Modifying our CUPRA Born EV Daily.

After 15 months of running a standard car the desire to modify became too much! Here we have what was supposed to be a simple daily driver now modified just as we would with any other TAROX demo car. So why the change of heart?

Well for a start the stock brakes were terrible, not something we experience to often with modern cars. So this lead us to question would it be worth developing a brake kit on the CUPRA Born? It shares the MEB platform with many other VW’s and also some new EV Ford’s will also use this platform so the potential fitment is much greater than just the Born.

We also considered the possible integration issues we may run it to fitting a TAROX SuperSport brake system to the  CUPRA Born’s more complicated braking control units. The Born, like many EV’s can use the motors to effectively engine brake while also charge the batteries. Would installing a brake kit effect this in anyway?

While pottering around on daily duties the brakes are sufficient, low on bite and a wooden pedal but the braking from the motor does most of the heavy lifting. As soon as you you push on and try some spirited driving it quickly becomes evident the car is under braked and if it was ever required to B road blasts it would be severely lacking.

On closer inspection it’s no surprise the CUPRA Born runs out of brakes as quickly as it does, When compared to its petrol equivalent it’s over 500kg heavier!

So it was decided that our CUPRA Born EV daily would actually a great candidate for a TAROX SuperSport brake system. Great in theory much trickier in execution

On an EV, unlike an a combustion engine car you have to quickly dispel any thoughts of improving power. It’s just not a thing and according to up-coming legislation probably never will be. This can actually be taken advantage of, as you set about the job of modifying in arguably the best order, brakes, suspension wheels tyres, aesthetics.

Brakes are up to us but we needed help with the rest. We went to KW for the suspension. It’s their V3 set up and it’s awesome! very little compromise in comfort for a huge improvement in handing. The car was high and suffered body roll both of which the KW’s quickly eliminated. Wheels were provided by Rotiform. You may notice that originally we went with a 19” multi-spoke this was the BUC M model. It just didn’t fill the arch and it got a bit of criticism for hiding the brakes. We went back to the wonderful fellas at Rotiform and this time picked their TUF-R in a 20” which does a much better job of displaying the wheel, honestly the arches on the CUPRA Born are so high I feel it could have handled a 21”. We managed to retain the aerodisc from the 19” on the rear. They get a lot of compliments from non car folk but we all know they should be on the front but that would mean hiding those gorgeous 370mm 8 piston brakes while they serve a better purpose hidin the rear drums.

We pared the 19” with Yokohoma V107 which offered huge improvements in handling and comfort. The V107 is such a great performance tyre that really excelled in the changeable conditions regularly on offer in the north of England. As mentioned we moved uptown a 20” this also came with a change in tyre, still a Yokohama but now on to a much more focused Advan A052. The A052 has so much grip! it really highlights what a high performance track tyre can offer when the conditions are good. Interestingly swapping from the 19”/Vo7 set up to the 20” A052 has improved efficiency, taking the Born from 165 to 185 miles on a full charge.