Discussion
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.
source: http://www.strutbracer.co.uk/page1.php?sitepage=6
source: http://www.strutbracer.co.uk/page1.php?sitepage=6
Combined with a full cage and other strengthening the shell can be made considerably stiffer, obviously. On it's own? Probably helps somewhat to keep things straight. But they can look cool and give you somewhere to cable tie your throttle cables to...
Edited by hal-finch on Saturday 28th June 00:23
My car comes with a few as standard, and it has a great chassis. The manufacturer wouldn't have put them their if they didn't contribute to chassis stiffness afterall.
I think they serve a purpose if you want a sporty vehicle but base it on a mundane runabout, hot hatches for example.. otherwise, if its designed as a sports car it should be designed with chassis rigidity from the outset of course.
I think they serve a purpose if you want a sporty vehicle but base it on a mundane runabout, hot hatches for example.. otherwise, if its designed as a sports car it should be designed with chassis rigidity from the outset of course.
Some cars respond better to chassis stiffening than others. I've had a few hot-hatches & coupes with and without additional upper and lower chassis bracing. Improvement is more noticable on a circuit, but even on the road I reckoned turn-in was improved.
My Mk1 Eunos has a front upper tower brace and lower rear brace and certainly feels sharper than the standard car.
What are you planning on fitting them to?
My Mk1 Eunos has a front upper tower brace and lower rear brace and certainly feels sharper than the standard car.
What are you planning on fitting them to?
my friend suggested i get some for my VW golf 1.6 GL
but im not too sure.
i think a good set of tires would probably do the same job,
but im not really to knowledgable about cars.
just generally want to do a few thigns ehre and there just to improve the overall feel and looks of the car.
if i was to get some would you suggest upper and lower front or upper front and rear, or a full set ??
also im get confused between braces and anti-roll bars.
sory to sound like such a novice but would someone car to explain the difference?
but im not too sure.
i think a good set of tires would probably do the same job,
but im not really to knowledgable about cars.
just generally want to do a few thigns ehre and there just to improve the overall feel and looks of the car.
if i was to get some would you suggest upper and lower front or upper front and rear, or a full set ??
also im get confused between braces and anti-roll bars.
sory to sound like such a novice but would someone car to explain the difference?
Don't take this the wrong way, but adding strut-bracing to a basic 'non-performance' Mk3 Golf is going to be a bit of a waste of time.
If you want to sharpen the handling I'd be looking at making sure the suspension and chassis bushes were in top nick, and that the springs & dampers weren't tired, and that I had decent tyres. I'd also go for a 4-wheel geometry setup. A decent aftermarket matched spring/damper set or coilover kit can make a big difference, but be aware that many will just lower the car and make the ride rock-hard, non-compliant and hopeless on anything other than a billiard-table surface. You don't want to be riding along on the bump stops with the car getting airborne over every lump in the road.
Strut braces would be quite far down my list of improvements to make.
If I was being honest I'd go for a car that was designed to handle in the first place. I have a Mk3 Golf myself, a VR6, and it isn't exactly the last word in dynamic refinement...
Edit:
Anti-roll bars are tie-bars that help control weight-transfer across the car in corners. They are cylindrical spring steel bars that are fitted front, and usually rear, between the suspension gear on either side of the car, bolted to the underside of the car via bushes. Without them, when the suspension loads-up in a corner, the outside of the car compresses and the inside rises through weight transfer. The anti-roll bar transfers some of this load to the 'other side' of the car, reducing the roll moment.
Strut, or chassis braces usually limit the movement, or flex, of the suspension mounting points when cornering to minimise small changes in camber, caster, toe etc which can compromise handling.
If you want to sharpen the handling I'd be looking at making sure the suspension and chassis bushes were in top nick, and that the springs & dampers weren't tired, and that I had decent tyres. I'd also go for a 4-wheel geometry setup. A decent aftermarket matched spring/damper set or coilover kit can make a big difference, but be aware that many will just lower the car and make the ride rock-hard, non-compliant and hopeless on anything other than a billiard-table surface. You don't want to be riding along on the bump stops with the car getting airborne over every lump in the road.
Strut braces would be quite far down my list of improvements to make.
If I was being honest I'd go for a car that was designed to handle in the first place. I have a Mk3 Golf myself, a VR6, and it isn't exactly the last word in dynamic refinement...
Edit:
Anti-roll bars are tie-bars that help control weight-transfer across the car in corners. They are cylindrical spring steel bars that are fitted front, and usually rear, between the suspension gear on either side of the car, bolted to the underside of the car via bushes. Without them, when the suspension loads-up in a corner, the outside of the car compresses and the inside rises through weight transfer. The anti-roll bar transfers some of this load to the 'other side' of the car, reducing the roll moment.
Strut, or chassis braces usually limit the movement, or flex, of the suspension mounting points when cornering to minimise small changes in camber, caster, toe etc which can compromise handling.
Edited by speedtwelve on Saturday 28th June 00:47
acidrop616 said:
also im get confused between braces and anti-roll bars.
Strut braces reduce flexing in the top strut mounts. thereby front wheel geometry is more stable.Anti roll bar reduces body roll, by increasing the roll stiffness.
Really though, if you want to learn about car engineering, then it might be worth looking at more technically biased forums. There's a fair bit of mis-information on GG ime.
Edited by HAB on Saturday 28th June 00:44
cool cool, thanks for that, so basically your saying that there would be noticable gains from strut braces.
also, you saying about the suspension. i do have an idea for that, i ws thinking maybe gmax shocks and spax springs.
is that a good combination or is there something else you would reccomend??
once again, thanks
thom
also, you saying about the suspension. i do have an idea for that, i ws thinking maybe gmax shocks and spax springs.
is that a good combination or is there something else you would reccomend??
once again, thanks
thom
You tend to get what you pay for with suspension.
In the Corrado & Golf VR6 world, H&R springs with Koni adjustable dampers seems to be a popular choice. I have the Konis on two of my cars, I'm happy with them. There are some decent coilover kits for VWs also.
'Budget' spring/damper combos can really screw the ride and handling.
In the Corrado & Golf VR6 world, H&R springs with Koni adjustable dampers seems to be a popular choice. I have the Konis on two of my cars, I'm happy with them. There are some decent coilover kits for VWs also.
'Budget' spring/damper combos can really screw the ride and handling.
Don't take this the wrong way, but honestly, I would save the money and save it for when you upgrade to a better car. A 1.6 GL golf is NEVER going to be GREAT at handling, unless you spend thousands. And with a fairly base model, you would end up with too much grip
ower ratio... basically I don't think you'd have fun with the car. One of the benefits of older cars is that their limits are at slower speeds than newer cars, giving you a bit more fun round corners with lift-off oversteer and other such niceties.
Enjoy the car for what it is, save the money, and buy something a bit nicer next time than you were planning.
Any modifications to a Golf 1.6 GL would most likely reduce the value, as anybody looking for something sporty in that ballpark cost range and style will be able to pick up a Mk3 Golf GTi for peanuts. Anybody else just wants a runabout, WITHOUT hard-as-nails suspension.
ower ratio... basically I don't think you'd have fun with the car. One of the benefits of older cars is that their limits are at slower speeds than newer cars, giving you a bit more fun round corners with lift-off oversteer and other such niceties. Enjoy the car for what it is, save the money, and buy something a bit nicer next time than you were planning.
Any modifications to a Golf 1.6 GL would most likely reduce the value, as anybody looking for something sporty in that ballpark cost range and style will be able to pick up a Mk3 Golf GTi for peanuts. Anybody else just wants a runabout, WITHOUT hard-as-nails suspension.
Strut braces are excellent, especially in a car that suffers from flex and has 330bhp (I'm thinking my old Lancia here). However, they made a big difference because the car was pushed beyond what it was designed for and needed extra rigidity to cope with the power, better brakes and Group A suspension. Listen to what people are saying, strut braces, or pretty much any other mod will be useless on a pretty standard Golf unless you spend thousands. If you want a useful upgrade for a normal car, get yourself a nice stereo system, at least you can take it with you when you upgrade.
moleamol said:
Strut braces are excellent, especially in a car that suffers from flex and has 330bhp (I'm thinking my old Lancia here). However, they made a big difference because the car was pushed beyond what it was designed for and needed extra rigidity to cope with the power, better brakes and Group A suspension. Listen to what people are saying, strut braces, or pretty much any other mod will be useless on a pretty standard Golf unless you spend thousands. If you want a useful upgrade for a normal car, get yourself a nice stereo system, at least you can take it with you when you upgrade.
already done that:Pand stuck some GTi rear lights in it, and clear side repeaters and indicators.
i just like the whole idea of changing things. its gunna be with me for a while so i may as well turn it into something i will love rather than just something i will like, end of the day if i do come to sell it i'll just revert everything to stock. a few of my friends are qualified mechanics so it wont be a hard job, and then just sell the stuff on, yeah i'll be making a loss but you cant put a price on enjoyment in my opinion, and isnt that what its all about, enjoying yourself??
aciddrop616 said:
moleamol said:
Strut braces are excellent, especially in a car that suffers from flex and has 330bhp (I'm thinking my old Lancia here). However, they made a big difference because the car was pushed beyond what it was designed for and needed extra rigidity to cope with the power, better brakes and Group A suspension. Listen to what people are saying, strut braces, or pretty much any other mod will be useless on a pretty standard Golf unless you spend thousands. If you want a useful upgrade for a normal car, get yourself a nice stereo system, at least you can take it with you when you upgrade.
already done that:Pand stuck some GTi rear lights in it, and clear side repeaters and indicators.
i just like the whole idea of changing things. its gunna be with me for a while so i may as well turn it into something i will love rather than just something i will like, end of the day if i do come to sell it i'll just revert everything to stock. a few of my friends are qualified mechanics so it wont be a hard job, and then just sell the stuff on, yeah i'll be making a loss but you cant put a price on enjoyment in my opinion, and isnt that what its all about, enjoying yourself??
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