Rear anti roll bar - worthwhile?

[bmbmdmb]

Is a white line RARB worth fitting to counter body roll at standard driving speeds (not track), daily commute etc.

 

Background. Stock suspension all replaced with cupra bushes (too harsh, but won't fail) and rest of suspension poly bushed all round front. Rear axle bush is OEM rubber, replaced. The front is stiff/ heavy and the rear rolls, but not excessively. Would a RARB help? 

 

Although I'm comparing oranges and lemons, a full replacement of the suspension on an Astra petrol with polybush, new shocks, springs  resulted in very little body roll.

 

Interested in hearing about people who have fitted to their car (reliability of product, noise, handling, etc).

Not tracking car. 

 

Is ground clearance due to drop links , bar an issue? Kerbs, potholes, speed bumps?

 

Thanks

[hackingjam]

I have a whiteline rarb on mine and I'd say theres definitely a noticable difference on corners in country roads and pushing it around roundabouts. I too was concerned about ground clearance but haven't had any issues yet (on stock suspension at least) but I'd be wary of doing any quick-2-wheels-on-the-pavement parking jobs

[sepulchrave]

It's one of the best and easiest handling mods you can do. No effect on ride quality or ground clearance, just a noticeable reduction in roll at the back, the handling is unbalanced without one frankly because the front doesn't roll but the back does horribly making the car feel like it's twisting in the middle.

[bmbmdmb]

Thanks. What setting do you have it on, low middle or stiff?

 

Parking - I guess issues might occur when the inside of wheels are near curb with other 2 wheels on pavement?

[sepulchrave]

I have mine in the middle and even though my car is lowered I've never grounded the RARB.

[bmbmdmb]

Hmmm I'm tempted. There is 15% off also.

The Jabba is now group buy of 6 or more only. It lacks the drop links so I think the bar has slightly more clearance, but has no adjustments, and is pricey, particularly now if you have to buy 6!

[bmbmdmb]

3 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

I have mine in the middle and even though my car is lowered I've never grounded the RARB.

Looks like credit card coming out!

Thanks. 

[duck]

One of the best modifications you can do to the Fabia VRS, I've had a whiteline RARB on mine for 11 years and its never ground out.

 

I've tried soft/medium/hard settings and think the hardest setting is the best.

 

Your specific questions:

 

Reliability of product - 100% over 11 years pf road use.

Noise - no different in noise levels.

Handling - reduces body roll, reduces understeer, the reduction in understeer is the biggest plus point in my opinion of the RARB.  

Is ground clearance due to drop links , bar an issue? Kerbs, potholes, speed bumps? - No.

[Damian@DPM]

Massively worth it in my opinion.

 

Damian  @ DPM Performance 

[VanhireBoys]

I fitted one to mine and it is like somebody gave me a different car .. I just cant rate this high enough ... Mine is set in the middle !

 

Its nearly mandatory to fit one  

 

[DieselMonte]

I've one on my mk2 and its a massive gain, I had it on the middle setting for a while and it felt like the car should have come this way as stock. I put it on the hardest setting there and its further improved the handling. My back tyres are cheapy toledo tyres and it still grips and grips. Much much more controlled and much smoother through corners even at a much higher speed.

[Gt4thomas]

Greatly improves the turn in and reduces understeer on the car. I have a white line one on my vrs (on the hard setting). You can actually enjoy a roundabout.

 

Although the powder coat has come off after 2 years.

 

 

[vindaloo]

Definitely worth it. Though be careful with tyre choices on the back vs front. You don't want Rainsports on the front with eco-sliders on the back unless you're drifting.

 

Won't help if you get front/back rocking on power on/off and braking. Mine got Eibach springs and shocks to fix that. Now it just kinda squats on braking rather than making me feel like a down-hill skier.

[Clarke2744]

Another 👍🏻👍🏻 For the Whiteline RARB, I’ve had it on mine for the last 5years.   The powder coat finish works well with no rust etc.   Transformed the turn in, the positive feel of the front end and the way the car handles.   Just much better balanced and you can finally really drive it through corners without the understeer of before.    I’ve also got the Cupra front bushes combined with poly bushes elsewhere and it handles on rails in comparison to before the ‘mods’ - one of those ‘how it should have left the factory’ cases.    The only minor negative is you’ll notice is if you take a speed bump at an angle - the rear is mighty stiff now!    Oh, and as Vindaloo suggests above, watch out for the inherent lift off oversteer!!
Enjoy!

Edited 25 March, 2021 by Clarke2744

[sepulchrave]

Avoid lift-off oversteer by NOT lifting off, get braking done, turn in once settled, corner on a neutral throttle, nail it as you exit.

 

Just because driving is easy there's no need to take it easy!

[DieselMonte]

I havent gotten any oversteer with the whiteline on my mk2. It just now handles better, very predictable and stable even at high speeds. Knowing now the difference in having one I can't help but ask why I didnt get one sooner, they are just that good of an upgrade.

[delroy]

Had mine over 12 years on the stiffest setting. It was on stiffer springs shortly before that. RARB made the biggest difference & does improve the handling. Even when trying to provoke it with a scandi-flick into a wet roundabout you'd have to have fists of ham to not be able to catch or drive out of any oversteer it might produce.

 

Based in this I beefed up the RARB on my RS4. That improved that too but good tyres really matter on that.

 

I've been reading on TT forums that a popular mod on them for track use is to bin the front anti-roll bar.

 

Quote from a Track Focused MK1 TT owner (not me I hasten to add):

 

"Anti roll bars: The TT out of the box wants to understeer – so to help this, you need to increase front grip relative to rear. The way to do this? Upgrade the rear ARB (to one off a Golf R32) – and the front – well, put it in the bin! Yes that’s right – I didn’t quite know wheter to believe the advise form the TT track gurus on the TT track groups online – so I ran one trackday with the front ARB disconnected to see if it was OK – before then having the ARB chopped and binned entirely! The logic is that without a front arb, as you go round a corner, the inside wheel is free to move independently to the outside wheel, and so actually generates more grip. The payoff is a bit more roll – which you would definitely feel on a stock car – but lowered on sufficiently stiff suspension – I couldn’t tell any more roll."

 

Wondered if anyone had tried this on a 'Furby'?  

 

[Gt4thomas]

The lift off oversteer is pretty fun at low speed, if you bring it on yourself.

[Clarke2744]

It certainly is quite entertaining, it’s also quite satisfying now having the feedback to perfectly balance the car to be just on the edge of it.   As many have mentioned, good rear tyres when it’s wet are a must! 

[sepulchrave]

You're all a bunch of hysterical gurls, you don't know what true lift-off oversteer is until you've driven a 205 GTI in anger and experienced the trouser-filling terror that comes from trying to get it back in line while watching the scenery coming toward you through the side window!

 

Yes I broadsided a 205 and got it back pointing the right way.

[DieselMonte]

4 hours ago, sepulchrave said:

You're all a bunch of hysterical gurls, you don't know what true lift-off oversteer is until you've driven a 205 GTI in anger and experienced the trouser-filling terror that comes from trying to get it back in line while watching the scenery coming toward you through the side window!

 

Yes I broadsided a 205 and got it back pointing the right way.

All I did in my mk1 was practice oversteering through a corner. It didnt take much to get sideways on dirt and if I timed it right I could use nearly 0 countersteer and just straighten the car with the throttle. My first few times in the wet were just a blur of violent spin outs at 40-50 mph. Of course doing sort of stuff is what caused me to wreck it but still. It didnt even have a whiteline, and the front arb  was useless as the bushes just let it flop side to side on a transition.

[Clarke2744]

14 hours ago, sepulchrave said:

You're all a bunch of hysterical gurls, you don't know what true lift-off oversteer is until you've driven a 205 GTI in anger and experienced the trouser-filling terror that comes from trying to get it back in line while watching the scenery coming toward you through the side window!

 

Yes I broadsided a 205 and got it back pointing the right way.

That was careless. 

[sepulchrave]

1 hour ago, Clarke2744 said:

That was careless. 

 

I was young, it was the 80's, a very careless decade indeed.

[Stewartasb]

Is there a detailed guide to fitting one of these please ???

[hackingjam]

48 minutes ago, Stewartasb said:

Is there a detailed guide to fitting one of these please ???

I used this to fit mine: 

The bushings don't need to be greased anymore either.

If memory serves the diagram of the order of bolts/nuts/washers was slightly wrong on the provided instructions?