I think I know the answer to this already but might as well ask....

If I fit an uprated front ARB do I "need" to fit an uprated rear ARB?

Obviously it would be best to but is there liable to be any negative effect of not doing so?

cheers


Paul

If anything, you want a rear ARB by itself rather than a front ARB.

The front ARB stifffens the front and, by itself, will make the car understeer more. The rear will, by itslef, make the car oversteer more.

Now given that the coop is a very front heavy car and suffers quite a bit from understeer, putting on a rear ARB by itself will improve handling quite a bit. Putting on a front ARB by itself would, most likely, be detrimental to handling of the car.

Had a feeling someone would say that

Balls! Ah well looks like I need to find an uprated rear ARB then

Thanks Truffle


Paul

my own personal experience (includes Spa) is that arb's are a great mod. i first added a "Nigel" lower brace and felt a little bit of improvement. i then added a whiteline arb which made it feel much more planted and flat, and i then added a dedra front arb - this combination ON MY CAR seems to work extremely well at eliminating any roll and also reduces lots of the usual understeer

do you have a link for the rear ones ?

what do you mean, a link? a website you mean?

aye

Nevermind......I'll find them

google balancemotorsport

cheers mate

yeah that's the one - you can get a 22mm one that pretty much fits straight on, or a 24mm one which apparently gives a fraction more stability but is a pain to fit. you have to fabricate new brackets for them. i'm VERY happy with my 22mm whiteline

oh, i paid about £125 i think

cheers Proccy,

I'm picking up Nigel's old dedra front ARB in a couple of weeks so just wanted to check if I needed the rear with it.

Looks like I know now, ah well whats another £125 or so (sigh) might give me the motivation to fit the solid rear bushes that've been sitting in the garage for the last year or so

Just so you know, dont go to the garage with a full petrol tank. Either the tank needs to be removed completely or sorta moved out of the way a bit to fit the rear ARB. So you want as little fuel in the car as possible.

garage? pah!

I'm a real man dotcha know

jack, axle stands, selection of tools and a sledge hammer for anything that wont co-operate

Cheers guys.
Just the sort of good information I always get here.
Thanks again,
Paul

So a good starting point is just the rear ARB?

Not just the front, either both, or if its going be just one, then the rear?

Cheers.

Rears seem the ones to go for.
That is the avenue I will be exploring.
Paul

lucky we are talking about roll bars!

What did you think I was talking about ?

another thing to strongly consider for all you suspension modders, is the sub-frame seam-welding that Joe at Countrycruising does. this further stiffens the front end aiding both turn-in and flatter cornering. i've not had it sone but i've heard it makes a significant difference

This thread may be of some use here.

It will certainly improve the feedback and possibly control of the front wheels but it can't make it flatter through corners, that's all done through springs and anti-roll bars.
I would recommend only fitting the rear bar if your just wanting to do the one bar or fitting the Eibach pair of anti-roll bars as these really do flatten her out through the bends.

cheers jmbo - i stand corrected but, as i said, i haven't had it done so was just going from what i thought i heard from Joe and Patch.

i can certainly confirm the effects good arb's have and uprated polybushes/suspension bits

Agreed - fitting my Novitec 23mm rear ARB was by far the most effective handling mod I've ever done

However, due to my lack of understanding of chassis dynamics at the time, I had fitted an uprated front ARB in isolation, which mucked up the turn-in. When I uprated the rear as well, the difference was amazing

Just for reference, for the new car, I've decided to transfer the uprated rear ARB, but I'm staying standard at the front

be interested in how you compare the standard front to your current set-up, after you've done a few miles.

Nigel...does the 23mm ARB fit in the standard brackets? I know the 22mm does whilst the 24mm requires modded brackets, interested to know the limit of what the standard brackets can accomodate.

Yes it does, the Novitec/Eibach rear bar is 23mm and she fits straight in.

although you have to muck around with the rear brake valve adjustment thingy, as the clamp isn't wide enough to go round the bigger diameter bar

That's how my car is set-up, and I personally find it handles very well. I regularly manage to keep up with 'good' handling cars on the track (e.g. Elises) ... although driver confidence has a lot to do with that, as well

Hmmm so after reading this thread I think I've been convinced that its a very worthwhile upgrade and it'd be rude not to while I've got the car in pieces!

My only dilemma is do I go for the £120 whiteline rear or save up some more pennies and get the full Eibach kit for £385?

Is it worth that much extra?