strut braces.......any experiences?

chubbster · Post by **chubbster** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 3:27 pm

have any of u had strut braces fitted to ur cars? do u think that on a typical car with uprated suspension theyd make much of a difference, or have u noticed a difference if uve got em fitted? ive read in top gear that a strut brace would have little or no effect on a standard car but i doubt that review took into account lowered suspension

volksbits do a 3 piece strut brace kit for Â£60 (front upper and lower, and rear) sounds like a bit of a bargain to me. wot do u reckon?

david burton · Post by **david burton** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 4:24 pm

might get one of those kits!

a common opinion is they don't do much. They only stop flex between the arches - better for mac strut cars than double wishbone (force on double wishbone cars can transmit between the two sides anyway). But I guess it should help a little - camber angle is kept more constant and understeer is reduced by the rear strut.

they look good too.

logistix · Post by **logistix** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 5:08 pm

what is a strut brace? could someone kindly explain?

chubbster · Post by **chubbster** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 8:32 pm

there bars that stretch from ur one top suspension mount (upper strut brace) to the other across the top off the engine. the lower front does the same but on the bottom of the susp mounts (i think...correct me if im wrong) and the rear brace bolts on ur rear suspension top mounts.

im not sure of their benifits on a polo, as u can tell by my post. wot dave says is right, in that their supposed to stop flex and tighten up the cars handling. u see them in most of the high performance cars, next time u go by an audi dealership pop the bonnet on a S3 and u'll see one linkin both suspension mounts (if they let u that is!). another example is in the import toyota MR2 (turbo) if u lift the engine cover theres a nice meaty one from the 2 rear suspension mounts

cheers for the reply dave, they look ace dont they? and a 3pc kit for the price is a bargain, its hard findin just the front for that kinda price

anyone got 1? come on people someone must! need some info!

david burton · Post by **david burton** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 10:36 pm

Do you know if they fit easily on the 16v? I was wondering, because of the tight engine bay and also the tray underneath....

Me wants! 20 quid per strut! hah

Criz · Post by **Criz** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 10:54 pm

Front upper strut brace is a n ightmare to fit on a mk4. Too much stuff in the way.

I have a front lower and rear upper.

Dunno what the front lower is like cos I fitted the 17's when i stuck it on so cant really tell.

The rear one seemed to make quite a difference, felt much tighter round corners.

U need to lift the engine up slightly to be able to fit it easily though.

david burton · Post by **david burton** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 11:26 pm

Does the splash tray fit on underneath, after the brace goes on? It looks like it won't....

chubbster · Post by **chubbster** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 1:15 am

i'll give volksbits a call tommorow and see if theres a kit thatll do the 16v. it sounds doubtful now but even the kit for a non-16v is still worth it if u get 2 braces for 60 and a front to sell on. theyll fit right? theres no difference between the mount on a 16v and a non-16v is there?

wot suspension u on Criz? checked in the rides and u dont mention except for the height

Criz · Post by **Criz** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 6:04 pm

Its a non branded set of springs, just wanted to get it lower before I buy coilovers(end of month).

I took my splash tray off, didnt see a point in it. I keep the underside of my car clean anyway.

chubbster · Post by **chubbster** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:45 pm

david burton · Post by **david burton** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 10:06 pm

didn't you notice the vent leading from the front near side bumper vent to the gearbox? - cooling on a 16v polo

probably no need for it really.

polo2k · Post by **polo2k** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 1:52 pm

on a standard car the front upper makes the car a littel but more precise tall tyres can negate the advantage though. the front lower was fitted when i was using kevlar pads as the rear would "sway" under really heavy braking and ive notg got a rear yet but if anyone knows where you can get a mk5 rear hen pls tell me. i only live in warrington so if you wanna come down and ill take you out then feel free, im in work til 5.30 tonight but gimme a txt or a bell on 079 79 985 543

chubbster · Post by **chubbster** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 8:56 pm

i doubt id notice it considering youve got coils on, kw's is it? cheers for the offer tho, have u tried volksbits for the rear for urs? ive got an interesting proposition for u tho, theres some...err..legal street racing that goes on around queensferry/flint (north wales just in case u dont know it) and it went on last weekend and i missed it, gutted! apparently its on almost every week, my mate knows one of the lads who organises it and he said over 200 cars and bikes turned up last week. basically wot happens is u go over to a car u want to race talk to its driver and then set urself on the list and when its ur turn off u go. just straight drag racing none of that round the roundabout and back stuff, so its safe. im going to go next week and test the valver against the saxo scum. even if u dont race its ment to be a bit on an event, if u want to come let me know and i'll give u a bell to tell u where and when(it moves cos the police not being that chuffed with it!) warringtons not to far is it, bring mates with there cars, its a fun day out for all the family!

david burton · Post by **david burton** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:42 pm

let me know about the saxo beating.... i'm interested!

might post a post about that now....

chubbster · Post by **chubbster** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 11:20 pm

yeah will do, ive done a few drag races against the vtr's but only the old shape with the squarer lights which are soon left behind (as u probably know) cos there 90hp but im interested against the newer 100hp ones or even modded ones. im sure the 16v is more than 100, and its been said before, cos there was that fella from porka who had his graphed with just a full system janspeed and he got 119hp. would love to get a full system, the back pressure in my car is HUGE! will be an interesting night out, i'll let u know