Hi,

Does anyone out there have experience of fitting a strut brace to the front suspension 'turrets'??

a) Does it make a damn bit of different?
b) If YES, then which one should I get?

Any thoughts this Friday afternoon would be very welcome,

Cheers,

Andy

Hi,

I fitted a strur brace - an OMP one. Forget who from but ring around the usual suspects (Xtreme, Elite etc etc). It fits across the suspension turrets as you say.

I had Subaru fit mine ('cos the car was in for a service anyway). They fitted extra washers between the brace and turret to protect the paintwork.

Does it work? Hmmm. When I fitted one to my old Cavalier that made a noticable difference. But when I collected the Scoob I had 4 bald, incorrectly sized tyres and just went down the m'way to Micheldever to get 4 new tyres. The tyre differences masked out any benefit I would have seen.

At the worst you will find no difference - but make sure you check the geometry afterwards - it has been known to change.

Cheers

Dave

Dave,

<<At the worst you will find no difference>>

Hmmm... not an overwhelming reason to buy one. Has anyone else had better experiences? Or are the benefits too small to notice in 'normal' (road) driving?

Andy

PS. Dave - What sort of set-up have you got? Maybe you'll only notice the difference if you have a stiff? Just a thought.

If I have a *stiff what*....?!

Anyhow, I have lower, STIFFER Eibach springs on standard dampers. Plus 215/40-17 tyres, Powerflex bushes and MRT anti-lift kit.

If you look in the FAQ there are a few comments about strut braces.

Cheers

Dave

Dave,

Friday afternoons....my mind must have been wandering!

Don't typos just re-affirm that so much of the English language is redundant? http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/smile.gif

Back to the program... In your opinion, do you think the strut upgrade was worth the money?

Andy

Back on the program - I think it's worth it. For about £50 you can't go wrong.

Dave

Dave,

okay, currently I'm thinking about upgrades to MY95 in the following order:
1. Fit bigger rear anti-roll bar
2. ...er it was going to be strut brace , but maybe this goes down a place or too
3. Anti lift kit - I think moves up to 2. given the info.
4. Start saving for LEDA B or Prodrive spring/damper upgrades.

Do you think I'm heading the right way?

Andy

Andy, I fitted a later A/R bar to my MY94. Well worth it, more noticeably on faster sweeping bends when the car feels more planted . I have fitted the later MY98 suspension, but suprisingly theres very little difference , and any differences there are I think is more due to the fact that my original dampers had done 45,000miles . Damping felt a little better. I believe MY96 and 97 things were a bit firmer, and of course MY 99 , by all accounts. I am now looking at Powerflex anti-role bar and link bar bushes, as the general concensus seems to be these help, and cut out a bit of body roll.

Mark

J,

are strut braces difficult to fit and how do you go about applying the tension?

Andy

Just got the prices for a front ally strut brace from Graham Goode - £195. Ouch. I think I'll start saving for an anti-lift kit instead.

Andy

OMP strut brace was about £50. But you only get it in yellow so when I lift the bonnet on my green Scoob there is a colour clash....

As for the plans - get the larger AR bar from the later car and, as you go, replace the bushes with Powerflex ones. The AL kit is a definite must - and it's fairly cheap.

I'm also gonna get the metal link bars for front and back (from MRT) - these replace the placcie ones you get on UK cars (and Aussie cars). The WRX/STi has a metal front link - but it does NOT fit the UK car (at least not a 96). Also, with the front link bar you can't get Powerflex bushes for it. The larger one is the same as the rear (I and PE found out) but they don't do the lower smaller diameter one. So metal it is...

Dave

Dave,

The AR links at the back of an STI are still plastic.

I currently have uprated bushes fitted to the AR's and their links. I will soon have new metal links (and AL kit) and I'll let you know how it goes.

I believe strut braces do work.. if correctly tensioned, and only when driving/cornering very hard. I had an OMP fitted to my previous car... I couldnt really notice any difference (I didnt drive the car to the limits). The other parts of the suspension do make a difference. The legs will take up alot of play, so will the bushes. So personally I put the AR bars, bushes, etc... higher than the Strut brace.

Cheers,

J.

ps - Any comments any one ?
ps - I think I got mine from Demon Tweaks (rip off company)

Hi,

I agree with all that. I was also surprised that STis have plastic links - saw a 22B on a ramp the other day and they do to...Hmmm.

As for Demon Tweeks - they seem to be more expensive than every other accessory place I know too. Got a K&N panel filter - they quoted £54. I finally got it for £44 from Larkspeed but I had been quoted £41 but this company didn't have it in stock.

Dave

Howdy..

Strut braces are the easiest things in the world to fit...

You simply undo the three nuts holding the suspension legs in (under the bonnet). And fit the Strut brace. You might find that the top mounts arent perfectly flat. 3 big washers (acting as spacers) can help. Tighten down the nuts (but dont shear or strip them). Thats all there is to fitting it. (10-15 minutes).

As for adjusting, the OMP has an adjuster built into it. You simply loosen off the locking nuts, twist the adjuster with a spanner, once the require tension is set, tighten up the locking nuts. Simple http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/smile.gif

I know you are going to say what tension... adjust it so you feel the adjuster getting tight/hard to turn. You dont want to force the wings apart. Its there to stop them flexing in.

Cheers,

J.

ps - Make sure you fit it on flat ground (wheels are flat and level on the ground)

pss - If you do get one and havent got the tools... let me know and I'll fit it... or lend you the tools (spanners) to do it.

[This message has been edited by firefox (edited 27-09-1999).]

J.

Cheers mate - I might just take you up on that offer of help!

Andy

PS. I noticed you were looking into a turbo upgrade - did you get anywhere with it?

Hi again..

Yep..

Bits are being shipped today...woo-feckin-hoo!!!

At last http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/smile.gif

Unfortunately I'm away this weekend..and back at work on *Tuesday* - Correction I've changed it to the following Monday*...

J.

ps - Let me know about the strut brace.. http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/smile.gif



[This message has been edited by firefox (edited 28-09-1999).]

J.

Cor new turbo!...what'll it do mister? http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/wink.gif

Thanks again for the offer of help (everyone's so jolly nice on this BBS!). I'll be scrimping and saving over the next couple of months to get hold of an anti-roll bar, strut brace and anti-lift kit. Probably wait to fit them all at the same time. I guess that common sense tells me to fit them one at the time so I can quantify the benefits - but I'd rather get it all sorted in one go.

Cheers,

Andy