Front anti roll bar - which should I go for?

Spacecowboy

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I need new front ARB. Should I go for standard (as is the car) or the R32? What difference does it make? Any otehrs I should consider and what are the benefits of each? Where to source them too please! Not much to ask ;-)
 
I just fitted eibach front and rear bars, and to say they make a difference is an understatement. The car is completely transformed.
 
whichever route you go down the big benifit is you loose the sleve that cracks on the std S3 ARB. some like the R32 some don`t each to their own.
 
Eibach don't list an anti roll bar for the S3
 
using R32 doesn`talter the balance of the car and stilll makes it understeer due to the front bar being 1 or 2 mmm too thick. The other bars alter the ratios between the two so bringing the rear into play more and eliminating understeer.

All depends how hard you drive her I like the R32 ones, when only the rear was fitted the car was more fun but less balanced imo.
 
Thanks for all your help.

I think I might go upgraded but as I am only changing the front at this time, is this wise?
 
Personally i think if your doing the front then you might as well get a matched one for the rear as well. It's a lot easier job to fit the rear one compared to the front which is also another bonus. Do front and rear together is my advise.
 
the rear is the easy one so if your doing the front , or having it done, then for the little extra do the rear yourself its a 30 min job.
 
Awesome guys cheers. Now all I need decide is which one! Apart from H&R, are there any other brands of quality worth considering? Are they straight swaps or do I need to get anything else? Does the rear come with everything I need, instructions, torque settings etc etc?
 
With the H&R ones you also get the front and rear bushes and instructions. Eibach are also an option to consider as said above. Give us a shout if you want any prices and we'll also give you some Audi-Sport discount! :icon_thumright:
 
Spacecowboy said:
Awesome guys cheers. Now all I need decide is which one! Apart from H&R, are there any other brands of quality worth considering? Are they straight swaps or do I need to get anything else? Does the rear come with everything I need, instructions, torque settings etc etc?

H&R as mentioned, also Nuespeed and Eibach. The thing to look for is a 21mm front and a 19mm rear for all round neutral balance.
 
More great advice - thanks. Are they all pretty much the same bascially? Is there a preference in terms of quality/fitment/durability?

If I get them to the 'mm' as mentioned by ChriS3, can I still lower my car with them at a later date if I choose to or will I have to get different ones?
 
Spacecowboy said:
More great advice - thanks. Are they all pretty much the same bascially? Is there a preference in terms of quality/fitment/durability?

Yes, essentially they're all of a similar build quality. Things to look out for are the thickness, and any adjustability. Neuspeed do a hhugely thick rear race bar, but it is adjustable to make it respond like a thinner bar.

If I get them to the 'mm' as mentioned by ChriS3, can I still lower my car with them at a later date if I choose to or will I have to get different ones?

There shouldn't be any issues with uprated bars and future lowering.

DPM said:
The H&R ARB's are 25/21 and they're fine with lowered cars. We have them on our S3 and it's lowered about -30mm.

25/21 would give a much stiffer chassis. The suitability of that will depend on your driving style, personally I prefer a little flex to help the outer tyres dig in a little more. Also, if you go too thick, you'll need to make sure the shocks can handle the unloading effect of a twisted bar.

mk1chopper said:
You can use TT Neuspeed ARB (thats what ESS 3 used)

Agreed, infact you can use any that are designed for the mk4 golf/tt/S3 AWD/haldex chassis.

There's a lot of mention about the R32 bars being an equally proportional increase. Both front and rears are increased by 4mm, but the R32 front bar would be a 22% increase over standard, and the R32 rear would be a 27% increase.
 
mk1chopper said:
19mm front, 15mm rear

So would it be possible to fit a larger rear with a standard front ARB to make the car more controller-able on the throttle when cornering hard?
 
I think the thinest aftermarket arb's 19mm though so would be a big change and would probaby make the car unstable ? (i.e. the S3 doesn't have perfect weight distribution so doesn't want equal suspension distribution)

I think... (I'm no expert)

Everyone I've heard says "change em both at the same time or keep them stock"
 
BTW.. what confuses me is everyone talking about the Neuspeed 21mm front ARB... I've only ever seen a 22mm one for sale (hence I opted for 22mm);

http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/media/neuspeedcat1.pdf
(look at the Quattro TT sway bars)


22mm front and 19mm rear is still something like 18% increase at the front and 27% at the back. So more moved to the back than the R32 ARBs and they look better too :) (What do you mean you don't spend your life looking at the underside of your car ?? :E )
 
Alot to think about here it would seem. I would like nothing too stick over OEM ride so with that criteria, what should i go for?
 
Spacecowboy said:
Alot to think about here it would seem. I would like nothing too stick over OEM ride so with that criteria, what should i go for?

Also if you are sticking with OEM Shocks & Springs. Should you get uprated ARBs?
 

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