Technical strut brace fitting

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Technical strut brace fitting

so simply you can do it with one hand and your eyes closed.

on the top of each suspension turret there are 3 bolts with a 13mm head. remove all 3 on each turrent and then stick the strut bar on top of the bolt holes and refit the bolts. 10 minute job.

shut the bonnet carefully once fitted, more than once i've seen a strut brace put a nice crease in a bonnet because some of them need the bonnet sound deadening liner to be removed for clearance.
 
best things about strut braces is that if you have a front side collision, the impact is transferred across the strut brace to the other side making the damage twice as worse. I wouldn't bother unless your car is used on the track.
 
best things about strut braces is that if you have a front side collision, the impact is transferred across the strut brace to the other side making the damage twice as worse.
very true, and to top it off you wont really see any noticable improvement in the handling. yes in theory it will minimise body roll and increase stability, in reality they look nice and do bugger all. a set of poly bushes will do a lot more to stiffen and sharpen it up.

I wouldn't bother unless your car is used on the track.
definately (y)
 
a set of poly what now?

on a road car there are rubber bushes used in the suspension and steering components. these allow a fair amount of movement during acceleration, braking and turning. this movement makes the car feel sloopy, increases tyre wear, reduces steering wheel feedback, reduces cornering stability, and generally makes you fail your MOT since rubber doesn't last very well.

if you replace all the rubber bushes with polyurethane ones, they are far more stiff, so the difference is surprisingly noticable and very satisfying. the car feels sharper and the steering more precise around bents, braking feels more responsive and sudden, plus the toe of the front wheels doe snot change during braking or acceleraiton or even when cornering hard. a polyurethane bush will also last longer than a rubber bush.

powerflex are the most well known brand, but there are cheaper alternatives that are just as good.
 
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to remove the old rubber bushes you will need a special tool like the pic below. although that doesnt mean you cant make your own tool (nut, bolt, and a selection of washers;)) to do the job or use something else to do it. its a bit fiddly getting them off, but apart from that the job is pretty easy.
media.nl


as far as buying goes, try here:
http://www.powerflex.co.uk/
http://www.polybush.co.uk/
http://www.polyurethanebushes.com/
 
Take it you rate them well Jug?

i've never fitted them to my own car, but i'm yet to meet anyone who wasnt delighted with the results on their car. much better feedback than strut braces, or even airfilters and exhausts. so you must be able to tell the difference. i think they cost too much, but if they were cheaper i would definately fit some to my car.
 
Would it not be possible to fit the universal ones, i'm sure some combination of them would match the Bravo setup and there universal ones seemed to be alot cheaper.

Obviously you'd need to match internial diameters lengths etc.

Also what kind of cost are standard rubber ones anyway, £4 a set?
 
yes if you get the right size universal ones will be fine.

standard rubber ones are harder to find these days. for example its cheaper (and much easier) to buy an arm with both bushes on it already. buying the bushes seperately may save a couple of quid, but the extra hassle means few people opt for only buying bushes, which is why it is increasingly difficult to find anyone who stocks them.
 
strut brace HELP!!

hey there
urgent help needed -

has anyone here successfully fitted a strut brace to a mark2 brava/bravo?

having problems moving the fuse box and now the bolts dont fit because i cant remove the washers! and then theres the problem of the bonnet seal being in the way! argh! :confused:
 
Re: strut brace HELP!!

thanks for your help :)

but that thread was posted by me lol and that reply by jug wasnt too helpful as fitment to a brava varies to other cars.

im off to the local scrappy to find some bolts and mk1 brava bits :p
 
Re: strut brace HELP!!

back from the scrappy with some more bolts and an adapter for the fuse box from a fiat marea :D
should fit now with some elbow grease, i think the strut brace is meant for a brava mk1!!

i also found a centre console from the marea for £5 :O:O:O yeay!
 
**** bugger, i just ordered mine and they were £113, mind you i was told they have to be made and i will have them in 3-4 working days (y)

yes if you get the right size universal ones will be fine.

standard rubber ones are harder to find these days. for example its cheaper (and much easier) to buy an arm with both bushes on it already. buying the bushes seperately may save a couple of quid, but the extra hassle means few people opt for only buying bushes, which is why it is increasingly difficult to find anyone who stocks them.

i picked up rubber ones for £20 same day at partco (y)
 
**** bugger, i just ordered mine and they were £113, mind you i was told they have to be made and i will have them in 3-4 working days (y)



i picked up rubber ones for £20 same day at partco (y)

So assume your going powerflex, i'll be interested to hear how you get on with them, difference in handling etc, you could always do a mini guide when your doing them. (y)
 
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