strut braces...


aRc

aRc

Former EK9 owner!
Joined
Apr 27, 2009
Messages
1,161
i wonder if anyone can help...

i'm thinking of getting a few strut braces, when the car goes in for a service, but having seen so many different one's over the time, i was wondering if anyone could offer some advice.

i have seen some high-level rear one's - connected to the boot opening mechanism - low-level rear one's - where the boot sides have been 'cut out' - lower rear one's - i.e. underneath the car - plus both higher and lower front one's. can someone advise me which are best or are all relevant. also, if these really make a difference and are recommended? i would like the keep the red oem one under the bonnet but if aftermarket one's are much better, then i would change it.

any help on this would be greatly appreciated. i have searched through the site and not really seen many posts on this, although the http://www.ek9.org/forum/suspension/13455-spoon-mugen-strut-braces.html thread was quite useful.

thanks in advance.
 
I've got a dc2 front strut. It's good & only about £40! If not password jdm are rated highly as there3 point
 
I have the front and rear spoon struts that connect to the suspension mounts..I would love a password jdm one for the front..Struts for the suspension mounts are so much better than the red oem one
 
jdm 3383 said:
Struts for the suspension mounts are so much better than the red oem one
Click to expand...

Yep, the OEM red brace up front is well worth swapping out to a brace that will connect the suspension mount points rather than simply connecting two points across the chassis. I noticed a vast improvement after fitting my Vision (same as Spoon) front brace. Eventually I'd love a Carbing or PWJDM 3 point strut as these are by far the best design available for the EK9.

As for the rear, a strut that connects the rear two suspension mount points is a very worth while investment. I fitted one of these along with a C pillar brace (not actually connected to the boot opening mechanism but to the rear seat belt mount points) and noticed a very nice improvement in back end feel and tightness.

My feeling on bracing is go for whatever you can afford, as you WILL feel improvements whenever extra bracing is fitted. The stiffer you can get the chassis, the move the handling will improve.
 
The Password 3 point is a good choice for the front, you can order direct from them too. Most rear strut braces will do but I prefer the solid units above the ones with a hinge on them, once again the Password rear is good.
The Carbing tie bars (underneath) are a good idea however build quality is poor - they rust fairly quickly, maybe try another make.
They all help to reduce flex and the difference is noticeable imo. You can get X braces, rear seatbelt mounted braces & boot braces etc - some of these are more intrusive - taking up passenger or luggage space.
 
Strut bars only make a difference on stock or near stock cars imo, once you have a good suspension setup there difference they make is negligible... So now you have to ask yourself do you have a stock or near stock setup? If so get some bars ;) If you already have good coilovers and factory ek9 swaybars then save your money.
 
blinx9900 said:
Strut bars only make a difference on stock or near stock cars imo, once you have a good suspension setup there difference they make is negligible... So now you have to ask yourself do you have a stock or near stock setup? If so get some bars ;) If you already have good coilovers and factory ek9 swaybars then save your money.
Click to expand...

this might be me talking a load of bull so correct me if i am wrong, but if you have stiffer shocks and springs wont that put more stress on the chassis hence you would need better braces. as i said i'm thinking out loud here.
 
i use itr front bar and tein at the rear they are good looking struts bars both.
and i found the car a little sharper using them :nice:

the oem itr bar is better than spoon and than any other bar that has one bolt

bolt.gif


even better than oem is the one piece bars like mugen cabring :)
 
abunai888 said:
the oem itr bar is better than spoon and than any other bar that has one bolt
Click to expand...

I disagree, the OEM ITR front strut only fixes the chassis mount points, not the suspension mount points. Hence, I'd say its no better than the OEM EK9 strut..
 
Jokeshopbeard said:
I disagree, the OEM ITR front strut only fixes the chassis mount points, not the suspension mount points. Hence, I'd say its no better than the OEM EK9 strut..
Click to expand...

Agreed..I cant see how it would be better if its only connected to the chassis mounts and not the suspension mounts
 
Jokeshopbeard said:
I disagree, the OEM ITR front strut only fixes the chassis mount points, not the suspension mount points. Hence, I'd say its no better than the OEM EK9 strut..
Click to expand...

i said : the oem itr bar is better than spoon and than any other bar that has one bolt

i didnt mention the point is a plus for sure but spoon for example has 1 bolt ...
 
abunai888 said:
i said : the oem itr bar is better than spoon and than any other bar that has one bolt

i didnt mention the point is a plus for sure but spoon for example has 1 bolt ...
Click to expand...

SPOON one bolts onto the sussy points, of course spoon one is better, but just slightly.

Back to topic....

if you looking for a Front strut, dont waste your time and money on 2 points when you can go for a 3-point brace like the above said PWJDM and carbing.
 
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dhdavectr said:
this might be me talking a load of bull so correct me if i am wrong, but if you have stiffer shocks and springs wont that put more stress on the chassis hence you would need better braces. as i said i'm thinking out loud here.
Click to expand...

The stiffer the chassis, the better the sussys will work.

This is true ever since I've installed all my carbing braces. Suspension became much more responsive and chassis feels tight. When you drive a DC5R, you definitely notice the difference in rigidity over older model type Rs.
 
as Mr jugbugz says, the more bracing the tighter the car will feel, although cheap ebay specials the bar itself is not made to the same high spec as most well known companies and will just flex thus having very little or even no effect to the rigidity of the car

-I changed my front brace to a spoon one and felt the front end more responsive, only slightly
-Fitted a rear J's racing brace and felt the rear end was massively stiffer, big improvement
-Fitted a unit-8 front lower H-brace and noticed a huge difference, steering is very sharp and precise with much more feedback and improved turn in

Obviously on standard suspension extra bracing will have very little effect, but with high spring rates, stickier tyres, more aggressive alignment, harder bushes, uprated brakes etc you can certainly feel the extra rigidity :)
 
We will soon have our 3 point braces - they will be £120 and are just the same as Carbing!

If you can wait - eta 6 weeks
 
dhdavectr said:
this might be me talking a load of bull so correct me if i am wrong, but if you have stiffer shocks and springs wont that put more stress on the chassis hence you would need better braces. as i said i'm thinking out loud here.
Click to expand...
Who knows, you may be correct, your theory is sound, i am only speaking of what my butt feels lol, and maybe i am somewhat bitter as all my mods required me to remove all my strut bars :(



jugbugz said:
The stiffer the chassis, the better the sussys will work.

This is true ever since I've installed all my carbing braces. Suspension became much more responsive and chassis feels tight. When you drive a DC5R, you definitely notice the difference in rigidity over older model type Rs.
Click to expand...

With all do respect sire the DC5 has a completely different suspension system and can't be compared to ek9.
 
Bracing?

3 Point in the front, either Benen, Carbing, Password JDM or otherwise. 3 point bars even stiffen the firewall for a more direct braking feel, because the firewall flexes a bit when you brake.

Whether a two point bar actually connects to the suspension studs (most aftermarket) or the shock tower (EK9, VTI, SI OEM) doesn't matter. As long as everything solid and tight, the bar is doing the same job of reducing chassis flex by connecting the two shock towers.

I don't like this graphic, a tower bar with one bolt as shown would not flop around at the mounts as shown. It would flex more between the bar and the mounts making it undesirable.
bolt.gif


I would do a simple rear shock tower brace for an EK9, in the style of the ITR one with two bolts.

After coilovers, quality wheels and tires, and changing your bushings for your application, I would recommend whatever low low cost DIY bracing like seam welding, making your own chassis braces, and rivets.
Then, a roll cage is a good idea. I wouldn't recommend spending money on C pillar bars, rear lower tie bars, EM racing trunk bars, ect. on an EK9 as they aren't worth the money spent compared to other mods.
 
As said, the 3 point struts are the best front strut bars.
\tegiwa: taking over the worlD!!! ;) looking for ward to seeing the products
 
I was going to get a spoon front strut brace since i have a spoon rear, but after reading this i think il get a carbing 3point bad boy lol.
 
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