how much will a front strut brace compliment a rear ARB on standard shocks and springs

In my opionion they are one of the best "bang for buck" handling mods..

Cheep and cheerful - They even look good

I have exactly that set up. The Seat Front strut is quite cheap actually compared to other suspension mods. How much improvement it adds on top of the ARB is difficult to say without a randomised comtrolled trial. Anecdotally it makes the front go where you point it. However if you drive like a granny you wont notice the difference. Personally I am quite happy with my setup - it handles better than the vast majority of cars on the road mainly by getting rid of the tremendous understeer most front wheel drive cars have these days and unlike the hire car Vectra I had sometime last year , my car is actually fun to drive.

Jules

In my opionion they are one of the best "bang for buck" handling mods..

IMHO, they're 90% cosmetic and you'd be hard pushed to notice if it was fitted or not The rear ARB is probably the best "bang for buck" handling mod

Chris

IMHO' date=' they're 90% cosmetic and you'd be hard pushed to notice if it was fitted or not The rear ARB is probably the best "bang for buck" handling mod

Chris[/quote']

I'd agree with this. The rear ARB made a huge difference, where the strut brace really could either be there or not. If you're really pushing it (and I mean in a way that you probaly shouldn't be doing on public roads) you can feel a little effect, perhaps a little less soggyness in turn-in.

If I had the cash again I'd probably keep the strut brace money and put it in with the 'money for eibach's and Koni FSD's' pot. I'm sure it's helpful and worthwhile, but there's better things to spend it on first, if you don't already have them.

The rear ARB is probably the best "bang for buck" handling mod

Chris

I dunno about strut braces... I s'pose if you're on sticky tyres with udders or solid suspension and steering rack bushes, then it'll make a noticeable difference. With the standard front suspension bushes how can you feel anything, it's too mushy.

There are better places to start modding the handling...

It does cure the fidget at motorway speed that most smaller VAG cars suffer from. That's the main benefit IMHO.

Save the money you would spend on the strut brace and put it towards better tyres when you next change them. Plus you save the putting your insurance up and you are still able to replace your air filter.