by stage

Stock is Skoda's figure; the RS 245 is rated for 95 octane (its data sheet). Stage 1 to 4 are the tuners' own claims, in PS or hp as each states them, mostly on 95–98 octane; APR quotes engine power, REVO's Stage 3 peak is at the wheels. The lower end of each range is usually the 220 PS car or a car with the particulate filter kept.

Stock220–245 PS

Stage 1297–333 PS / hp Stage 2320–353 PS / hp Stage 3381–460 PS / hp Stage 4440–520 PS / hp

Names with an arrow go straight to that part's product page for this car. Names in a dashed outline are other brands that make the part; exact links for them are being added.

1

Software only

297–333 PS

A remap claims about 300–333 PS on 95–98 octane, with torque rising to about 440 Nm. The Continental Simos 18 engine computer is flashed through the diagnostic port, and every tuner checks the box code first. RacingLine's file for cars with the particulate filter claims 300 PS.

Typical cost: remaps £555.50 (APR UK), £576 fitted (REVO at QT Performance) or €650 (BR-Performance); DSG software £478.80–£779.94 or €400; plug-in boxes €429 on sale (RaceChip) or €799 (DTE).List prices, Sept 2026, before shipping, import tax and fitting.

Stage 1 tunes compared

Tune	Fuel	Claimed power	Claimed torque	Notes
APR Stage 1	95 / 98 RON	313 / 321 hp	340 / 351 lb-ft	Engine power; £555.50 at APR UK; a low-torque file too
Unitronic Stage 1 / 1+	95 / 98 RON	297 / 310 hp	up to 347 lb-ft	Sold through dealers
REVO Stage 1	95–99 RON, switchable	313–333 PS	320–360 lb-ft	£576 fitted at QT Performance, a REVO dealer
RacingLine OEM+ Stage 1	95 RON	310 PS (300 with filter)	440 / 445 Nm	Its intake and turbo inlet "typically add 15–20 PS"
BR-Performance Stage 1	—	300 hp	440 Nm	€650; from 220, 230 or 245
RaceChip GTS 5 Black (245)	—	+49 PS	+99 Nm	Plug-in box; €429 on sale
DTE PowerControl X (245)	—	+38 hp	+50 Nm	Plug-in box; from €799

Tune the DSG too

Both DSGs need their own software to raise their clutch torque limits: APR's DQ250 file (£555.50) and DQ381 file (£779.94), REVO's DQ250 and DQ381 files (£478.80 fitted for the RS 245), Unitronic and BR-Performance (€400).

Before you buyOn a manual, the REVO dealer Vagtech says the clutch is "prone to slip" once the car is tuned (its page). Skoda UK's warranty excludes "software (Chip tuning)" that wasn't fitted at the factory (the terms).

2

Downpipe, intercooler and intake

320–353 PS

Stage 2 adds a downpipe and a Stage 2 file: APR's claims 333 hp on 95 and 337 hp on 98. On a car with the particulate filter, RacingLine's Stage 1+ keeps the exhaust, catalyst and filter untouched and claims 325 PS with its intake and intercooler; its full Stage 2 needs the filter removed, which RacingLine says is legal only where the filter isn't factory-fitted or may be removed.

Typical cost: HJS ECE downpipe €2,136.65, or €2,957.15 for filter cars; intercooler £851.76 (RacingLine), $961.13 (do88) or $949 on sale (Wagner); intake from £666.99 (RacingLine).List prices, Sept 2026, before shipping, import tax and fitting.

Stage 2 packages compared

Package	Fuel	Claimed power	Claimed torque	Required hardware
APR Stage 2	95 / 98 RON	333 / 337 hp	364 / 371 lb-ft	Downpipe
Unitronic Stage 2	98 RON	337 hp	370 lb-ft	Unitronic downpipe
REVO Stage 2	—	323–353 PS	330–375 lb-ft	Intercooler, high-flow sports cat and intake; £636 fitted at QT Performance
RacingLine Stage 1+ (with filter)	95 RON	325 PS	500 Nm	Intake and intercooler; exhaust and filter untouched
RacingLine Stage 2 (no filter)	95 RON	335 PS	470 Nm	Intake, turbo inlet, intercooler and high-flow cat
BR-Performance Stage 2 (245)	—	320 hp	480 Nm	Price by email

Parts list

Downpipe required HJS ECE downpipe (245, no filter)HJS ECE downpipe (245 with filter)Milltek downpipe with race cat Wagner downpipe (200-cell)Scorpion downpipe Unitronic downpipe
HJS's are ECE road-legal: €2,136.65 for the 245 without a filter and €2,957.15 for the 245 with one, which it keeps. Milltek's pipe with a race catalyst costs £825.57.
Intercooler recommended RacingLine intercooler do88 intercooler Wagner Competition intercooler Unitronic intercooler
RacingLine's costs £851.76 and do88's lists the Octavia RS Mk3. Wagner says fitting it to the RS needs extra adjustments (about 5–6 hours in all), and its parts certificate doesn't cover cars with the filter.
Intake recommended RacingLine R600 intake Wagner carbon intake
RacingLine's R600 package starts at £666.99; Wagner's is listed specifically for the Octavia RS.
Cat-back exhaust optional Milltek cat-back Milltek cat-back (245 with filter)Remus cat-back (245 facelift)Scorpion cat-back
Milltek's costs £1,517.30, or £1,355.35 for the 245 with the filter. It's mainly for sound: none of these makers quote a power gain for it on this car.

Before you buyRemoving the particulate filter or fitting a race downpipe means the car won't pass inspection; the HJS pipes and RacingLine's Stage 1+ keep it legal. Parts dealer STR says a catch can becomes "mandatory for Stage 2" to protect the PCV valve (its list of EA888 weak points).

3

IS38 or hybrid turbo

381–460 PS

The classic Stage 3 is the bigger IS38 turbo from the Golf R. APR's IS38 file claims 395 hp on 95 and 396 hp on 98, and says a DSG tune is required for its high-torque version. Hybrids built on the IS38 go further: RacingLine's claims 460 PS on 95 octane.

Typical cost: RacingLine hybrid turbo £3,144.96 on exchange or TTE485 €1,259.66 before VAT; REVO Stage 3 software £816 fitted; Sachs clutch €744.35–€793.61.List prices, Sept 2026, before shipping, import tax and fitting.

Turbo upgrades compared

Kit	Fuel	Claimed power	Claimed torque	Notes
APR Stage 3 (IS38)	95 / 98 RON	395 / 396 hp	376 / 385 lb-ft	Engine power; DSG tune required
Unitronic IS38 kit	—	381 hp	377 lb-ft	A genuine IS38 with Stage 2+ software
REVO Stage 3 (IS38)	—	386–423 PS	346–384 lb-ft	£816 fitted at QT Performance; also needs an intake, a turbo-back exhaust with sports cat and an intercooler
RacingLine Stage 3 hybrid	95 RON	460 PS	550 Nm	£3,144.96 on exchange
RacingLine PowerMax (with filter)	95 RON	431 PS	537 Nm	Garrett GT2260S; keeps the particulate filter
TTE485 hybrid	99 RON	450 PS	—	€1,259.66 before VAT; needs software
BR-Performance Stage 3 (245)	—	380 hp	500 Nm	Price by email

Parts list

IS38 or hybrid turbo required Unitronic IS38 kit RacingLine hybrid TTE485VW IS38
Every one needs a matching file, and REVO's Stage 3 also needs its intake, a turbo-back exhaust with a sports catalyst and an uprated intercooler.
Clutch (manual cars) recommended Sachs Performance clutch (550+ or 810+ Nm)
REVO recommends an uprated clutch on manuals. Sachs lists clutches for the Octavia 5E rated 550+ Nm (€744.35) and 810+ Nm (€793.61).

Before you buyA changed turbo isn't road-legal without approval. On a DQ250 DSG, REVO says its gearbox software is required at Stage 3.

4

Bigger hybrid, fuel and gearbox

440–520 PS

REVO's Stage 4 with its IS38ETR hybrid claims 455–520 PS, "up to 520 BHP / 580 NM on stock internals", with upgraded high- and low-pressure fuel pumps, its gearbox software on both DSGs, and an uprated clutch on manuals. APR's bigger turbo kit for this engine is discontinued, and IE's Gen 3 short block is listed as no longer available.

Stage 4 options compared

Kit or file	Fuel	Claimed power	Claimed torque	Notes
REVO Stage 4 (IS38ETR)	—	455–520 PS	up to 580 Nm	Stock internals; £1,056 fitted software at QT Performance
BR-Performance Stage 4 (245)	—	440 hp	550 Nm	Price by email

Parts list

Fuel pumps and gearbox software required High-pressure fuel pumpLow-pressure fuel pumpREVO gearbox software
REVO lists both pump upgrades, its gearbox software (DQ250 and DQ381), a downpipe with a sports catalyst and an uprated clutch on manuals as requirements for Stage 4, and notes the high-pressure pump isn't needed on every car.

Before you buyCheck the engine's known weak points first: STR calls the plastic water pump and thermostat housing the "#1 failure" and lists timing-chain stretch around 120,000 km. This is a race-car budget: turbo, fuel, gearbox, clutch and a custom map.

Watch: real builds

From tuners', shops' and motoring journalists' own YouTube channels. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.

StockEveryday Driver on the Octavia RS 230EverydayDriver on YouTube

StockReDriven on buying a used Octavia RS and what goes wrongReDriven on YouTube

Stage 1An Octavia RS with APR Stage 1, 0–200 km/hChristian Peters on YouTube

Stage 1Regal Autosport fits RacingLine's R600 intake and software to an Octavia vRSRegal Autosport on YouTube

Stage 2MH Performance on a Stage 2 Octavia RS estateMH Performance on YouTube

Stage 3An Octavia vRS with REVO Stage 3 and an IS38 turbo, at speedRkr2 on YouTube

Stage 4A 500 bhp Octavia vRS sleeper buildhampshirephoto on YouTube

All build videos, by car

Questions to ask the shop

What is my engine computer's box code, and does your file support it through the diagnostic port?
Does my car have the particulate filter (a 2019-on RS 245), and which of your stages keep it so the car passes inspection?
Is the file made for 95 or 98 octane, and are your figures at the engine or the wheels?
Is my gearbox the 6-speed DQ250 or the 7-speed DQ381, is the gearbox tune included, and to what torque?
On a manual, at what torque do you insist on a new clutch?
Will you check the water pump housing, the PCV valve and the intercooler first, and show me logs before and after?

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