If you're looking to kill that annoying understeer, installing a good mk8 gti rear sway bar is probably the single best bang-for-your-buck mod that you can do in order to this chassis. Don't get me wrong—the Mark 8 is a fantastic car out of the box, plus VW did a lot of work to make the front end more "pointy" compared to the previous decades. But at the end of the day, it's still a front-wheel-drive vehicle tuned in the manufacturing plant to be safe, predictable, and vulnerable to "plowing" when you really push this in to a tight flex.
Upgrading the particular rear sway bar (often just known as an RSB) will be the classic "cheat code" for GTI owners. It shifts the handling balance without ruining the particular ride quality, which usually is exactly exactly what many of us want with regard to a daily drivers that occasionally views some spirited backroad action or even a weekend break track day.
Why Your MK8 GTI Requires a Thicker Rear Bar
From the stock, Volkswagen balances the particular GTI to understeering. This means that will if you go into a corner too fast, the front auto tires will lose grasp first, and the particular car will try to continue straight. It's safe for the average driver, yet it's kind of a buzzkill for anyone who really likes driving. By adding a stiffer mk8 gti rear sway bar , you're essentially shifting the particular "roll stiffness" toward the back associated with the car.
What this does in practice is fairly magical. When a person turn the steering wheel, the rear associated with the car stays flatter, and the particular front tires are forced to perform more of the work they were meant in order to do. Instead of the car leaning as well as scrubbing up the outer edges of the front side tires, the whole chassis feels even more neutral. In several cases, if you go with an actually stiff setting, a person can even get the rear to "rotate" or stage out slightly upon lift-off, which can make the vehicle feel very much more alive plus tossable.
The best part? As opposed to lowering springs or even stiff coilovers, a sway bar doesn't usually make the car feel "crashy" over bumps. Considering that it only functions when the car is leaning (cornering), you'll barely notice it's there whenever you're just touring down a straight highway.
Choosing the Right Size and Style
When you begin shopping for an mk8 gti rear sway bar , you're going to see a wide range of numbers tossed around—24mm, 25mm, 26mm, solid, hollow—it may be a little bit much. Here is definitely the lowdown upon how to choose.
Solid vs. Hollow Bars
It is a big argument in the VW neighborhood. A solid bar will be exactly what you think it is: a solid piece associated with spring steel. A hollow bar uses a larger size tube but will be empty in the middle in order to save weight.
Generally speaking, a 25mm empty bar will be lighter but may have the exact same stiffness as the 22mm or 23mm solid bar. In case you're a weight-weenie trying to shave every ounce, go hollow. If you want the most achievable stiffness within a smaller sized package, solid will be usually the method to go. Most people won't notice the weight difference on a street vehicle, so don't sweat this excessive.
Diameter Options
Most aftermarket bars for the MK8 GTI fall among 24mm and 26mm. - 24mm-25mm: Perfect for a daily driver. This sharpens some misconception significantly without making the particular back end feel nervous or "twitchy" in the rainfall. - 26mm+: These are usually set aside for those who spend the lot of period in the track or even autocross. They provide a massive quantity of rotation but could be a bit intense if you aren't expecting the particular rear to proceed around on you.
Top Brands to Look Away For
Presently there are a few "usual suspects" whenever it comes to MQB platform suspension system (the platform the MK8 is created on).
034Motorsport is definitely a huge beloved simply because they usually provide solid bars that will are specifically configured to work with the factory front side bar. Their stuff is rugged and often features "locked" bushings that don't squeak.
H& R can be another classic choice. They've already been making sway pubs forever, and their fit and finish off are top-notch. They will typically offer a few of different thicknesses so you can pick how intense you want in order to be.
Whiteline is great if you would like adjustability. Many associated with their bars have multiple holes at the ends, enabling you to proceed the final link connection point. This enables you "tune" the particular stiffness—stiffer for that track, softer for the winter season months.
Don't Forget the End Links
Right here is the thing a lot associated with people miss: once you put a much stiffer mk8 gti rear sway bar on your own car, you're putting a lot more stress on the particular factory end links. The stock links are often made of plastic or slim metal with rubber bushings.
While you can reuse the stock links, many people find that they eventually snap or the bushings get "mushy" under the particular extra load. In the event that you're already below the car performing the work, it's worth spending a little extra on a set of flexible metal end links. Not just are they stronger, but they also allow you to consider any "preload" out from the bar if you've lowered your car, ensuring the suspension system geometry stays happy.
Installation: Can You Do It Yourself?
One of the particular reasons the mk8 gti rear sway bar is such a popular mod is that the installation is in fact pretty straightforward. You don't need to drop the subframe just like you do regarding the front sway bar (which is definitely a total problem, by the way).
You'll require a decent place of jacks, some jack stands, and a few triple-square bits (standard for VWs). The work basically involves unbolting the end hyperlinks, removing the mounting brackets that hold the bar towards the subframe, and snaking the old bar away.
Pro tip: Use plenty of the supplied fat on the new bushings. If a person skimp on the grease, your car will begin sounding like an old wood ship each time you go over the speed bump. Furthermore, remember that VW uses "stretch bolts" intended for a lot associated with these components. These types of are one-time-use bolts that are developed to be stiffened once and then changed. Most high-quality sway bar kits will certainly tell you which usually ones you should substitute, but it's usually good to have a few spares on hand.
How It Changes the Drive
Once you obtain that new mk8 gti rear sway bar installed and torque almost everything down, the distinction is immediate. The first time you take a highway on-ramp or the sharp 90-degree convert, the car just feels flatter. There's less of that will "boaty" feeling exactly where the body proceeds over prior to the tires bite.
It makes the GTI feel smaller when compared to the way it actually will be. You'll find yourself needing to put within less steering insight to have the car in order to turn, and you can obtain on the power much earlier arriving out of a large part because the front tires aren't becoming overwhelmed by the particular weight transfer.
For most owners, this is the "Goldilocks" mod. This doesn't ruin the comfort that makes the GTI this kind of great daily, but it injects a dose associated with personality that this factory had to dial out for the mass market.
Conclusions
In case you're on the particular fence about which suspension mod to do first, stop overthinking it. Skip the springs to get a second and get an mk8 gti rear sway bar . It's the almost all effective way in order to transform how the particular car handles without sacrificing the ride quality you paid for. Whether you decide to go with a moderate 24mm bar or even a beefy 26mm race-spec option, your GTI will thank you the next time you hit a twisty road. Just keep in mind to grease all those bushings, maybe grab some upgraded finish links, and luxuriate in the particular feeling of a car that actually wants to turn.