m030 arb - worth it vs 26.8?

[stevep2000]

Have read various thread where people have acclaimed the benefits of upgrading to 968 M030 arb's, but with all the variations off arb specs that S2's came fitted with, I'm wondering whether it's worth the upgrade of my existing 26.8 front / 18 rear, especially as it's purely a road car - it's only circa 10% increase in diameter front, 5% rear, does it make that much difference? Any opinions from those who've done it?
Alternatively I'm sure my arb bushes need a refresh, but not sure if you can get the poly versions in those sizes?

 

[Peter Empson]

Hi,
I went from the larger Tubro arb's (can't remember the front size, but the rear was definately 18mm - I'm sure I can check the front at home later) to the 968 M030 and it was a major difference, the ride did suffer somewhat but the improvement on the road and track was dramatic and definately worthwhile if you drive in a spirited way. I cannot see me needing to upgrade them for the forseable future, so they were a very good value upgrade in my opinion.

I don't know about the bush sizes, I'd suggest it'd be worth having a chat with Powerflex as they seem to be very helpful, I have them throughout on my car and they work very well.

 

[steve 944t]

cant comment on the 968 bars, but can confirm that you can get the Powerflex bushes in the sizes you need. Speak to Stuart at K300 Performance, which is where I ordered mine a few months ago.

 

[TTM]

I disliked the 30 mm front ARB on my S2 as much as I like it on my turbo - it will makes sense if shock/springs are stiff enough, in my opinion/experience.

 

[sawood12]

I'm a big fan of minimising your ARB size as it fights against your suspension and ties the hubs together loosing independance, so you really need to find a size that works well with your suspension setup given what you want to use the car for. Thicker ARB's will definately improve body-roll but it could be at the detriment of suspension performance. I think the front ARB design leaves alot to be desired and I suspect the stock ARB is not being used to its best efficiency. Firstly the 20yr old bushes are not great and the drop links are just pathetic and I reckon will buckle on severe cornering. To solve the drop link issue you can fit the KLA Industries stiffening brackets and even refreshing your bushes with new will make a big difference. So I say make your existing ARB work properly before upgrading.

Obviously if it is a track car it will benefit much more as tracks have smoother surfaces so the suspension performance is not compromised so much. I've not upgraded my ARB but replaced the bushes and fitted the KLA brackets and with the KW and it corners with very little bodyroll.

 

[charles.y]

I have done the upgrade on my S2 to the 968 M030 arbs with the new Porsche bushes. They are much much better than the old ones (nearly 20 years old) esp with the new bushes (I think they are poly too) and the KLA droplink brackets. I don't feel any degrade on the rides at all. I have also upgraded the front springs with the 968 CS ones. The steering now feels better (i.e not too light as before) at higher speed.