snap! crack! bye bye driveshaft! new arb? what? help?

[j4g3d]

Right im guessing you guys dont lower your car very low as ive searched and found diddly.

I lowered my car on coilovers (not all the way down) and what i thought was my tyre just brushing gently on the plastic arch. it was actually the anti roll bar GRINDING against my O/S driveshaft so eventually it snapped. Ive replaced it and highered the car only to find it grinds on the driveshaft when i hit bumps on motorways.

So basically what are my options???

uprated anti roll bar?
r32 anti roll bar?
or other golf arb??

i need cheapest possible alternative to solve this problem as im getting thw dreaded groove on my driveshaft again and as there not solid it will snap again and i cant keep going thro driveshafts. dont wana spend hundreds on a new arb kit... what do you recommend?

Thanks

 

[S3IZZO]

Right im guessing you guys dont lower your car very low as ive searched and found diddly.

I lowered my car on coilovers (not all the way down) and what i thought was my tyre just brushing gently on the plastic arch. it was actually the anti roll bar GRINDING against my O/S driveshaft so eventually it snapped. Ive replaced it and highered the car only to find it grinds on the driveshaft when i hit bumps on motorways.

So basically what are my options???

uprated anti roll bar?
r32 anti roll bar?
or other golf arb??

i need cheapest possible alternative to solve this problem as im getting thw dreaded groove on my driveshaft again and as there not solid it will snap again and i cant keep going thro driveshafts. dont wana spend hundreds on a new arb kit... what do you recommend?

Thanks

You HAVE to get uprated ARB's when you lower the car past a certain point....this should have been explained to you when you bought the coilovers?

If you don't want to keep going through driveshafts and want the car low I can't see what else you can do....not sure about R32 ARB's, perhaps someone else will :icon_thumright:

 

[Tallpaul]

you need a modified arb which has a bigger bend in it give more clearence for the driveshaft.

Most uprated arb's are also modified to give this additional clearence. Have a look at FK, Eibach etc and confirm with them the arb you need to give the clearence you require.

It's a common problem and affects any Golf4 based car lowered more than -40mm. Also, most people investigate the noise before the driveshaft snaps

 

[j4g3d]

Firstly i investigated the noise hence why i thought it was the arch liner as it was worn a tad. HAD NO IDEA WHAT SO EVER it could be the driveshaft and wasnt told about that issue when i bought the coilovers.

Without shedding £260+ for uprated arbs what are my other options? can i get my existing arb modded then?

 

[Tallpaul]

Without shedding £260+ for uprated arbs what are my other options? can i get my existing arb modded then?

Without an uprated ARB, your only option is to raise the ride height until the driveshaft doesn't rub.

 

[j4g3d]

ive raised it really high but it rubs when i hit a bump in the road! like today doin 80 on motorway you sometimes come across dips in road.

 

[Tallpaul]

ive raised it really high but it rubs when i hit a bump in the road! like today doin 80 on motorway you sometimes come across dips in road.

S3 or A3 1.8T?

What coilovers are you on?

Typically you can lower -35mm with no problems at all. Do you have the correct coilovers for your axle weight?

 

[j4g3d]

1.9tdi

i bought the right ones according to the guy who sold me them

 

[Tallpaul]

1.9tdi

i bought the right ones according to the guy who sold me them

i knew you were gonna say derv.

your engine block is big heavy thing....

what coilovers have you got? Bilstein etc?

 

[j4g3d]

forgot the make there £350 ones budget brand not top end. i would say its about 40mm down right now maybe 45mm with the odd scrape on the shaft when i hit big dip or bump.

 

[Tallpaul]

forgot the make there £350 ones budget brand not top end. i would say its about 40mm down right now maybe 45mm with the odd scrape on the shaft when i hit big dip or bump.

Right then...

If you're -45mm, raise it 10mm and you should have no problems.

-40mm is a guidline for 1.8T/S3's. The 1.9 dervs have a higher front axle weight so unless they have much stiffer springs the weight of the engine is gonna make it more likely to rub.

 

[j4g3d]

ok i will higher it 10mm more...

but whole point of coilovers is to drop it more then 30mm lol. i dont want to go full 80mm or 120mm whatever it goes down to just want to goto 60mm.

i saw r32 arb go for £40 on ebay if that will do the job i could get 1 of them if anyone can confirm it will be ok for 60/70 drop? otherwise really dont wana shed almost 300 on another branded uprated arb.

 

[HTC]

r32 arb mounts differently. Won't fit your car.

FK arb is £100

http://www.venommotorsport.com/shop/Suspension/RollBarKits/FK/index.html

 

[j4g3d]

seems reasonable price thanks

 

[Dave_Bayern]

Forge also do tie bar (ARB) droplinks don't they?

This will raise the ARB (even a standard one) so it doesnt rub against the driveshaft when the car is lowered, but if I recall correctly they are around £100 so its worth just getting an uprated ARB.

 

[HmanS3]

also investigate some higher poundage springs as they sound a little soft

 

[Tallpaul]

also investigate some higher poundage springs as they sound a little soft

Springs are integral to the coilovers though, sort of.

Would be more economical to fit an uprated ARB than strip off shocks, fit new springs (if it can even be done?), re-fit shocks and get alignment checked again...

 

[A3_Turbo]

I have had the exact same problem as you.

Your options are as follows, for a cheap fix you can buy the droplinks you then have no problems what-so-ever.

I have the H&R Kit on mine im at 55mm on the front i have left it like this for a while now and when you say your driveshaft snapped im getting pretty worried.

I want the H&R Arb's at £400 fitted, because my A3's handling is crap! Im told the ARB'S should cure understeer.

Im getting worried now though should i go down to APS and get Some Uprated ARB'S fitted asap then??

Cheers

 

[Tallpaul]

Im getting worried now though should i go down to APS and get Some Uprated ARB'S fitted asap then??

Well snapping the driveshaft is the worst that can happen. I'd be suprised if signs of the ARB hitting the shaft wasn't an MOT fail too...

All in it's not a good situation to be in. I assume you've got springs/dampers so your ride height is fixed?

I think you know the answer to your question...

 

[j4g3d]

some people have bought R32 standard arbs for there s3. surely this will fit mine too?

if its just a case of changing drop links then i would be tempted to just do that.

 

[Tallpaul]

some people have bought R32 standard arbs for there s3. surely this will fit mine too?

if its just a case of changing drop links then i would be tempted to just do that.

S3 and 1.9TDi have differant ARB configuration so R32 is not a straight fit to TDi.

You may be able to change your drop links/ARB mounts but surely if it's only £100 for a modified ARB that is designed to fit your setup then that is easier/no more expensive?

 

[j4g3d]

true i will go for the uprated arb option.

cheers

 

[HmanS3]

sorry it appears to be only some of the more expensive coilover where you can decide spring rates and Poundage

 

[joe6886]

Hmm my S3 is quite low, must check this out make sure everything is ok. Not heard any untoward noises but better safe than sorry.