Eibach anti roll bars

[Guest couzens]

well I'm putting this in this section as not many people have posted here.

Do the above bars transform the car that much?

Its been lowered 30mm already but there is still the same amount of body roll as before.

I know Chris has some Neuspeed ones for sale but can't afford the price.

The big question is though, do they harden the ride quality as they are so rigid as ride quality is always important to me and most others?

The other questions are presumably the rear bar fits over the top of the rear axle beam so effectlvely you have two ARB's on the back?

The sub-frame needs to be removed to fit the front one?

Does cambar need re-adjusting?

Likely cost/time to fit by garage?

Simon

[ Edited ]

[jamieVR6 0]

They transform the handling no end. Remember how it was when you uprated your suspension? Well it's the same with the ARB's. It'll corner near enough flat (back seat passengers will hate them)

Just one word of advice, make sure your tyres are up to the challenge because if you push too hard in the wet i've found the rearend can get a bit lively.

I got mine fitted at AMD with some other mods so i don't know how much to fit, but you'll definetly need a full wheel allignment afterwards.

Hope this is useful.

Jamie

[acf8181 0]

i'd go for newspeed instead, as a)there options on how thick a bar you get, b)the rear is adjustabel, and c)they come with a full fitting kit including front arb links (a weak spot on the vr6, and using an uprated car with o.e. links (as the eibachs require) will put more stress on them)

[nickbee 1]

Do the above bars transform the car that much?

Yes. Saved me last night actually - coming back from no-rice there's a sliproad onto the A3 at Guildford which curves to the left. I'm in the inside lane behind a van' date=' my mate comes past in the outside lane. I indicate to move to the right-hand lane and accelerate. Just as I do so the curve tightens massively, so if you can imagine, I'm accelerating to the right, the road is tightening to the left and the barrier is coming towards me very quickly. I think I'm in trouble, lift off, the oversteer kicks in and the car just sails round the bend. Before the ARBs I'd have been going home, at best, in a tow truck.

[blockquote']The big question is though, do they harden the ride quality as they are so rigid as ride quality is always important to me and most others? [/blockquote]

No, they only affect the way the car corners.

[blockquote]The other questions are presumably the rear bar fits over the top of the rear axle beam so effectlvely you have two ARB's on the back? [/blockquote]

You do indeed. It fits to the bottom, but I think that's what you meant.

[blockquote]The sub-frame needs to be removed to fit the front one? [/blockquote]

Correct. You don't actually need to remove it entirely, but you do need to undo the rear bolts to drop it down far enough to get the ARB in.

[blockquote]Does cambar need re-adjusting? [/blockquote]

Unless you mess up the replacement of the subframe, no.

[blockquote]Likely cost/time to fit by garage? [/blockquote]

No idea, sorry!

[ Edited Thu Jun 10 2004, 08:51AM ]

[ Edited Thu Jun 10 2004, 08:52AM ]

[Guest couzens]

OK will have a think about these. The car at the mo is really bouncy in a straight line. Its Koni shocks with H&R springs. Shocks are on their softest settings whereas the springs are progressive meaning the coils that are in contact with the spring retaining caps are tight together with no daylight through them so are affectively doing nowt. Only about three coils of each spring are doing anything.

just wondering if the ARB's might calm the bouncy ride down a bit which I think they will as there is a lot of body roll.

[ Edited Thu Jun 10 2004, 07:57PM ]

[speedo 0]

nickbee, i know that corner well.... hate it !ill

[speedo 0]

couzens, i`d stiffen the shock`s up a little, as they shouldn`t be bouncy atall.

i have just put eibacks on mine, then chris said he had some neuspeed....!!!

&|

[N3DXT 0]

Worth every penny, I sold my first VR6 as I was not happy with the handling and went back to a MK2 16v, this time round I've gone for coiliovers and ARBs and whilst its not quite as good due to the weight difference, it is an amazing amount better than before and is now amazing fun to drive on the twistys and roundabouts

[FishWick 21]

OK.... H&R 'sports' (green) springs for the VR are not progressive. They look that way but they're not. If the ride is bouncy, dial in some more damping strength on the Konis. Ideal setting is 1.5 turns at the front and 0.75 at the back. That removes all bounciness and stiffens up the chassis considerably. The H&Rs are too strong for the Koni's softest setting, hence the bouncing and floating. The softest Koni setting is calibrated for standard springs.

As for ARBs. They take the handling to the next dimension and as ACF8181 says, Neuspeed ones are pretty much the best, bar race spec tubular titanium ones. You get a choice of 28mm or 25mm rear and a 25mm front. They're rose jointed to allow the rear axle to move about in it's natural planes to prevent a jittery ride over bumps. The fit and finish of the Neuspeeds compared to the Ibax is worlds apart. Instead of cheap stainless straps at the back, you get proper metal clamps and the rear also has adjustable leverage as mentioned already. You need to keep on top of the rose joint maintenance though with copper grease, and that's the downside of the Nspeeds. Ibax are fit and forget.

Both brands are ace, but the Nspeeds are that little bit extra. The ibax are superb value and well made.

K

[speedo 0]

I second that Kev.

Neuspeed are a perfect set up for track, but mabee over engineer`d for the road, but still beter of the two.

I am running ebax on 2 of my cars, and stayed with them on my second car as the first set i fitted 8 years ago, and they still look as good as day one.

Plus they where half the price of Neuspeed.

Either way, they are both a must, and puts a lot more confidence in the car

[ChrisP 0]

My Neuspeeds are still for sale - somebody please buy them!

[speedo 0]

I would love too mate.....

[ Edited Wed Jun 23 2004, 06:11PM ]

[Guest couzens]

if you dropped the price............

[FishWick 21]

I second that Kev.

Neuspeed are a perfect set up for track' date=' but mabee over engineer`d for the road, but still beter of the two.

I am running ebax on 2 of my cars, and stayed with them on my second car as the first set i fitted 8 years ago, and they still look as good as day one.

Plus they where half the price of Neuspeed.

Either way, they are both a must, and puts a lot more confidence in the car [/quote']

Can't go wrong with over-engineering in my book 8o) As the old rear screen sticker goes..."Made in Germany, refined in Britain" 8o)

The Nspeeds, if I'm being honest, are over-priced, but like you, I've used Eibachs for years too and whilst they are clearly made of some exceptional metal, aren't quite Nspeeds, but either will turn a wallowy, whale like standard VR into the hot hatch it should have been.

Just another 2p in the pot

[FishWick 21]

Incidentally, Nspeed bars are £156 new from C&R Enterprises in Nottingham. And I have to say, C&R are very good to mail order from. As are Awesome GTI. Both have provided me with exceptional service over the years.

[acf8181 0]

£156 will be for only one bar

[ChrisP 0]

I dont mind dropping the price, I need the space, I can hardly get into the garage at the moment!!!

In my experience, Awesome customer service have been great, C&R on the other hand......

[Geastb 0]

chris yhpm

[Guest couzens]

One question; if i want to fit arb's and drop the sub-frame on the front to do it, do I need to get the cambar and tracking realined. I think not but just need confirmation.

[acf8181 0]

One question; if i want to fit arb's and drop the sub-frame on the front to do it' date=' do I need to get the cambar and tracking realined. I think not but just need confirmation.[/quote']

not unless you undo the hub to strut bolts...camber anyway.

shouldn't need to do the tracking as well.

[FishWick 21]

Best way to do it is to take the front subframe bolts out completely and then screw them back in a few turns. Then take the rear subframe bolts out completely. You can now swing the whole subframe back and forth to give the required clearance. Be careful you don't cross thread the rear bolts when you put them back. VERY easy to do and will mean cutting out the old captive nuts and welding in new ones if you cross them.

Something I forgot to mention in this thread is the Neuspeed front bar is massive and can sometimes rub on the chassis legs, but it's not big deal as it doesn't transmit any vibration into the cabin. Eibachs are OK as they're a smaller diameter.

[Guest couzens]

I spoke toa guy in my local auto shop and he reckoned changing to thicker arb's was a waste of time. He reckoned now I've lowered the car most of my excessive body roll is with the 15's I'm running. he said 16's would be better with a certain tyre size which I forget. Also he reckoned I should replace the worn arb bushes with the poly ones as my standard vag ones have had it and then strut brace the car to reduce the wheel arch body roll. Which strut brace do people think is best for the MK3 Golf = front + rear lower, and what do people think of these views. Would this be better money spent replacing bushes and putting on braces than just doing the ARB's???

[acf8181 0]

does he sell alloys, but not arb's, by any chance?

he's talkin crap...arb's will be better than going to lower profile rubber (as you would if you switched to 16"s) as it will minimise roll, and you won't loose as much ride comfort as you would with low pro tyres.

[Guest couzens]

His views did concern me a bit (drives an done-up escort) when he reckoned a front upper strut brace would make all the difference. I had to get the Haynes "doing up a MK2 Golf" manuel they sell and show him pg 72 I think that says in bold type on a Golf a front LOWER brace will make any difference. I could understand his point regarding lower pro tyres as there would be less flex in the wheel rubber but can't afford 16's. I just wondered if strategically placed strut braces and new bushes would make more difference than thicker arb's as afterall he said the vr already has them (arb's).

Yep your right Andrew = has wheels but no arb's = can get them though he said and was helpful

More advice please!

[ Edited Sat Jul 03 2004, 06:53PM ]

[ingham 5]

arbs all the way