R32 ARB's. Anyone had any issues?

20valver

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As above really. Anyone who's fitted R32 ARB's to their S3 / A3q had any inssues with them?

Impressed with them?

I'm Tempted by the price, but as my S3 ones were shot after 50k wondered how they's hold up.

Any opinions welcome...
 
20valver said:
As above really. Anyone who's fitted R32 ARB's to their S3 / A3q had any inssues with them?

Impressed with them?

I'm Tempted by the price, but as my S3 ones were shot after 50k wondered how they's hold up.

Any opinions welcome...

How much are they? H&R's are £259 from DPM on here and much better. If the H&R's cost £100 more there worth it.
 
You can get the R32's for £159 delivered.

I wasn't to sure on the H&R's due to the thickness of them.

The R32's are 23/19 and am I right in thinking the H&R's are 25/21 ?

I understand they'll be better made, but I think there a bit too stiff and might make the car to unpredictable in the wet.

The other option I was thinking was an R32 rear and a neuspeed 22mmm on the front.
 
20valver said:
You can get the R32's for £159 delivered.

I wasn't to sure on the H&R's due to the thickness of them.

The R32's are 23/19 and am I right in thinking the H&R's are 25/21 ?

I understand they'll be better made, but I think there a bit too stiff and might make the car to unpredictable in the wet.

The other option I was thinking was an R32 rear and a neuspeed 22mmm on the front.

I've had them on my car for 4 months and there amazing, never had a moment in the wet. The H&R bars are also a direct replacement for the R32. So obviously there better.

Pm Millsyd on here. He fitted them too. You'll only get more rave reviews!!

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/member.php?u=12117
 
Are they 25/21mm then?

Any change to the ride?

And what's the science behind thinker ARB's making it riskier in the wet?

It is a case of the chassis no flexing as much and preventing the tyres digging an edge in?

Would the quattro help at all?
 
That's correct on the size. As for the ride, it just stiffens and tightens the whole chasis without creating a bumpy ride! The H&R ARB's also have 3 different setting so you can adjust it to how you want.
 
How do the setting work then?

Surely it's the thinkness of the bar that dictates the roll?
 
Might be temped to give these a go then.

A bit off topic, but I've been offered a set of H&R springs that are 2 years old for peanuts.

Can you see any disadvantages for going for these over a set of new ones? I'm sure I read somewhere springs were good for 200,000m plus...
 
I've got the R32 ARBs. I think I got them for ~£100 including bushes.
I was just looking through a certain parts catalogue one day and noticed the R32 items were the thickest, so I thought I give them a try.

The rear one was very easy to fit, just unbolt and slide forward over the exhaust heat-shield, then to one side and out.
The front one wasn't so easy. The subframe has to be dropped to get the old ARB out and the new one in.
The hardest parts I found were undoing the lower ball joints, due to corrosion on the ends of the bolts. Also getting the bolts that hold the ARB bush clamp to the subframe back on. You need to hold the clamp in place with a pipe wrench or something, close enough so the short bolts reach the subframe.

The old ARBs have a sleave where the bush sits whereas, as far as I can tell, the R32 has not. After >100k miles this sleave had come loose from the original ARB. I guess if the R32 bars shouldn't have this problem.

As for results. There is much less body roll as you would expect. You can corner much harder. Although when pushed to the limit it will understeer.
To combat this I am going to try to drill extra holes on the bar ends, to move the drop link further inward on the bar. There's not much room but I'll give it a go. That should effectively stiffen the rear more, so should dial out some of the understeer.

HTH
 
That's good to know about the sleaves. It is these that have come loose from the bar on mine.

I am tempted by the H&R though now. As they have the advantage of being adjustable, and therefore could set the front up a notch softer than the rear and therefore have a front bar that is proportionally smaller than the rear compared to the std set up.

Are the bars adjustable front and rear?
 
20valver said:
That's good to know about the sleaves. It is these that have come loose from the bar on mine.

I am tempted by the H&R though now. As they have the advantage of being adjustable, and therefore could set the front up a notch softer than the rear and therefore have a front bar that is proportionally smaller than the rear compared to the std set up.

Are the bars adjustable front and rear?

yes they are.
 
I think I may try the H&R ARBs sometime. But the R32 items are pretty cheap, so they are worth considering.
The H&R bars are 25/22mm so of course they should produce even less body roll. They should also have less understeer characteristics of the R32 bars, although not as much as the Neuspeed bars at 22/19mm, but if they are adjustable then that shouldn't be a problem to sort out.
 
20valver said:
Might be temped to give these a go then.

A bit off topic, but I've been offered a set of H&R springs that are 2 years old for peanuts.

Can you see any disadvantages for going for these over a set of new ones? I'm sure I read somewhere springs were good for 200,000m plus...

All depends how many miles they've done and what condition they're in. Personally i'd always go for new as the new ones aren't really that expensive to start with.
 

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