My recently bought mk1 Octy vRS came fitted with a pretty much brand new set of FSD's/H&R's and although the handling is nicely progressive (the harder you push the better it gets which, am I correct in thinking, is the point of the FSD's?), it still doesn't quite have the point and go sharpness I enjoyed so much in my old 306 (laughable build quality but probably Peugeot's last great chassis). So, after locking myself in a darkened room for a few hours and getting obsessive with the forum, it seems the way forward is a RARB.

So I guess what I'd like to know is this:

By all accounts, fitting a RARB to the standard car makes a huge difference, but having never driven the standard set up will it make a noticeable difference with my uprated suspension?

If so, bearing in mind the uprated dampers, stiffer springs and the standard FARB, what would be the best thickness bar to go for? Or is that totally subjective and entirely dependent on how I want the back end to handle?

Also, whilst doing all this poking around, bushes and strut braces kept coming up. Seems to me the jury is out on the effectiveness of strut braces, but the bushes are worth doing, with Powerflex & SuperPro being the ones to go for. Is the stuff these guys produce that much better than the OEM ones? Reason I ask is I've seen many on here opting for the standard solid TT bushes over these aftermarket jobs, or am I missing something?

Aoplogies for flogging this now rotting horse some more, but I've got so much information zipping around my head if I don't put it into context I reckon my brain will go into meltdown :S

thanks very much!

A RARB will increase rear end roll stiffness, which will reduce dry understeer, but increase wet understeer.

IMO bolt-in strut braces are so much snake oil, because you should never be pushing hard enough to make the shell distort on a public road for one thing, and for another, if the shell's not straight all you do is lock it bent.

I've seen claims that polybushing a suspension wears out the eyes in the suspension arms, which would incline me towards the TT bushes.

Get the Neuspeed 28 mm rear ARB, its the biggest handling improvement you can fit to a Mk1 Octy vRS, trust me , been there and got the tee shirt.

The S3 strut braces are good and do make an improvement if you fit both top and bottom ones, not too dear from your local Audi dealer

Edited 1 April, 201016 yr by TheMethodFeeder

Thanks for the info guys.

Ken, found your reasoning behind strut braces very interesting. Quite intrigued that you take such a dim view when many on here seem to regard them as an almost obligatory mod.

Feeder, with regards to the RARB I've read a 28mm one is perhaps a bit too stiff with uprated suspension and more suited if you've gone the R32 FARB way, while a 25mm one complements the stiffer suspension and a standard FARB better?

So the TT bushes for the rear wishbone mounts and poly's for the rest? Any noticeable difference spending the extra cash on the poly's over replacement OEM ones?

Go for the tt ones mate, i have superpro rear bushes, and will be changing them to tt ones as im finding them to harsh. I also have fsd's, h&r springs and whiteline 22mm adjustable rarb, i think 22mm is plenty big enough plus you can adjust the settings to suit.

Thanks for the info guys.

Ken, found your reasoning behind strut braces very interesting. Quite intrigued that you take such a dim view when many on here seem to regard them as an almost obligatory mod.

Feeder, with regards to the RARB I've read a 28mm one is perhaps a bit too stiff with uprated suspension and more suited if you've gone the R32 FARB way, while a 25mm one complements the stiffer suspension and a standard FARB better?

So the TT bushes for the rear wishbone mounts and poly's for the rest? Any noticeable difference spending the extra cash on the poly's over replacement OEM ones?

I had the 28mm Neuspeed adjustable rear ARB on my old Mk1 Octy vRS with KW3 coilovers (See link below) with the standard OEM front ARB and the car held the road like $%£* to a blanket, no under or oversteer, dry or wet, just a perfectlly controllable four wheel slide when you passed the limit of adhesion.

Also had powerflex bushes on most places you could fit them, including wishbones and dog mounts etc and could not fault them.

Top and bottom strut braces tighten up the front end when entering and exiting corners.

will get the neuspeed one on order when i get back from holiday & tt bushes are in the bag thanks to ebay

thanks for all the help guys, much appreciated

bloody lovely car by the way method

IMHO a MK I octy won't ever get to the level of a nicely sorted 306.

It's a lot heavier and it's also not got the passive 4 wheel steering of the 306.

To improve things I'd suggest fitting Audi TT (MK 1) solid wishbone bushes to your wishbones which will help your steering turn in.

Never realised a 306 had passive 4 wheel steering!

IMO a strut brace should always be on the list if you want a tight chassis. Top and bottom are a must if you're pushing hard on track. The idea of a strut brace is to keep things stiff, whether the car is bent or not!

Unfortunately though, the skoda will never be as tight or nimble as a 306, (I've also come from French hot hatches), but any chassis can be improved by making all the components tight.

Also worth considering tyres as a major factor in how any car handles