Mk3 Ibiza - Best handling set up??

[Willie]

My work mate has a MK3 cupra with coilovers and is really wanting to get it handling **** hot.
He was wanting to change his coilovers (can't remember the manufacturer but they were £500) as these have been lowered to 60mm for about 10,000 miles and he thinks they might be fecked.
I know how to sort the handling on a MK1 LCR but not too clued up on the MK3 Cupra.
He has a REVO remap so is happy with the power for now.

In the LCR you uprate the swing arm rear bush to the TT roadster one and change the front one for the OEM LCR one, what are the best choices for the cupra?

What is the OEM front ARB size? Whats the best size to upgrade to and which one? With a 60mm drop should he have uprated the drop links?

Is there a lower front strutt brace on the cupra? Does the LCR/S3 one fit?
What about an upper strutt brace?

I see there is a rear bush kit on the go from VR, whats the best one to go for?

Also I have the INA Track density engine mount kit including DBM, what choices is there for the cupra?

This is all for a car that he wants the best out of the handling but its not a track car so doesn't want it too stiff.

Cheers for any help on this

 

[s1l3nc3r]

answers to all of the above could proberly be found in the search section. But off the top of my head for handling. good tyres, coilovers, arb, rear spacers, strut brace, uprated bushes...what you have to understand though is if you are going to get it set up for handling there will be a issue with the ride comfort becoming worse.

 

[Willie]

Ride confort does not have to be sacrificed in the quest for better handling.
If you do it the wrong way perhaps this does suffer, but not planning on doing it the wrong way.
Hence the specific questions looking for specific answers.

 

[Willie]

I've just read through Ollys thread about handling set up stating that the Neuspeed 28mm rear ARB needs an 'L' bracket to allow this to fit, is this still the case?
Also there is no mention of changing bushes but a slight hint toward power flex bushes.
What bushes have been tried and what works best?
Also 25mm front ARB on the front being the best.

15mm rear spacers

upper and lower strutt braces??? do the S3 strutt braces fit?

 

[cuprachrissy]

search

 

[Robbie C]

Willie, have a read through http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=156972

Personally I would go with Neuspeed ARBs, (front 25mm, rear 28m) using Badger's custom L-shape brackets for the rear ARB drop links to make sure it sits straight. These ARBs come poly bushed.

With coilovers there's plenty of choice but KW and the Bilstein PSS9s seem to be the daddies.

Alex at Backdraft can supply some rose jointed track rod ends for the front to counter bump steer when lowered - you fit them inverted to make them sit more level.

Badger Bill can also supply uprated front wishbone rear bushes from Vibratechnics, along with fast road or race engine mounts and rear beam bushes - just look in his trade section

For strut braces, you can use the Seat Sport (MOMO) front upper strut brace, a MK2 Golf GTI front lower brace (from RallyDesign) and a rear one from a MK1 Golf GTI

With that and a good set of tyres you won't go far wrong. You could also consider eccentric top mounts if you wanted more adjustable camber too.

Oh - and not forgetting a set of rear spacers to widen the rear track too - 15mm or 20mm if not lowered too much.

 

[Willie]

Excellent Robbie, thanks for that bud, great information.
I'll show him this post tonight and see what he thinks

 

[ibizacupra]

I've just read through Ollys thread about handling set up stating that the Neuspeed 28mm rear ARB needs an 'L' bracket to allow this to fit, is this still the case?
Also there is no mention of changing bushes but a slight hint toward power flex bushes.
What bushes have been tried and what works best?
Also 25mm front ARB on the front being the best.

15mm rear spacers

upper and lower strutt braces??? do the S3 strutt braces fit?

you know this is posted in the ibiza section not leon one yea?

 

[Willie]

Yup Bill, read the first post man

 

[ibizacupra]

Alex at Backdraft can supply some rose jointed track rod ends for the front to counter bump steer when lowered - you fit them inverted to make them sit more level.

and these are totally not appropriate when not modifying other essential parts like ball joint position else tracking change on ride height is massive (bump steer is massively WORSE) - Avoid unless you plan on doing it properly.

Drove a leon with just these added to otherwise stock LCR lower arms to a LC and it was abysmal, dangerous handling. Very VERY bad advise to just throw on the steering arm pherical joint ends imho and experience.

 

[ibizacupra]

Yup Bill, read the first post man

woops.

 

[Robbie C]

and these are totally not appropriate when not modifying other essential parts like ball joint position else tracking change on ride height is massive (bump steer is massively WORSE) - Avoid unless you plan on doing it properly.

Drove a leon with just these added to otherwise stock LCR lower arms to a LC and it was abysmal, dangerous handling. Very VERY bad advise to just throw on the steering arm pherical joint ends imho and experience.

Bill, I've got a set of these lying around ready to be fitted.

On the handling side I've already got these on the car:

New OE front and VT rear wishbone bushes
New stock top mounts and bearings
KW Variant 1s
Front lower and upper strut braces
Front/Rear Neuspeed ARBs
15mm rear spacers

Also got a full set of VT mounts (race front and FR gbox & rear) to go on and a set of your rear beam bushes from the GB when prices are finalised.

So, am I OK fitting these track rod ends with my existing setup if I get the geometry re-done afterwards or are you saying there's more to it?

 

[ibizacupra]

Bill, I've got a set of these lying around ready to be fitted.

On the handling side I've already got these on the car:

New OE front and VT rear wishbone bushes
New stock top mounts and bearings
KW Variant 1s
Front lower and upper strut braces
Front/Rear Neuspeed ARBs
15mm rear spacers

Also got a full set of VT mounts (race front and FR gbox & rear) to go on and a set of your rear beam bushes from the GB when prices are finalised.

So, am I OK fitting these track rod ends with my existing setup if I get the geometry re-done afterwards or are you saying there's more to it?

the effect on steering arm angle relative to wishbone on the leon i saw with these made for diabolical angles, which with ride height changes (undulations on the road) the steering toe changed violently.. to toe out when front ride height rose.. the joint in question moved the position from above the steering arm on the hub to below it + spaced down also.

what does yours look like?

if like i describe above beware

 

[Willie]

Mods please move this back to the MK3 section as its ALL MK3 cupra based nothing to do with Leon

 

[OliMonty]

For strut braces, you can use the Seat Sport (MOMO) front upper strut brace, a MK2 Golf GTI front lower brace (from RallyDesign) and a rear one from a MK1 Golf GTI

Robbie, small query, do these all fit straight on or need some modifying to fit? Cheers buddy

 

[Robbie C]

They're all straight fits. Some people have said in the past that you need to bend the lower strut brace to clear the gearbox but that's only if your engine mounts are slack.

 

[Robbie C]

the effect on steering arm angle relative to wishbone on the leon i saw with these made for diabolical angles, which with ride height changes (undulations on the road) the steering toe changed violently.. to toe out when front ride height rose.. the joint in question moved the position from above the steering arm on the hub to below it + spaced down also.

what does yours look like?

if like i describe above beware

I'll get a pic when I can Bill but when I took it to get aligned at Imperial Tyres in Swindon they also advised I look into inverted track rod ends to level it back out after lowering on the coilovers. A pic will show it better I think - I'll get one when it's not raining