Drive Shaft and Anti Roll Bar Rubbing :(

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Hi,

I need some advice as I am really stuck :(

I have a X reg Audi A3 1.8T Sport. The car is lowered with coilovers. The anti roll bar rubs on the driver side drive shaft when I turn right. So I installed adjustable drop links to help counteract the rubbing. I have tried adjusting the drop links so the anti roll bar doesn't rub against the drive shaft but it still makes a noise when i turn right. The noise is quite loud and doesn't sound healthy at all!

I have read on here that you can buy anti roll bars that fit under the driveshaft so no rubbing can occur. But I am low on cash and wondering if there is anything cheaper that can be done to solve the problem.

I rang Northampton Motorsport but he said it could be anything as the weight distribution on the suspension may not be equal which may be the reason. I am new to this site and modifying cars so don't know much.

Has this happened to anyone? Or does anyone know how this can be solved?

Thanks in advance :)
 
Lowering an A3 a lot on a stock ARB will always result in rubbing. THe only options are to either raise your car and save some pennies for a new front ARB or put up with the shaft humping your stock ARB :)
 
thanks lol

I'll probably have to save some pennies for the new ARB! I've raised the car before but the shaft still 'humps' the stock ARB.

Have you had adjustable drop links and a new front ARB?
Did you fit it yourself or by a mechanic?
How much did it set you back if you don't mind me asking?
 
I decided to get it all done at once so had a new KW front antiroll bar and also got a KW one stuck on the rear (didnt have one as standard) when I had the new springs and shocks fitted. Had the cambelt changed at the same too...phew..that was an expensive day! :)
 
Random Q.

Would I have to change the wheel camber if i fitted a new anti roll bar?
 
no, camber isn't adjustable on the front of the 8L. there's a degree of negative camber designed into the chassis though, which should be even either side. you can even it up by moving the subframe on it's mounts until you've got the same camber each side.

You should have around 0.7 degrees negative camber on each side at the front.

How low have you gone before you got rubbing? I'm fitting some coilies to a mates a3 in a few weeks with just adj drop links and std ARB. Hoping to get it down at least 50mm with the droplinks right out.
 
When I had a standard front ARB fitted I found my aftermarket droplinks rotated the ARB too much. The result was the ARB would still rub. I ended up cutting the droplinks to make them shorter than their minimum length.

With the car on the floor, turn the wheels on full lock and you might find yours is the same.
 
Im not sure how low the car has been lowered I'm guessing between 50-60mm but at the moment on 19 inch wheels the back arch is resting 10mm above the tyre and the front arch is roughly 15-20mm above the tyre. I raised the coilovers as high as they would go and to see if it made a difference but the ARB was still rubbing on the drive shaft. The ARB only rubs on the drive shaft only when I turn right or do a full lock right. When the steering is straight or left or full lock left then there is a clearance of about 3-5mm.

I'll add pictures to show you lol.

I don't even know what a camber looks like would you be able to post pictures if you can find any?

Is it safe to cut the drop link bars? What length did you cut the drop links to?
 
you're IMG tags are correct mate, but you can't link directly to your hard drive, you need to upload the pics first.

go to imageshack.com and upload them there, then put the JPG link into MIG tags
 
is there a chance that worn ARB bushes could be the result of this? as i have heard worn bushes can cause the ARB to wobble slightly???
 
No mate, it's simple science with these cars.

Lowering them = ARB will rub the O/S Drive shaft. The reason being that the O/S shaft is thicker than the N/S due to length. Unavoidable, althouh some are worse than others I believe.

I had this exact problem and did the same as you. New drop links were a waste of time and I bought a Whiteline ARB from DPM (with forum discount :)), I did lok on the site but couldn't find if they still stock them. Phone them on 01207 561606 and ask for Damian.
 
audi upgrades
thanks alot mate...i'll give him a ring!

the annoying thing is that the car was running absolutely fine for 5-6 months with no scraping noise then out of nowhere it just started happening!
 
Worth spending the money and getting it sorted once and for all.... Plus they're brilliant and come with Poly bushes for the ARB.
 
are the shafts solid or hollow? I'm sure over on ed38 (where knocks and rubs don't seem to matter so long as it's LOW) I've heard of someone actually rubbing on a shaft so much it eventually snapped.

You've got a nice little groove on the go there, I'd get that sorted asap.
 
ye its garaged at the moment until i get hold of an anti roll bar!

btw the whiteline ARB is out of stock until feb with dpm but does anybody know if there are any other decent ARB that preferably go under the drive shaft... reasonable price too..

post some links please

thanx :)
 
i had the excate same problem. i fitted a whitline ARB and the problem has now gone :)
 
Just thought i'd say I managed to get rid of the rubbing without buying a new arb. I brought some jamex adjustable links, removed the nut and put them down to the lowest setting and it stopped the rubbing woop!!!
 
if u look at the jamex and the standard links tho bud you would have seen standard are actually shorter than the jamex. so u removing the nut would have just took them back to standard size,which would have saved u 40+ on the jamex links. i have got mine to stop rubbing but only by making the coil overs higher
 
Coilovers cant go higher... ONLY LOWER...LOWER is the way, as in DOWN.....down is better....lower, nicer...... new ARB is the way... do it properly!
 
JDover said:
Coilovers cant go higher... ONLY LOWER...LOWER is the way, as in DOWN.....down is better....lower, nicer...... new ARB is the way... do it properly!
Click to expand...

lets say 30-70mm option and u have it on 50... wind up so it sits at 35-40 then yer coilovers can go higher- lower than standard yer but 30-35 maybe even 40 for me and have no driveshaft rub so
 
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