Strut Braces

MilanoChris

MilanoChris

Advanced Member
Messages
5,649
Will they actually do anything for me, considering I already have coilovers and an already aggressive camber set up?

I should have asked Tom at TGM when I was there today but I forgot. Just seemed strange to me that his car doesn't have one, but could this be due to the fact that he has a full roll cage?
 
C&S Evo7

C&S Evo7

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
8,229
his car uses the factory brace which your car should have too, Toms car is unusual compared to the other dc5 racecars (with the exception of the btcc cars) in that it is fully seam welded for even more stiffness.
Any correctly fitted brace can help with rigidity, as they say every little bit helps.
 
J

JiB

Advanced Member
Messages
219
C&S Evo7 said:
his car uses the factory brace which your car should have too, Toms car is unusual compared to the other dc5 racecars (with the exception of the btcc cars) in that it is fully seam welded for even more stiffness.
Any correctly fitted brace can help with rigidity, as they say every little bit helps.
Click to expand...
:shock: Seam welded? That's dedication! Wow..But it's not road legal is it?

I think seam welded vehicles need a special permit in New Zealand because the chassis would not absorb very much impact if seam welded?
 
J

JiB

Advanced Member
Messages
219
BadBadtz said:
TGM's is a track car and not for road use
Click to expand...
Ah, right, I see.

Hmm, I wonder if just a cheeky bit of seam welding around the suspension mounting points would aid in suspension accuracy without compromising crash safety or too rigid a chassis for road use?

I never heard of too much rigidity until I flicked through some touge article about how too much rigidity in some cars reduce grip on street situations...and resulting understeer because of too much grip in the wrong places?
 
MilanoChris

MilanoChris

Advanced Member
Messages
5,649
JiB said:
I never heard of too much rigidity until I flicked through some touge article about how too much rigidity in some cars reduce grip on street situations...and resulting understeer because of too much grip in the wrong places?
Click to expand...
That's what I was thinking. I would like a front one like Evs has on his as it aids with keeping the Gruppe M from ratteling about with some bits added on.

I just don't want to stiffen up the car too much. As I have more camber on the front then the rear the rear is quite lively and I was worrying that a strut brace can increase this effect.
 
C&S Evo7

C&S Evo7

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
8,229
On a stock dc5 you can have the body as stiff as you want it will not adversly affect your handling or give or promote understeer,
having the body rigid helps the suspension work correctly instead of the body flexing and will increase the feel and feedback the car gives.
understeer can occur and does on my car when damp or wet but it is due to running race dampers and springs on the road, when you steer there is no weight transfer so the forward momentum pushes the car straight instead of compressing the spring and pushing the weight down on to the tyre giving grip,
Chris, it will not hurt if you fit an aftermarket brace alongside your std one, it certainly won't make the car feel worse, but you have gone for a very agressive setup so it will feel skittish and also tramline nicely. its the price you have to pay if you want track grip.
 
E

Evs

Advanced Member
Messages
4,281
I agree with Simon - I don't think you'll go wrong with a Spoon front upper brace tbh. I had coilovers on mine before I got the braces, and thought the front brace made quite a difference when I fitted it. The first set of coilovers I had (BC RSD) were very stiff and quite harsh - the brace made the front of the car feel more solid and together, like it was hurting it a bit less to drive it over bumps, if you see what I mean.

As you say, it's good for locating the GruppeM too.

HTH
 
E

Evs

Advanced Member
Messages
4,281
Yep, as Ian said - Endless / Zeal Function v6 coilovers and a few trick bushes and bracings.

Just tried to find a pic of the coilovers but they don't seem to list them on the site anymore, they look a bit like this:

 
E

Evs

Advanced Member
Messages
4,281
dan the man said:
u HIGHLY rate them?
Click to expand...
Yes I do. They're much better than the BC ones I had on first, they're quite compliant and give a bit of 'feel' rather than just being stiff and skittish. They're not really set up all that well - ride height is too low, the damping needs winding up a notch, and there's a bit too much camber on the front, but this is nothing to do with the kit as I bought it secondhand and just fitted it without changing anything. Easily sorted in a couple of hours when I get round to it. Construction quality and damping refinement are great though 8)

Sorry for the OT posts Chris, looks like you'd got your answers anyway :oops: :lol:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top