Hi everyone,

 

Am I right in thinking that these are aluminium and a good upgrade to the standard ones fitted to the mk2 Octavia VRS?

 

Is there anything else required to fit them? Also, does anyone know where I can buy them from? Quick Google search came up with nothing. :s

 

Thanks for any help!

 

Stu.

I am thinking of moving to TT control arms e.g., http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/audi-tt-wishbone which similarly to the ones you are asking about are aluminium alloy but have more adjustment. When my bushes need replacing I will probably swap them out.

Although 'wishbone' is commonly understood I think thay are actually called 'control arms' on these cars.

Edited 20 December, 201312 yr by TsvRS

yep, both good upgrades.

OEM skoda wishbone/control arm is pressed steel where the S3 and TT arms are alloy. Any weight saving to be had is going to be a good thing.

S3 arms are the same as those fitted to the cupra and are geometrically identical to the vRS items, so you just get the benefit of the weight reduction. I fitted mine in conjunction with adjustable ball joints so you can run some negative camber on the front which helps the car turn-in better. If you fit them with your std ball joints the only benefit you get is weight saving. If you fit these with the S3/Cupra console bushes (solid bush vs. voided on the vrs) this gives you a little more precision in the steering without any noticable loss in comfort.

TT arms are also alloy but slightly different geometry so on a vRS they'll give you a change in caster (wheel further forward in the arch) which is great for handling but can cause you a problem if you run wider rims or non-oe offset - you may get very close to the arch or rub - that's the reason i took mine off. To fit the TT arms you need the TT ball joints which are adjustable. Even at their min setting these give you around -2degrees negative camber at the front. Handles great with this but it's a bit extreme for a road car. If you do a high mileage with that much camber you'll be replacing front tyres earlier than you'd like as they'll wear their inner edges.

I had the TT arms but with my wider rims/lower offset i was very close to rubbing on lock/over bumps and the camber was a bit too extreme for me. I swapped for the S3 arms with adjustable ball joints which works better for me.

If you don't do a high mileage and you really want the ultimate handling, go for the TT arms provided you're stock or near stock dimensions for your wheels.

If you're not wanting to go that extreme, go for the S3/cupra arms.

OEM control arms:

stock pressed steel wishbones by lotus-gt, on Flickr

TT alloy wishbones:

TT alloy wishbones by lotus-gt, on Flickr

TT ball joints (longer holes give you the camber adjustability).

ball joints, vRS on the left, new TT type on the right (elongated holes) by lotus-gt, on Flickr

S3/cupra arm:

S3 (cupra) arms and consoles, superpro ball joints by lotus-gt, on Flickr

BTW - i think that the passat also has alloy arms (same as s3/cupra).

My TT arms were from a breaker, cost me £100. When i took them off i sold them for more than that. There are often ads for these on the mk5gti forum.

The S3 arms i got through AKS although they just got them direct from their local parts supplier (tps?) cost IIRC about 110 per side and they came with new consoles and bushes already fitted - ie just add your ball joints and you can bolt them straight on.

Stu - i'm in oxford too so if you want to take a look at mine or have a ride in the car no worries.

Edited 20 December, 201312 yr by rob_e