The advantages of fitting ARB's far outweigh the disadvantages mate. Just fit 'em and you'll be smiling alot more when you corner
cheers for the comments, im going to fit them, i am used to the hard ride my car has, and will be setting up my coilovers, too, i was also thinking of uprating my front breaks, what do you suggest i do? should i got for 280's, if so what will i need to fit them to my car? tim
Braking isn't any different for me but the main area you notice is mid-corner bumps - if you are really pushing it and working the suspension hard at the time then such a bump could have you in a hedge if you are caught unawares. Tracion from wet junctions isn't so much a problem as you can drive round it but once on the move bumps are much harder to avoid.
How do ARB's react in snow? I was thinking about getting them for my Mk3 GTI but here in southern Germany we get a lot of snow and ice during the winter months. Now the car is a daily driver and i don't want the hassle of changing the ARB's every 6mths because of the general weather. Will the car be a nightmare to drive in snow with ARB's and how bad does a car drive in wet weather? Can anyone really explain what happens? Does the car just break away in bends or is it a little more progressive? Thanks in advance!
i don't know the scientific principles behind it but i do know how it feels to drive. it just feels like it's much stiffer underneath and the less give there is, the worse it is in the wet. snow will be worse. alot of this does depend on how hard you want to take corners in said conditions.
It's very progressive i find. My car is useless in the snow, but i think thats more to do with wide tyres, solid bushes and very stiff suspension than the ARB's.
It will be less progressive in snow. On bumpy or poor traction surfaces (ie snow) you need compliance in suspension. By adding larger ARBs, you are removing compliance by: a) adding increased roll resistance on the axles - on a snowy surface, a car with larger ARBs will roll in corners only briefly, before suddenly losing traction at the tyres ie less progressive. There is actually not enough grip at the tyres for the car to roll in corners, so you end up with a car not really using its now-stiffened suspension. b) tying the wheel articulation together through the bar - this effects traction on the front axle. Having said all that, you've got winter tyres in Germany so you need to factor this in.
yep, from being a passenger in oakgreen88's car (he won't let me drive it!) it certainly feels a lot more progressive on the limit than it used to be.
just a quick question, to lower the rear beam on my mk2, can i undo the bottom of the struts? or is the exhaust in the way- like it says in the seat guide - i thought it might be different on a mk2? is it just a case of undooing the bottom of the struts lowering the beam on to an axel stand then attaching the beam? cheers, tim
rite ok , so i will have to undo the near side strut atthe top, ok, im off to fit the rear one, going to attempt the front one tomorro, cheers, tim
Front one is hell on earth to fit, took me 2hrs + fitting the neuspeed jobby, as someone else on here said never again!
update: FUCK ME! i have fitted the rear bar, and the difference it has made is no less than amazing! ive only been out for a quick drive and its so much different! you can acctually feel the back of the car whilst cornering! its almost as if the car is being pulled down whislt cornering, i cant wait till i get the front fitted! i recommend anyone who hasnt to get their arse in gear and get some fitted!
