Sorry for my ingorance but I see a lot of threads about rarb upgrades for the RS but being a noob to this car does it all ready have one that is just not up to the job or does it not have one as standard and therfore it helps a lot once one is fitted? Also if it doesn't have one fitted as standard are there all ready fitting points for it on the car or do certain parts of the suspension have to be modified to fit one?

Again I'm sorry if this is the most stupid post on here but i'm a little confused?

Thanks

H

Well, what most people here call a rear arb isn't actually an anti-roll bar at all. It's an anti-sway bar, that stops the wheels from flexing in towards each other. The beam axle does actually have an anti-roll bar built in, but would probably benefit from an anti-sway bar fitted, since it does seem to have an awful lot of wobble on the rear end.

I say probably, because I refuse to fit the Whiteline 24mm adjustable that I bought, because IMO the whole mounting of these bars is a bit of a bodge (U-clamps around flat parts of the beam - which could so easily bend the beam not just in fitment, but in use). And a potentially dangerous one at that.

But despite that, most people will tell you that they are an essential accessory/mod. And they probably are, but I prefer to choose to drive mine as a pondering estate car lugabout workhorse most of the time, despite the power on tap.

Thanks for the reply mate. TBH my Octi has covered 110k Now and is overdue a full suspension upgrade some time soon so just getting as much info as I can before I start spending money on stuff that is not needed. I am never going to drive my car on a track and only really ever drive fast on reasonably straight roads so don't need it to handle like its on rails etc but after a couple of overtakes recently the rear end has seemed a little too twitchy for my liking and just wondered what the crack was - so to speak.

The vrs's are very twitchy on rear end or at least mine is, both standard and with coilovers

I've got a set of s3 front lower arms to go on so am looking into changing roll bars aswell. I fitted a larger one to my previous volvo and it tighten rear end up no end altho it wasn't quiet as twitchy as vrs as it has independant rear suspension at back

Most people find the reverse - with the standard setup (small ARB built into the rear beam) the back end isn't twitchy enough! There is a 19mm bar on the front and that combined with it being FWD it has a serious bias towards understeer rather than oversteer. Stiffening up the rear balances this out.

Admittedly the Whiteline ARB is not the best fitting item but IIRC Neuspeed or Eibach make one that is more sculpted to the rear beam and doesn't just connect to it by two dirty great U clamps.

Agree with Chicken_eyebrow

These cars if you drive them spiritedly then the rear end is not very good at all, and does not give the driver feedback on what it is up to. Try this out on a bend or roundabout and you will know what I mean. The stiffening of the rear end allows the user to feel what the car is doing. It is the best handling mod on the car by none. Better than a suspension change. I can actually get mine to drift....

The Whiteline is one of the cheapest RARB's but still does a good job.

Here was my whiteline fitted with the U clamps mentioned

You can also see how it hooks up to the rear shock mount.

pic of it fitted (after I painted it)

As I changed the FARB to a R32 Golf one (23mm) as apposed to the 19mm std, I then upgraded the whiteline to a 28mm Neuspeed RARB as that does hook up slightly different and IMO much better and cleaner. But you pay twice as much for it.

Bowders your a legend as usual. Just a quick question - do you get thet little drop links with the rarb or are they standard?

Bowders your a legend as usual. Just a quick question - do you get thet little drop links with the rarb or are they standard?

Cheers buddy. Yep you do get the drop links and all parts to fit in the kit. It is a 40 min job. Well takes me longer coz i clean everything around where I work

I've seen pics of your car underneath and I can safely say you have an OCD lol. Plus it only takes you 40 mins as you've stripped yours so many times. Would take a novice like me a lot longer.

I've seen pics of your car underneath and I can safely say you have an OCD lol. Plus it only takes you 40 mins as you've stripped yours so many times. Would take a novice like me a lot longer.

lol I know...

You can see those yellow rear springs on my car. When I bought the KW's second hand from OET I had them striped , sandblasted and re powder coated and all new bump stops, rear colly pearches and adjusters. I need help....

I fitted a rear strut brace to mine above the standards and this has stiffened it up nicely I now get good feedback from the rear and it will also step the rear out on command now!!!

Hi Howard R32 front ARB and Neuspeed 28 mm RARB are the way to go buddy. Give me a shout if you want to have a go in mine. I'm about all weekend cheers.

These cars if you drive them spiritedly then the rear end is not very good at all, and does not give the driver feedback on what it is up to.

I sort of almost disagree with this a little.

The rear end is definitely NOT good at all, but I do get a good feel of what mine is doing. Unfortunately what it IS doing, is gripping a lot, flexing the rear axle and causing an awful lot of roll due to things moving about much more than they ought to. For the power of the engine, it feels dangerous. The rear sway bars stiffen the axle stopping the wheels from trying to 'meet each other in the middle' so to speak, and cause a little less grip at the rear when wrenched around hard, due to the weight of the car, and the wheels being kept more in line with each other, rather than allowed to flex about.

I should add that mine is an estate, and probably feels radically different to everybody's hatches.

Almost tempted to take a look at other RARB's, but I'd want to see clear shots of the mounting brackets against the top and the bottom of the beam before I'd be tempted to part with any more money.

i have the eibach one and it doesnt actually use drop link but abit more expensive

unless you get a nye on new bargin from steve ( cheers bud lol - if your reading )

I think the eibach one is the one that follows the shape of the rear beam properly and has better brackets... but you used to only be able to get them in a set with a small and useless front bar and the set was almost £300

In that case double cheers to steve he even got new brackets and bolts somehow for me

Dpm list it now tho dont they? Around £230 or something

That said i did notice a difference when i had my whiteline one and they are a bargin

I sort of almost disagree with this a little.

The rear end is definitely NOT good at all, but I do get a good feel of what mine is doing. Unfortunately what it IS doing, is gripping a lot, flexing the rear axle and causing an awful lot of roll due to things moving about much more than they ought to. For the power of the engine, it feels dangerous. The rear sway bars stiffen the axle stopping the wheels from trying to 'meet each other in the middle' so to speak, and cause a little less grip at the rear when wrenched around hard, due to the weight of the car, and the wheels being kept more in line with each other, rather than allowed to flex about.

I should add that mine is an estate, and probably feels radically different to everybody's hatches.

Almost tempted to take a look at other RARB's, but I'd want to see clear shots of the mounting brackets against the top and the bottom of the beam before I'd be tempted to part with any more money.

You can see the difference between the whiteline and Neuspeed RARB's. The whiteline uses box brackets to the lower shock mounts and U clamps. Whereas the Neuspeed hooks up the rear shocks better and does not use U clamps to Beam but actually clamps around the Beam edges so does not distort Beam if that is what you refer to.

Nice. That looks miles better. That's more money to spend that I haven't got then! :no:

Anybody want to buy an unfitted, still as new 24mm adjustable whiteline...