Ahhh,

today I had my first 150Km highway with the Whiteline RARB installed (medium setting), after 1,5 days coasting in city (on bumpy roads, car loaded with 3 adults and my 2 lils, no drawbacks on perceived comfort, but car feel more "compact").

My right foot rested a lot on the throttle pedal and, although I didn't count, I used the break way less As a lateral result, I bet I was faster and safer (not a sound from tyres).

Car is way more stable, front traction is improved (bahnstormer, as usual, was right ) ) you can easily feel that you steer with pedal as with the steering wheel

All in all really a satisfying improvement even for a rather unskilled driver like myself

WALK is planned for next week

Edited 14 April, 200917 yr by Genoa1893

Ahhh,

today I had my first 150Km highway with the Whiteline RARB installed (medium setting), after 1,5 days coasting in city (on bumpy roads, car loaded with 3 adults and my 2 lils, no drawbacks on perceived comfort, but car feel more "compact").

My right foot rested a lot on the throttle pedal and, although I didn't count, I used the break way less As a lateral result, I bet I was faster and safer (not a sound from tyres).

Car is way more stable, front traction is improved (bahnstormer, as usual, was right ) ) you can easily feel that you steer with pedal as with the steering wheel

All in all really a satisfying improvement even for a rather unskilled driver like myself

WALK is planned for next week

Sweet. The walk should should prevent understeer even more, plus more traction. Cant wait for mine now.

Ahhh,

today I had my first 150Km highway with the Whiteline RARB installed (medium setting), after 1,5 days coasting in city (on bumpy roads, car loaded with 3 adults and my 2 lils, no drawbacks on perceived comfort, but car feel more "compact").

My right foot rested a lot on the throttle pedal and, although I didn't count, I used the break way less As a lateral result, I bet I was faster and safer (not a sound from tyres).

Car is way more stable, front traction is improved (bahnstormer, as usual, was right ) ) you can easily feel that you steer with pedal as with the steering wheel

All in all really a satisfying improvement even for a rather unskilled driver like myself

WALK is planned for next week

Try it on the stiffest setting! It's even better and it is the best setting for the VRS TDi due to the heavier lump up front

dont forget yours is also the estate so stiffest might make even more sense

Ok, thank you, next week I'll try the stiffest setting.

Meanwhile after another 300Km I'm still learning how to use the addictive grip while cornering. She really stays where you put her and no drawbacks even on bumps.

Was wondering: did anybody with Whiteline RARB exchange or keep stock suspension arms? Would a matching front ARB be a good idea? (Yes, I'm getting in love with Whiteline bits...)

Would a matching front ARB be a good idea? (Yes, I'm getting in love with Whiteline bits...)

NO. It will flatten the car as a whole BUT in fitting the stiffer rear ARB you have altered the handling balance from understeer to neutral. Putting a stiffer (matching) ARB on the front will reverse the change back to understeer. :thumbdwn:

Agreed, assuming I'm enjoying my actual setting, just thought of adding a front arb with the softest setting +23%, AFAIK from whiteline docs, in order to enjoy the "tighter" feeling of the setup now I've on the rear.

Perhaps a front bush kit would do the trick, and be cheaper too?

Couple of points.

1. Continually increasing rear roll stiffness is not necessarily a good thing. It will push the car toward predominant oversteer and make understeer/oversteer transitions more agressive. This is OK in the hands of a reasonably skilled driver on good roads who is expecting this handling response. It could however catch you out during an emergency manoeuvre like an rapid lane change under hard braking on a motorway - the back end could snap around.

2. Increasing roll stiffness DOES decrease ride quality. The reason for this is that you are increasing the lateral coupling between the two rear wheels and thereby decreasing the 'independence' of each rear suspension unit. E.g. if there were no rear ARB fitted then when the O/S wheel dropped into a pot-hole the N/S wheel would be unaffected. Adding a rear ARB means that when the O/S wheel drops into a pot-hole the ARB on the O/S moves downwardwards and conveys a proportion of this movement (depending on stiffness) to the N/S suspension, which is also therefore pushed downward meaning that the N/S of the car tries to rise up. This results in a more restless ride when encountering road imperfections. As the roll stiffness is increased this level of restlessness increases and on bumpy rural roads can lead to skittishness where one wheel hitting a bump will cause the other to lift upward and momentarily lose grip. Again, its all about compromise.

Couple of points.

1. Continually increasing rear roll stiffness is not necessarily a good thing. It will push the car toward predominant oversteer and make understeer/oversteer transitions more agressive. This is OK in the hands of a reasonably skilled driver on good roads who is expecting this handling response. It could however catch you out during an emergency manoeuvre like an rapid lane change under hard braking on a motorway - the back end could snap around.

2. Increasing roll stiffness DOES decrease ride quality. The reason for this is that you are increasing the lateral coupling between the two rear wheels and thereby decreasing the 'independence' of each rear suspension unit. E.g. if there were no rear ARB fitted then when the O/S wheel dropped into a pot-hole the N/S wheel would be unaffected. Adding a rear ARB means that when the O/S wheel drops into a pot-hole the ARB on the O/S moves downwardwards and conveys a proportion of this movement (depending on stiffness) to the N/S suspension, which is also therefore pushed downward meaning that the N/S of the car tries to rise up. This results in a more restless ride when encountering road imperfections. As the roll stiffness is increased this level of restlessness increases and on bumpy rural roads can lead to skittishness where one wheel hitting a bump will cause the other to lift upward and momentarily lose grip. Again, its all about compromise.

Very sound and sensible comments; would have difficulty putting it better.

The progressive effect of increased roll stiffness causing loss of suppleness in the ride has been apparent in my moving from my 25mm Neuspeed bar on stiff to 27mm APR bar on medium; it is something I have been prepared to accept considering the reduction in understeer etc. I am though nervous of making the ride too stiff by going to the stiff setting on the ARB.

I have got a degree of improvement in traction, but when driven very briskly loss of traction on the inside front wheel is still noticeable. I have therefore decided to get the WALK kit, which should give an improvement to straight line traction as well (due to the anti-lift element), as opposed to going to the stiffest ARB setting that may well compromise the ride too much (its amazing how bumpy some roads are). It should be in the post to me today and will be fitted early next week; here's hoping.

Well,

I guess it's all a matter of "quantity" of stiffness, driving habits, roads and driver and passengers' preferences.

I (well, SWMBO and myself) found after trying the Whiteline RARB at medium setting (i.e. +95% with respect to standard) that, at the cost of a really hardly noticeable increase in feeling bumps, you have a continuous benefit for any corner you drive into. Car is way less rolling and giving more precision. When alone, I walked on bumps on highway while cornering at considerable speeds (about 90mph) and had no problems at all (yet I still have to try on wet surfaces).

I'd like to get the same feeling I have from the rear of my car, coming from front suspensions too. I think I'll go for new bushes. Did anybody try Whiteline ones?

TIA

NO. It will flatten the car as a whole BUT in fitting the stiffer rear ARB you have altered the handling balance from understeer to neutral. Putting a stiffer (matching) ARB on the front will reverse the change back to understeer. :thumbdwn:

there is an obsession on this site with understeer.:P:rofl:

IMO think the front bar is a excellent option.

By doing the front as well as the back the whole car will roll even less and corner ALOT faster with ALOT more grip. And when you push too hard it will then understeer, IMO it will be easier to handle on the limit, especially in the wet.

Just doing the back might eliminate the understeer but it could be at the expense of being on the limits of easily oversteering and twitchyness of the back end when lifting off.

I had quite extensive chats with balance motorsport and backdraft motorsport about this and they thought along the same lines and helped in my choice.

Id consider rear ARB on stiffest setting, front ARB on medium setting and then WALK. I bet it would handle fantastic then. With the bars in this configuration the rear would have had the biggest increase in comparison

Im tempted to go for poly bushes in the future, for a quicker response in the steering, and a litle more feel

whiteline have a new bumpsteer kit out, anybody know what benefits that would give

there is an obsession on this site with understeer.:P:rofl:

IMO think the front bar is a excellent option.

By doing the front as well as the back the whole car will roll even less and corner ALOT faster with ALOT more grip. And when you push too hard it will then understeer, IMO it will be easier to handle on the limit, especially in the wet.

Just doing the back might eliminate the understeer but it could be at the expense of being on the limits of easily oversteering and twitchyness of the back end when lifting off.

I had quite extensive chats with balance motorsport and backdraft motorsport about this and they thought along the same lines and helped in my choice.

Id consider rear ARB on stiffest setting, front ARB on medium setting and then WALK. I bet it would handle fantastic then. With the bars in this configuration the rear would have had the biggest increase in comparison

Ahah, thank you Simon, so I'm not alone...

Of course the manufacturers would advertise to buy their products, but the benefits I perceived from the use of the RARB are so evident... Now I've driven for another 300Km half of them on the wet under rain, where I expected to get most of the problems of a +95% stiff RARB. Well, I've enjoyed all the advantages given while cornering without any drawback, even in the wet.

About emergency stops, yesterday I almost had one on a straight portion of highway. I could easily perceive how more "compact" (I can't find a better term) was my rear than my front. I guess the front bar would add more to this. But, since money is anyway hard earned, I was wondering if just changing the bushes (W0503) would tighten the front...

Im tempted to go for poly bushes in the future, for a quicker response in the steering, and a litle more feel

whiteline have a new bumpsteer kit out, anybody know what benefits that would give

Hi Simon,

as you know, here is about the bump steer correction kit: http://briskoda.net/octavia-ii/whiteline-suspension-bits/127941/

I'm actually searching for the driver perceived benefits of poly bushes on front.

Stiffening a car with uprated ARBs is all well and good for 'dry' handling but will be at the expense of suppleness for good wet handling.

It is for this reason that, with the same suspension setup, a car on 225/45 17 tyres will be quicker than one on 225/40 18 tyres; the 17s have taller sidewalls allowing more flex and better handling response in the wet.

Therefore for optimum handling we should run medium or stiff ARBs in the summer and soft in the winter.

I bet you're right but once reached a certain stiffness level.

Now (with +95% stiffness) on RARB, I can handle my car much better than with standard one. I mean, car steers while before she had many difficulties.

im currently booked in at JKM on the 25th for for eibach front and rears and WALK. but im thinking i might miss out the WALK for the minute so I can feel the benefit of the ebachs working on their own.

plus im also booked in with SMD racing that week for corner weighting and then wheels in motion the following weekend for a full geometry check and adjust. I was thinking i might not actually feel the need for the WALK after all of this work.

I can always get the WALK at a later date if i feel the need.Plus i get to read all your reviews before hand:rolleyes:

Sound thoughts or not:confused:

WALK arrived by courier this afternoon, will be fitted Mon/Tues next week - review will be posted after that (in a different thread).

good good. we could really do with a consolidated thread with peoples different mods on their cars and their experiences and thoughts then close the thread. So your neuspeed ARB setup, genoas whiteline setup, then ill add my eibachs wen fitted then. etc etc

and try to keep it from becoming a debate, lol

Hi again,

finally yesterday I drove my octy with the WALK installed.

First usage was urban driving, while carrying my sister to her marriage!

Honestly I expected to feel less comfort (NVH) but this was absolutely not the case and along the uphill streets of my town, traction was very good notwithstanding front tyres are to be changed next week. Anyway I'm waiting for "quicker" trips to let you know my feelings.

How are other WALK users doing?

...and 150Km under heavy rain later, WALK is a pleasure!

Car front is much more tight and precise, steer is really good, sensitive and precise without delays. It's that sort of effect given in high fidelity when you have some good upgrade: rather than feeling something more, you feel something "less": less memory effect, less "blur".

About noise/vibration/harshness you have more sensitivity, you feel more the asphalt (so more vibrations if the asphalt isn't well done) but I wouldn't say noise comfort is reduced, nor harshness is perceived at the steering wheel.

Quite happy

Maybe a new thread with your review on it could be handy genoa. Im going to knoock one up on my new eibachs soon.

i didnt get the walk fitted in the end. I wanted to be able to feel the diffeence the arbs made before i did it.

Maybe a new thread with your review on it could be handy genoa. Im going to knoock one up on my new eibachs soon.

i didnt get the walk fitted in the end. I wanted to be able to feel the diffeence the arbs made before i did it.

Got my WALK kit fitted last week and as this is really an antiroll bar thread have put a full write up here;- Whiteline suspension bits - BRISKODA - The Skoda Forums

Maybe a new thread with your review on it could be handy genoa. Im going to knoock one up on my new eibachs soon.

i didnt get the walk fitted in the end. I wanted to be able to feel the diffeence the arbs made before i did it.

Hi Simon,

bahn was quicker in the review ... lol

I think that all of us started with the arbs (did you mount the front, too?) and then with the WALK. I can't but recommend it!

Ciao,

Very sound and sensible comments; would have difficulty putting it better.

The progressive effect of increased roll stiffness causing loss of suppleness in the ride has been apparent in my moving from my 25mm Neuspeed bar on stiff to 27mm APR bar on medium; it is something I have been prepared to accept considering the reduction in understeer etc. I am though nervous of making the ride too stiff by going to the stiff setting on the ARB.

I have got a degree of improvement in traction, but when driven very briskly loss of traction on the inside front wheel is still noticeable. I have therefore decided to get the WALK kit, which should give an improvement to straight line traction as well (due to the anti-lift element), as opposed to going to the stiffest ARB setting that may well compromise the ride too much (its amazing how bumpy some roads are). It should be in the post to me today and will be fitted early next week; here's hoping.

Been running my APR bar on medium (+135%) for some weeks now and all has been OK, the ride is quite firm but still tolerable and I'm willing to compromise on this for the other handling benefits.

However, I had a setback from last weekend. I swapped my 17" 'winter wheels' with Ultrac Sessantas for my 18" B14 'summer wheels' with Pilot Exalto 2s. Whilst I expected the ride to be a little more harsh due to the lower profile of the tyres, 40 not 45, the uprated ARB seems to have magnified this harshness and the ride is now verging on the downright uncomfortable.

Some options, as follows, come to mind;

1. Revert back to my 17" wheels

2. Keep the 18s on and put my ARB to the soft setting (+90%) accepting the alteration in handling for improved ride comfort.

3. Get some Ultrac Sessantas for my 18s as I have a feeling (other opinions welcome) that they are a degree more compliant than Pilot Exaltos

4. Variations on 1, 2 & 3 above.

What do you guys think?

PS> both sets of wheels need a new pair of tyres within the next 1,000-1,500 miles.