UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

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I know it shounds daft but I dont have a clue when it comes to cars, I am after a strut brace and found it and wanted to know lol

i was loooking at this the other day. siffens up the car a little improving the handling!

Have a look on www.briskoda.net to see what they think about rear ARBs - I think that you might might that your car will try to out-drive you as you learn to adapt to this new set-up! The present rear beam is in effect a torsion bar - but if this one is adjustable then maybe you would enjoy setting it up to suit your driving style - remember it might just throw you into a ditch as the factory setting are deliberately safe to take account of "non talented" drivers!!

The most useful purpose the front strut brace is said to be the effect it has on the dashboard noises - it reduces them! - I like the idea though both as a brace and subsequently as a noise reducer. Maybe get the Cupra TCA bushes fitted to stiffen up the feel of the car first as they are always going to let these cars down. By the way, it is said that the cheapest front ARB to get is the standard Cupra one from your local Seat dealer.

The seat strut brace is it the one that fits the 2002 on ibiza? just looked on the seat web site and found it part number 6L0071710. Is that the one?
As for bushes I have just had the front ones fitted by vw

You have to be careful with the lingo used in the advert. Sway bars (AntiRollBars) are not the be-all and end-all of handling.

By using a sway bar you are transferring one load from one side to another wheel. It actually reduces the independent aspect of suspension. It does not always give you more grip.

In fact, the stiffer the ARB the less grip you will have on that pair of tyres.

Therefore to induce oversteer you stiffen the rear arb. To induce understeer you stiffen the front arb.

I'm not sure I agree with the comment on the advert of "softer springs and stiffer arb" is the way forward. You have to take these things with a pinch of salt. You fettle with the sway bars to improve the handling, but not to increase overall grip.

Primarily you set up the stiffness of the springs to suit the application, and then introduce an arb to reduce body roll.

polospeed wrote:The seat strut brace is it the one that fits the 2002 on ibiza? just looked on the seat web site and found it part number 6L0071710. Is that the one?
As for bushes I have just had the front ones fitted by vw

Seat front upper strut brace - yes it will be the 6L Ibiza Cupra one.

TCA rear bushes, its just a pity that you did not consider getting a VAG indep specialist to fit the Ibiza Cupra solid bushes instead of letting your VW dealer replace torn voided ones with same voided ones that really are not up to the job - but that's life I suppose!

I think it was only the front bushes that I had replaced. What are the rear like to replace? I am getting some lowering spring off vag parts should I just wait till those come then get the garage to fit the spring and bushes at the same time? Got a price for the seat strut brace its only £55 so think I might just go and order one on monday.

polospeed wrote:I think it was only the front bushes that I had replaced. What are the rear like to replace? I am getting some lowering spring off vag parts should I just wait till those come then get the garage to fit the spring and bushes at the same time? Got a price for the seat strut brace its only £55 so think I might just go and order one on monday.

I think that you will find that it was the TCA rear bushes (TCA is the bit that holds the front wheels in place) that would have been replaced already. Yes I'd wait until you are getting the shorter springs fitted before changing to the Cupra bushes as both jobs will mean a bit of front suspension re-alignment.

Strut brace costing £55 - is that from your local Seat dealer or what?

Yeah if you look under http://www.seat.co.uk/generator/su/uk/S ... /main.html then click on ibiza 2002-2006, sport, strut brace, it brings one up click it rrp £55

Bum on two counts, first I thought that the Seat one was £24 +vat - maybe it was but demand from "us" has sorted that out and secondly, I was going to get one of these as I thought that they were made out of cheap and stiff steel - not expensive and softer aluminium - but there you go aluminium must be okay!