So yesterday I fitted the following to my Fabia.

Powerflex Front ARB Bush

Powerflex Front Wishbone Front Bush

Ibiza Cupra Front Wishbone Rear Bush

Weitec GT Coilovers.

It's sitting at the same height all the way around and although it's low, you can fit to finger widths in between each of the arches.

After taking it for a test drive I've noticed 3 things.

1) The front end feels a lot tighter and the car generally feels like it's on the road.

2) It pulls to the left so the tracking/geometry will need done.

And finally, this might contradict 1) but the front left wheel feels like it's on ice sometimes and just gliding across the road. When you turn left hand corners not even all that fast the tyre will squeal which it never used to do before. Right hand bends/corners don't seem as bad so I'm not sure what to think.

I just don't like the feeling that the front left wheel doesn't feel attached to the road!

Will a full geometry setup cure this feeling or has something untoward happened to my car :(

Cheers,

John

If you are going down to StarPerformance to get a full four wheel re-alignment done, ask their advice - if its really far out then your "feel" of the car on the road will have changed - BTW it seems that quite a few folk from around Aberdeen do head for StarPerformance to get work done!

I'll give Jim a shout and see what he says, hopefully it's just need a full alignment to stop it feeling like a 3 wheeled motor!

If I were to fit a rear ARB at a later date would the tracking need done again?

From what your'e saying something sounds majorly out of alignment!

Definitely pop down somewhere and get it sorted, if its a rear anti roll bar your'e fitting it shouldnt make any odds to the tracking just make the rear more rigid and stick to the road better

Edited 2 August, 200916 yr by normanmatthew

Yeah there is definitely something not right with it.

It's a strange one because you can feel the improvements of all the uprated parts, but at the same time the front left feels quite skittish.

I've e-mailed STAR Performance so will hopefully get the tracking/geo done asap.

How much does a full setup normally cost? I was keeping about £150ish aside?

Cheers

Bring it down to Surrey I'll get my lengths of strings out!!

But no, I'm not entirely sure what you'll be looking at not big money at all.

150 should cover it fine.

4 wheel alignment is usually £25 down my local protyre. It's only really a tracking check as you can't adjust camber.

That's good news, had it in my head that it would cost heaps to get done.

How much can they actually adjust on the Fabia then?

Just tracking via the two track rods.

Depends, I know the Pug garage near me has just upgraded to some laser tech gizmo and is charging over a ton to get your tracking done. :(

Best ring round a few places.

toe is probably out

Just had a closer look, I drove slowly on a flat road at low speed and let the steering wheel do its own thing. Once I stopped the steering wheel was sitting slightly to the left.

I then got out and looked at the front tyres and the front right wheel was perfectly in line with the car body, the front left wheel however was noticeably pointing left.

I take it that's why it feels like the front left wheel is on ice all the time and is particularly bad on left hand bends?

if you've lowered it a lot then you will need tracking done, the lower you go the more your wheels point inwards.

mines is down low and always has the pull to the left yet my tracking is spot on.

...yes but lowering it will give more negative camber right ?

Is there not a camber kit available for the Fabia VRS then if its not adjustable ? :confused:

You will see more wear on inner tyre edge but better cornering

Jonathan