Subaru rival (Haldex and general skoda modding advice)

[Ootohere]

There needs to be consideration to what the aim really is, is it sharper handling on road and not lowered, or that occasional off road / farm tracks and trailer towing where some extra articulation is advantageous. 

Stiffer might suit the road but not off the asphalt.   

[Reeky]

4 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

 

Depends on how extreme you want to go. For a little extra support, and all other suspension components being good, a rear bar from a golf r or an aftermarket option would be a good starting point. It's also a straightforward DIY job if you are confident taking a wheel off.

The front is a much larger job and something I wouldn't attempt myself. I have the skills and tools, but lack of experience would make it a weekend job. Too old and "responsible" for that 😉

 

If going for uprated shocks at the same time then definitely just a rear is enough. I have a white line adjustable bar. Has 2 stiffness settings. Soft is comparable to a golf r apparently and how I have it set now. Needs to be stiffer though so planning on changing it to the stuff setting as I prefer a sharper turn in.

Sound great, surely I want a MK5 golf R32 rear ARB, not a MK6 R? Thanks!

[Reeky]

4 hours ago, toot said:

There needs to be consideration to what the aim really is, is it sharper handling on road and not lowered, or that occasional off road / farm tracks and trailer towing where some extra articulation is advantageous. 

Stiffer might suit the road but not off the asphalt.   

Totally agree, but it's got traction control, and I'm yet to have wheels in the air etc etc. Also the rear ARB helps with towing on the road, surely.

[MarkyG82]

19 hours ago, Reeky said:

Sound great, surely I want a MK5 golf R32 rear ARB, not a MK6 R? Thanks!

 

Got my head in the mqb sand. Not sure exactly but yeah I suspect the r32 bar would be the one. Or call up one of the good suppliers of tuning parts and they should help.

[Reeky]

Thought I'd give a bit of an update.

Sold the Skoda and bought another Legacy spec.b, almost exactly the same as the last one, only slightly better condition (thankfully!)

For any keen drivers out there who are thinking of doing what I did - dont! Haldex is no match for Subarus permenant AWD system.

From personal experience, I actually found the Scout worse than a normal 2wd VAG (of which Ive driven a few). Basically, the system is too slow to respond, and it only works when youve got your foot on the accelerator. So, if you turn into a corner spiritedly, naturally it understeers, so naturally you lift off the accelerator, as you would in almost any other FWD car, but now the haldex never kicks in, and so theres no point having it. If you keep your foot down and wait for the system to kick in, it takes so long that you've already understeered off the road before any power goes to the back and the understeer is tamed. Honestly, in my opinion, its rubbish.

But what if you want it for a spot of offroading? Well obviously it hasnt got low range or locking diffs, but you know that already. What you might not know is that its got a torque limiter in 1st and reverse gear, so if you stop on say some soft sand or mud, youll sink and it wont get going again. And then youll have to ask someone with a land rover to come and pull you out. Ask me how I know.

Sure, if you just want it because you think you need it, go for it. If you actually needed it, you'd know better and you'd buy a proper 4x4. If you want it because youre worried about snow, then fair enough, but only if you fit winter tyres. If you want it for towing - then yes. It actually helps quite a bit when pulling out of steep, wet junctions, in 1st gear. But other than that, just get the normal, 2WD one, because its a bloody good car. Or the VRS if you fancy a bit more poke. As for me, Ill keep my subaru, and just pay the extra at the pumps.

[skomaz]

6 hours ago, Reeky said:

Thought I'd give a bit of an update.

Sold the Skoda and bought another Legacy spec.b, almost exactly the same as the last one, only slightly better condition (thankfully!)

For any keen drivers out there who are thinking of doing what I did - dont! Haldex is no match for Subarus permenant AWD system.

From personal experience, I actually found the Scout worse than a normal 2wd VAG (of which Ive driven a few). Basically, the system is too slow to respond, and it only works when youve got your foot on the accelerator. So, if you turn into a corner spiritedly, naturally it understeers, so naturally you lift off the accelerator, as you would in almost any other FWD car, but now the haldex never kicks in, and so theres no point having it. If you keep your foot down and wait for the system to kick in, it takes so long that you've already understeered off the road before any power goes to the back and the understeer is tamed. Honestly, in my opinion, its rubbish.

But what if you want it for a spot of offroading? Well obviously it hasnt got low range or locking diffs, but you know that already. What you might not know is that its got a torque limiter in 1st and reverse gear, so if you stop on say some soft sand or mud, youll sink and it wont get going again. And then youll have to ask someone with a land rover to come and pull you out. Ask me how I know.

Sure, if you just want it because you think you need it, go for it. If you actually needed it, you'd know better and you'd buy a proper 4x4. If you want it because youre worried about snow, then fair enough, but only if you fit winter tyres. If you want it for towing - then yes. It actually helps quite a bit when pulling out of steep, wet junctions, in 1st gear. But other than that, just get the normal, 2WD one, because its a bloody good car. Or the VRS if you fancy a bit more poke. As for me, Ill keep my subaru, and just pay the extra at the pumps.

 

Interesting...   Never had any of those issues in our 2007 4x4...

[Reeky]

12 minutes ago, skomaz said:

 

Interesting...   Never had any of those issues in our 2007 4x4...

Mine was a 58-plate, iirc, and its haldex had been serviced correctly.

I mean, possibly I was expecting a lot more from the car than I should have, but I was very disappointed with the way it drove when I put my foot down.

Also, it drank quite a lot of fuel. I completely accept that this is because of the way I drove it, but I averaged about 35mpg. If I drove my subaru at a similar pace, Id get 26mpg or so, and given the price difference in the fuel, I decided Id rather have the subaru. When I drove the Octavia carefully, I could get mid-high 50s, I almost managed 60mpg once, but that was a very slow journey...

[skomaz]

Had the haldex been properly serviced and the filter replaced? 

[Reeky]

5 hours ago, skomaz said:

Had the haldex been properly serviced and the filter replaced? 

Yes, more than once I think.