Can anyone tell me the suspension settings (front and back) for a 08 tdi VRS and if they are the same as the MKvV gti as regard to the castor, camber, toe in ect,....

Also if thay are different has anyone applied the gti,s settings to the VRs. I do miss the lift off oversteer of my old MKV gti.

An the last thing has anyone fitted a rear anti roll bar to their Octavia 2 tdi vrs

Bahnstormer is your man

Edited 3 October, 200817 yr by inexeng

I'm running front and rear Eibach bars which I've found to be quite effective.

Bahnstormer is your man

I haven't got a clue about the camber/castor setting etc. BUT ....

I have fitted a Neuspeed Rear anti roll bar to my vRS TDi.

Excellent piece of kit and apart from the improved handling (less understeer to the point that the car is pretty neutral in mid/fast speed corners) it was the only one I found at the time, which could be bought individually; all other ARBs were sold in pairs and I didn't want to do anything with the front (didn't need the expense either).

Do a 'search' on Nuespeed ARB and you ought to find so further previous comments.

I'm running front and rear Eibach bars which I've found to be quite effective.

These will be effective in flattening the whole car and nudging it towards 'track day' spec. Makes it great in the dry but IMHO will be too stiff in the wet. However you will not change the inherent under/oversteer balance of the OE spec car.

Fitting just an uprated rear ARB will change the handling balance (ask anyone with a Fabia vRS who fitted a JabbaSport rear ARB) tightening the rear movement and therefore reducing understeer. I previously had a JabbaSport rear ARB on a lowly Fabia 1.4mpi (lighter front end to vRS and therefore less initial understeer) and bingo; very sharp turn in and lift off oversteer available in the wet.

The vRS TDI has, I'm sure, more understeeer than the TFSI vRS due to the heavier diesel engine. Whilst it has a rear ARB as OE fit it's only IIRC 22mm whereas the Nuespeed one is 25mm. Fitting this does alter the balance, not as radically as on the Fabia, but just enough to improve the handling to a more neutral level particularly at mid and upper speed. In the wet I have noticed the meerest hint of oversteer coming in, which is nice, but not excessive; I'm sure though that if you want to provoke lift-off oversteer you will find it.

PS> my comments are based on the Neuspeed bar set on its stiffest setting; it has three settings of adjustment so it can be fine tuned to your preference.

Finally; I can understand jcdub's thought on the handling balance of as vRS TDI vs. a Golf Mk V remembering that whilst the are essentially very similar cars the Octavia has a large rear end, the mass of which affects the handling, the Golf being a lot sharper.

I have some Eibachs going begging for the Oct II vRS....wonder if there is anyone on the forum that would consider a swap?

I will be having my Eibachs taken ofdf my vRS soon, wonder if there is anyone on the forum with an ARB goin beggin that would consider a swap??

These will be effective in flattening the whole car and nudging it towards 'track day' spec. Makes it great in the dry but IMHO will be too stiff in the wet. However you will not change the inherent under/oversteer balance of the OE spec car.

Sorry but thats the total opposite of what the different setups would do

It heightens the already good levels of roll resistance and makes it totally neutral (well it does on the Eibachs Stu mentions). From experience, upgrading the rear only will give you the undesirable (or desirable depending on your driving style) effect of lift off oversteer, particulalrly in the wet.

Ive ran four cars now with Anti Roll bars in different combinations (and then adding the front later in two instances) and thats what experience has shown me. Octy 2 specific obviously too. Just a rear bar made the rear skip out slightly even in the dry when hitting a bump mid corner. In perfect dry conditions a rear bar may dial out some understeer but I personally dont like the behaviour in the wet when pushing things. In the wet, with my very neutral setup, I know, for instance its allowed me take certain curves/corners 15mph+ quicker, and thats in the wet, totally planted.

Upgrading both bars CAN change the natural balance of the chassis. 2mm thicker at the front and 2mm back doesnt equate to the same heightened balance necessarily and just 1mm thicker can make a noticeable difference also.

Its an interesting topic the above is certainly my experience.

Lee

So guys is it a worth while investment? I mean by fitting a ARB on the rear and not the front will it upset the car by a large enough amount in the wet to leave it as standard or buy the front and rear togeather?

Thanks

JC

P.S what thickness in roll bar should I go for 22mm or 25mm?

Well I guess some of it depends on how hard you drive the car but certainly I'd always be looking to do both together from now on.

Lee

Sorry but thats the total opposite of what the different setups would do

It heightens the already good levels of roll resistance and makes it totally neutral (well it does on the Eibachs Stu mentions). From experience, upgrading the rear only will give you the undesirable (or desirable depending on your driving style) effect of lift off oversteer, particulalrly in the wet.

Ive ran four cars now with Anti Roll bars in different combinations (and then adding the front later in two instances) and thats what experience has shown me. Octy 2 specific obviously too. Just a rear bar made the rear skip out slightly even in the dry when hitting a bump mid corner. In perfect dry conditions a rear bar may dial out some understeer but I personally dont like the behaviour in the wet when pushing things. In the wet, with my very neutral setup, I know, for instance its allowed me take certain curves/corners 15mph+ quicker, and thats in the wet, totally planted.

Upgrading both bars CAN change the natural balance of the chassis. 2mm thicker at the front and 2mm back doesnt equate to the same heightened balance necessarily and just 1mm thicker can make a noticeable difference also.

Its an interesting topic the above is certainly my experience.

Lee

Just done a search on rear arb, so brought this thread back from the past!

Totally agree what you say that is exactly what my car is like (mk1 vrs) with my 22mm whiteline bar, front is standard. Mine is adjustable and im going back to a softer setting to see if this helps also have fsd's and h&r springs so it's fairly stiff anyhow.

Im now thinking i need to upgrade my front arb for better balance i think standard bar is 19mm so what size bar would be best for best balance?

These will be effective in flattening the whole car and nudging it towards 'track day' spec. Makes it great in the dry but IMHO will be too stiff in the wet. However you will not change the inherent under/oversteer balance of the OE spec car.

Fitting just an uprated rear ARB will change the handling balance (ask anyone with a Fabia vRS who fitted a JabbaSport rear ARB) tightening the rear movement and therefore reducing understeer. I previously had a JabbaSport rear ARB on a lowly Fabia 1.4mpi (lighter front end to vRS and therefore less initial understeer) and bingo; very sharp turn in and lift off oversteer available in the wet.

The vRS TDI has, I'm sure, more understeeer than the TFSI vRS due to the heavier diesel engine. Whilst it has a rear ARB as OE fit it's only IIRC 22mm whereas the Nuespeed one is 25mm. Fitting this does alter the balance, not as radically as on the Fabia, but just enough to improve the handling to a more neutral level particularly at mid and upper speed. In the wet I have noticed the meerest hint of oversteer coming in, which is nice, but not excessive; I'm sure though that if you want to provoke lift-off oversteer you will find it.

PS> my comments are based on the Neuspeed bar set on its stiffest setting; it has three settings of adjustment so it can be fine tuned to your preference.

Finally; I can understand jcdub's thought on the handling balance of as vRS TDI vs. a Golf Mk V remembering that whilst the are essentially very similar cars the Octavia has a large rear end, the mass of which affects the handling, the Golf being a lot sharper.

Updating this thread a bit more;

jcdub has just fitted a Whiteline 22mm rear arb and I'm in the process of ordering an APR 27mm adjustable rear arb; watch this space

PS> Correction 24mm Whiteline bar

Edited 26 January, 200917 yr by bahnstormer vrs
correction to size of bar

Updating this thread a bit more;

jcdub has just fitted a Whiteline 22mm rear arb and I'm in the process of ordering an APR 27mm adjustable rear arb; watch this space

Sorry Brainstomer. I have a 24mm Rear ARB (Whiteline) fitted on it's stiffest setting. My RS is a TDi CR Which has a heavier Engine than the 2.0T. The medium setting might suit the 2.0T RS better though. The stiffest setting suits the Diesel one really well.

Sorry Brainstomer.

:confused:

I have a 24mm Rear ARB (Whiteline) fitted on it's stiffest setting. My RS is a TDi CR Which has a heavier Engine than the 2.0T. The medium setting might suit the 2.0T RS better though. The stiffest setting suits the Diesel one really well.

My post above corrected.

You are quite right; the heavier engined TDI vRS (like yours and mine) will need a stronger/stiffer rear bar compared to the TFSI engined car, to produce the same handling balance; the TDI vRS has always been noted, for having more understeer.

Certainly a 24/25mm rear arb provides an improvement.

jcdub - was it the rear 24mm arb for the mark 5 golf you bought from balance motorsport? (searching under skoda only brings up the 22mm one based on the mark 4 golf)

this is something i am very interested in. since getting my coilovers ive noticed massive increase in traction but a little more understeer(or its just more obvious than it was), so the next step has got to be ARBs.

Octy vRS OEM - Front 23mm, Rear 22mm

H & R 1 (Golf V) - Front 26mm, Rear 22mm (adjustable)

Eibach (Golf V) - Front 26mm, Rear 23mm

Neuspeed (Golf V) - Front 25mm, Rear 25mm (adjustable)

H & R 2 (Golk V) - Front 28mm, Rear 24mm (adjustable)

apr rear 27mm

what is the best way to do it if you uprate both. should they both be the same size, or should the front be larger than the back or vice versa.

ideally id like to dial out the understeer, but not throw in loads of oversteer, so i prob will go for the front ARB as well. just what combination

Edited 26 January, 200917 yr by simonskerton

jcdub - was it the rear 24mm arb for the mark 5 golf you bought from balance motorsport? (searching under skoda only brings up the 22mm one based on the mark 4 golf)

Hi

Yea it was the one for the MKV gti that I got. It seriously transformed the handling

JC

this is something i am very interested in. since getting my coilovers ive noticed massive increase in traction but a little more understeer(or its just more obvious than it was), so the next step has got to be ARBs.

Octy vRS OEM - Front 23mm, Rear 22mm

H & R 1 (Golf V) - Front 26mm, Rear 22mm (adjustable)

Eibach (Golf V) - Front 26mm, Rear 23mm

Neuspeed (Golf V) - Front 25mm, Rear 25mm (adjustable)

H & R 2 (Golk V) - Front 28mm, Rear 24mm (adjustable)

apr rear 27mm

what is the best way to do it if you uprate both. should they both be the same size, or should the front be larger than the back or vice versa.

ideally id like to dial out the understeer, but not throw in loads of oversteer, so i prob will go for the front ARB as well. just what combination

The kits are well matched already, but I find the 24mm Whiteline on My RS Tdi which I set to Hard setting works perfectly with a lot less understeer and it now handles better then the MK V Gti I used to have and that had Eibach sport springs fitted with 18" BBS

this is something i am very interested in. since getting my coilovers ive noticed massive increase in traction but a little more understeer(or its just more obvious than it was), so the next step has got to be ARBs.

Octy vRS OEM - Front 23mm, Rear 22mm

H & R 1 (Golf V) - Front 26mm, Rear 22mm (adjustable)

Eibach (Golf V) - Front 26mm, Rear 23mm

Neuspeed (Golf V) - Front 25mm, Rear 25mm (adjustable)

H & R 2 (Golk V) - Front 28mm, Rear 24mm (adjustable)

apr rear 27mm

what is the best way to do it if you uprate both. should they both be the same size, or should the front be larger than the back or vice versa.

ideally id like to dial out the understeer, but not throw in loads of oversteer, so i prob will go for the front ARB as well. just what combination

If you are going for front and rear then I'd suggest one of the pairs as above; don't mix and match. They will have been to designed to overall reduce roll but not (greatly) alter the handling balance.

The tweak of just putting a larger bar on the rear, is a very effective measure to reduce understeer; particularly when it is generated by a heavier (TDI) engine.

If you think about it; if you stiffen the front there is still a high load going into the outside front wheel/tyre when cornering but if you stiffen the rear, which stays flatter, it effectively pulls the rear down, therefore there will be less pitch & weight transfer onto the outside front wheel/tyre, allowing it to do more turning work.

Remember also; that if you stiffen the car overall, whilst it will handle better in the dry the lack of flex and compliance in the setup will reduce the handling abilities in the wet.

It all boils down to what you want and/or prefer.

thanks bahnstormer

im looking at the neuspeed front and rear ARB. my reasons being the front has increased 2 mm and the rear 3mm, hopefully not stiffening the whole car to much and keeping it as neutral as possible for wet weather.

I just find it slightly strange the vast difference in front sizes between manufacturers and the same with rears.

i fully agree with JCdub that they are all well matched together so therfore to buy in pairs and dont mix and match

but the diference between the sets is massive, from 4mm difference between front and back on the H&R setup, to 0mm difference between front and rear on the neuspeed setup

now that means there must be a massive difference in how they drive and handle,which is the bit where im not sure of, which setup to go for

thanks bahnstormer

im looking at the neuspeed front and rear ARB. my reasons being the front has increased 2 mm and the rear 3mm, hopefully not stiffening the whole car to much and keeping it as neutral as possible for wet weather.

I just find it slightly strange the vast difference in front sizes between manufacturers and the same with rears.

i fully agree with JCdub that they are all well matched together so therfore to buy in pairs and dont mix and match

but the diference between the sets is massive, from 4mm difference between front and back on the H&R setup, to 0mm difference between front and rear on the neuspeed setup

now that means there must be a massive difference in how they drive and handle,which is the bit where im not sure of, which setup to go for

Interesting comments and sound thoughts, but just to put another factor 'into the pot';-

All the above front & rear combinations are designed for the Golf V which, as I'm sure we all know, does not have quite such a large, therefore heavy, rear end; to counter this on the Octavia you ought (pehaps) to have a stronger rear bar (relative to the front) to keep the existing handling balance e.g. the Neuspeed set IMHO would be best.

If you want to change the handling balance and dial out understeer, you ought to get a stiffer rear bar only; hence an option that worked well for Fluffmeister on his vRS TFSI was to fit the Neuspeed rear bar only.

For me, with the vRS TDI, I have found the Neuspeed bar quite good at this; but not quite good enough; hence why I've ordered the 27mm APR bar.

You could of course get the front APR bar as well that is also 27mm, but checking the details (which I haven't seen qouted by any other manufacturer) the front bar provides up to 105% increase in stiffnes over OE and the rear bar up to 200% increase in stiffness! See here;- APR - High Performance Development for Volkswagen Vehicles

so looking at the size of the bar is not everything!

Here's the revised list;-

Octy vRS OEM - Front 23mm, Rear 22mm

H & R 1 (Golf V) - Front 26mm, Rear 22mm (adjustable)

Eibach (Golf V) - Front 26mm, Rear 23mm

Neuspeed (Golf V) - Front 25mm, Rear 25mm (adjustable)

H & R 2 (Golk V) - Front 28mm, Rear 24mm (adjustable)

APR (Golf V) - Front 27mm, rear 27mm (adjustable; up to 105% increase front, up to 200% increase rear)

Sirs,

please I'm waiting for your credits on APR advice

http://briskoda.net/octavia-ii/taking-rs-next-level/83115/2/ post#31

Edited 28 January, 200917 yr by Genoa1893
thread link

Sirs,

please I'm waiting for your credits on APR advice

With pleasure.

The bar is on order; delivery expected in 3 weeks (got to come from the USA). I will do a write up once fitted.

Thank you, I'm interested in your write up, especially considered you have a standard front sway bar (if I'm not wrong).

......especially considered you have a standard front sway bar (if I'm not wrong).

Correct. OE 23mm front sway bar and Neuspeed 25mm rear sway bar at present.