Anti Roll Bar Kits?

[Taylor325i]

I'm going to be buying a kit soon but haven't decided between the Ultra Racing ones or the Eibach ones. Price isn't an issue as there's only £20 difference between the two. I am leaning towards the Ultra Racing ones for two reasons.

1. Because their bars are thicker - 23mm front / 19mm rear (Eibach ones are only 20mm front and 16mm rear).

2. They will match my Ultra Racing strut brace.

Eibach ones - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-E30-Eibach-Ad ... 4cefe43e15

Ultra Racing ones - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ultraracing-ANTI- ... 335e3e73bc

Any feedback on any of the two kits or any suggestions for other makes of ARB kits would be much appreciated.


Cheers!


Taylor.

[Bob_S]

I have always found e30's can lift inside rear wheels and having a stiff rear setup can make them very tail happy especially without an lsd.
I would be more inclined to go with the eibach items.

I used to run H&R arbs on my car and that was tail happy I should have tried a std rear but never got around to it

[town325i]

Im using the H&R roll bars on my touing that has made a big improvment on it for a road car even when pushing hard on the roads it works well i dont no the thickness of the bars i have but its alot bigger than standard

[Taylor325i]

I have always found e30's can lift inside rear wheels and having a stiff rear setup can make them very tail happy especially without an lsd.
I would be more inclined to go with the eibach items.

I used to run H&R arbs on my car and that was tail happy I should have tried a std rear but never got around to it

What setting were you using?

I know what you mean about a stiff set up. I used to have a Spax PSX kit and 17" wheels and even on the soft setting the car felt too twitchy on fast bends.

My car currently has 3.91 LSD, 16" wheels with Toyo R888's and Apex Sport dampers with Apex 35mm lowering springs. The car handles very well but the amount of body roll is annoying.


Taylor.

[Bob_S]

soft on the back and cant remember on the front I think hardest the front wouldnt move anywhere but the back was nicely sprung just liked to spin up inside wheels

[zaust]

I'm using the ur kit now, I have had the eibach in the past and to honest, I perfur the ur one's.

[groselha]

A little info:

Eibach- 20mm /16mm - adjustable 3 way front and 3 way rear

H&R - 22mm / 18mm - adjustable 3 way front and 2 way rear

UR - 20-23mm / 19mm - they're not adjustable

You talk in 23mm front, but in the link you've posted, says 20mm front arb.

[zaust]

20mm front and 19mm rear

[Taylor325i]

A little info:

Eibach- 20mm /16mm - adjustable 3 way front and 3 way rear

H&R - 22mm / 18mm - adjustable 3 way front and 2 way rear

UR - 20-23mm / 19mm - they're not adjustable

You talk in 23mm front, but in the link you've posted, says 20mm front arb.

Thanks for that. I'm not really bothered about adjustable or not. They quote 20mm and 23mm in this one for the front only -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

I have e-mailed them and they will be available in 23mm.

Cheers!

Taylor.

[Bob_S]

just buy the front 23mm one

[ian332isport]

Also allow for upgrading the mounting points both front and rear. Fat bars WILL break the mounting points eventually.

Ian.

[Nay]

I've heard some people ranting on about leaving the rear arb standard (or putting a thinner uprated one on) and fitting a rear strut brace in the boot. Gives the car the flex it needs to handle well and avoid snappy rear ends. Could be complete and utter tosh though.

Personally I like the snappy rear end.

[Taylor325i]

Also allow for upgrading the mounting points both front and rear. Fat bars WILL break the mounting points eventually.

Ian.

Ian, can you be more specific - Do you mean the mounting point on the drop links or the U-shape brackets that the drop links connect to?

Cheers!


Taylor.

[clarko74]

I think Ian means uprated the mounting points, like this sort of thing:



(Pic taken from Dan318-is's group buy thread here: <clicky>)

[Taylor325i]

Ahh! Cheers clarko. The group buy in the link seems to have died off but it looks a good idea so I will get some measurements from my car and get a set made up myself.

Cheers!

Taylor.

[ian332isport]

Ian, can you be more specific - Do you mean the mounting point on the drop links or the U-shape brackets that the drop links connect to?

Cheers!


Taylor.

I mean the tabs on the trailing arms that the drop link 'U' brackets bolt to, as well as the mounting points on the floor. Up front, the subframe will fatigue and eventually break where the captive not secures the ARB clamp.

Ian.

[Taylor325i]

I have ordered a set of the Ultra Racing ones 23mm front/19mm rear. Will let you know how I get on with them fitted.


Cheers!


Taylor.

[aus325]

This is what happens, and did happen to me. Is easily repairable, but better avoided in the first place. Be sure to strengthen them.




Paul.

[town325i]

This is what happens, and did happen to me. Is easily repairable, but better avoided in the first place. Be sure to strengthen them.




Paul.

By the look of that you have rose jointed drop links which again is taking out any shock protection that the rubber bushes gave so something has got to give eventually

[reggid]

who needs a 19mm rear ARB? Very tail happy.

16mm rear 22-25mm front both adjustable.

I have heard several racers say they use stock @ rear or remove it completely so a 19mm one is not neccesary IMO.

I used a 16mm rear adjustable with 24mm non adjustable front with eibach prokit and i needed the rear 16mm on the most flexible setting.

[town325i]

who needs a 19mm rear ARB? Very tail happy.

16mm rear 22-25mm front both adjustable.

I have heard several racers say they use stock @ rear or remove it completely so a 19mm one is not neccesary IMO.

I used a 16mm rear adjustable with 24mm non adjustable front with eibach prokit and i needed the rear 16mm on the most flexible setting.

On the track maybe you dont need a stiff roll bar on the rear but the road aint the track is it so you cant apply the same logic.

[bss325i]

Go to thick and there fore stiff on the rear and it will be skittish and oversteer prone. The nature of semi trailing arm suspension dictates this.

That applies to road or track use.

[Morat]

As I understand it, the harder the rear bar in comparison with the front then the more understeer you'll get. Two thick bars will reduce the roll more but it's the ratio between the two that will make the biggest overall difference to handling.

Unless I'm wrong, which is entirely possible

[Morat]

ROFL looks like I'm wrong then

[bss325i]

If you go to stiff on the front it will induce understeer.

When i had my old S50 turd i intitaly had the front H&R bar set to max stiffness as the top mounts (BMW camber correction ones) set to standard camber.

I had alot of understeer!

Changed the roll bar to the middle stiffness and the top mounts to extra negative camber and it transformed the car!

Rear roll bar was always on softest setting.

Be interesting to hear how Bilgatese30 had it set.

[town325i]

Go to thick and there fore stiff on the rear and it will be skittish and oversteer prone. The nature of semi trailing arm suspension dictates this.

That applies to road or track use.

What im saying in a round about way is you will never be able to push as hard on the road as you will on the track so in the real world you will not push hard enough to get oversteer all the time

[bss325i]

How can you say never?

Depends on whos driving and how hard.

You dont even need to push that hard to notice the difference imo. Broken surfaces a moderate speeds can make it noticable

Semi trailing arm rear suspenion is a type of independant rear suspenion, the stiffer the roll bar on the rear, thes less independant it becomes.

[town325i]

How can you say never?

Depends on whos driving and how hard.

You dont even need to push that hard to notice the difference imo. Broken surfaces a moderate speeds can make it noticable

Semi trailing arm rear suspenion is a type of independant rear suspenion, the stiffer the roll bar on the rear, thes less independant it becomes.

I can drive hard but a touring need all the help it can get to stop it flexing so maybe this is why the effects arnt noticed as much

[DanThe]

Extra weight will make a rear bar work harder, so will soft springs, so you will always need a thicker one on a heavy car.
My chromie has an M3 rear bar and TBH I wouldnt want anything stiffer as its plenty

Track car has no rear bar now it has coilovers fitted

[bss325i]

How can you say never?

Depends on whos driving and how hard.

You dont even need to push that hard to notice the difference imo. Broken surfaces a moderate speeds can make it noticable

Semi trailing arm rear suspenion is a type of independant rear suspenion, the stiffer the roll bar on the rear, thes less independant it becomes.

I can drive hard but a touring need all the help it can get to stop it flexing so maybe this is why the effects arnt noticed as much

The S50 turd i had started out as a touring and that had the H&R bars.

[town325i]

At the end of the day Barry i can only put down what i have experienced and i no my car well and i know it dont have trouble with oversteer or understeer and it handles well even when pushed hard even on Scotlands dodgy roads

[bss325i]

I just find that the stiffer the rear, the more prone to oversteer a car is, generally for any car.

[town325i]

I just find that the stiffer the rear, the more prone to oversteer a car is, generally for any car.

Saying that in the wet its a totally different car i do take it steady as it does like to step out

[bss325i]

Thats the semi trailing arm design for you, it has its flaws like camber change under compression. The E36 Z axel is is a far superior design in that respect*.


*but not as exciting!

[town325i]

Thats the semi trailing arm design for you, it has its flaws like camber change under compression. The E36 Z axel is is a far superior design in that respect*.


*but not as exciting!

To true. Im guessing your s50 power touring would show up the oversteer more just becuase its had a shed load more grunt than an M20b25