What does a strut brace do?

[Shaun Cook]

can anyone please tell me the benifits of a strut brace please??

and also im asuming it wont make much of a difference to a small engine like a 1.6??

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[Joske]

Pros

Stops your suspension struts from flexing when taking hard corners, therefore helps keep the pressure of the wheel down on the road.

Cons

In a side impact to the wing it'll transfer the impact to the other side of the car and will cause twice as much damage.

 

[Shaun Cook]

right i get ya, so it can make a diference then to a 1.6? im only asking becaus ei normally see them on biggers cars like cosworths and coupe's and the occational HGT.

would it be worth getting one?

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[Seb]

I dunno how much defferance they'll make but i tried to get one on my bravo ages ago and i couldnt it just wouldnt get on, was a right pain in the arse, i imagine if you take corners fast alot it'd make a change

 

[Anonymous]

waste of time unless you are circuit racing or rallying. will also increase understeer

 

[Carroll]

On a Brava/o, the strut towers are located quite close to the bulkhead, making the engine bay stiffer than many other cars anyway, so the strengthning benefits of a strutbrace are'nt as noticeable as on say, a Mk3 Escort.

That's not to say one would'nt help - but in reality, few road cars are driven hard enough, (or on bad roads) to justify one.

As has been said, the main point is to minimize strut/enginebay flexing to keep the front suspension geometry as 'true' as possible during extreme corning/braking.

The car's engine size is'nt so relevent - only in that a heavier engine/greater torque could put more strain on the engine bay structures, (if driven hard) - together with the usual assumption that a bigger-engined/sportier version car is going to be driven harder than a smaller version.

 

[Tom]

A certain amount of chassis flex is a good thing. Roads are not perfectly smooth and if you make the suspension too stiff you just skip over the bumps and grips is lost.

 

[Shaun Cook]

right so say, iv got low profile (40) tyres, and sports suspension, this already would make the ride uncomfy and pretty stiff feeling every bump dent or crack in the road, and if i was to put a strut brace on, it would make it alot more uncomfy/stiff

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[Shaun Cook]

In basic terms a strut brace is a piece of metal that attaches to the suspension mounting points to improve the rigidity of the chassis. Strut braces are a very popular tuning part for road use and probably the cheapest way to improve the suspension. By strengthening the suspension turrets, the suspension geometry is kept stable by reducing the movement of the inner wings, increasing road holding and reducing tyre wear. They are strongly recommended for cars with low profile tyres

thats what i found

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[Tom]

Of course a person selling one wants you to buy one

If you have a very weak chassis (french cars or ricers) then it can help but the Bravo is quite a stiff chassis to start with.

Adding 'uprated' parts often makes things worse. If your shocks are more than 3 years old you will get a better improvement in handling by replacing them with new OEM spec items.

 

[Anonymous]

hear hear last post from the voice of commonsense not so oft heard these days on this site.

indirectly might cause problems with your insurer should the vehicle suffer a significant impact as the addition of a strut brace may affect how a car should crumple on impact compromising protection to occupants or other parties. of course a policy holder should disclose to their insurer if one is fitted.

 

[Seb]

"hear hear last post from the voice of commonsense not so oft heard these days on this site."

once again confirming that anon's are cock's

 

[Shaun Cook]

what seb said

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