Todays mod - Muz's Whiteline Xbrace
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,004
Likes: 0
From: Torrance, CA 90509
Todays mod - Muz's Whiteline Xbrace
Popped it on today, only got a chance for some light driving, but the butt dyno thinks the front end feels tighter!
EDIT: Newcomers to this thread, read below - this Mod makes a HUGE improvement on handling. HUGE.
-JD
EDIT: Newcomers to this thread, read below - this Mod makes a HUGE improvement on handling. HUGE.
-JD
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,004
Likes: 0
From: Torrance, CA 90509
I am all about stealth and performance. Yeah, I put on the OEM lip, but for the most part I spend money for performance not show - in fact, I figure the less show the more I can get away with. So when I put this thing on, I pretty much figured it was just gonna be Boy-Racer Bling that I would turn around and resell, but I thought I should give it a shot anyhow... I mean heck, Honda engineers build this intense rigid frame, what is a little xbrace gonna add... I loved the way my s2000 handled already...
Boy, was I WRONG! The X-brace improved handling so dramatically that I think it should be a required mod, and I think I might go so far as to say that the s2000 is unnecessarily dangerous without one. I'd urge everyone who thought this was bling to go out and get on RIGHT NOW - I'm not even sure that the brand matters so much.
At first I thought it took away some steering feel... My s was always "nervous" around corners, the bumpier the more nervous. Plus whenever going over "jumps" (like Del Amo blvd's eastbound lanes on the west side of West High in Torrance) I'd never know what direction I'd end up in when landing, I'd have to reign the front end back in. I always wrote it off to the short wheelbase, to the high power, to the slow recovery of my RWD driving skills after 12 years of FWD...
But I was wrong - in every one of those instances, it was the strut towers bouncing around pointing the front wheels in a wide range of directions. After spending a mere 15 minutes bolting the brace on, I feel like my car has gone to a whole different level. I don't have to reign in the front end at all - I just point and shoot. Because the front end isn't dancing around, I can get the rear end much closer to the edge because I don't have to worry about a wild jitter kicking it loose. And to think, I wasn't even aware of the problem until it was fixed.
Although I already knew the difference was huge, today's PV twisties really highlighted it for me. I wasn't ready to drift it, but I knew exactly where I was going. I had a heck of a lot more fun on them than I ever had before. I can't WAIT for the canyon runs. Guess I just can't stop gushing about this mod, this even bumps the high-beam garage door opener mod from it's top spot as my fav mod.
The funny thing is that while everyone I talked to since who has one says "yeah, big difference" but I just didn't get that from assorted posts on the subject that I cruised here -- so I was on the fence about it for a long time, just kinda tried it because it was there and I was bored. So if you are on the fence about it, take it from a stealth fan - this isn't bling, this is an incredible all-out performance improvement.
As Starsky and Hutch would say - DOIT!
-JD
Boy, was I WRONG! The X-brace improved handling so dramatically that I think it should be a required mod, and I think I might go so far as to say that the s2000 is unnecessarily dangerous without one. I'd urge everyone who thought this was bling to go out and get on RIGHT NOW - I'm not even sure that the brand matters so much.
At first I thought it took away some steering feel... My s was always "nervous" around corners, the bumpier the more nervous. Plus whenever going over "jumps" (like Del Amo blvd's eastbound lanes on the west side of West High in Torrance) I'd never know what direction I'd end up in when landing, I'd have to reign the front end back in. I always wrote it off to the short wheelbase, to the high power, to the slow recovery of my RWD driving skills after 12 years of FWD...
But I was wrong - in every one of those instances, it was the strut towers bouncing around pointing the front wheels in a wide range of directions. After spending a mere 15 minutes bolting the brace on, I feel like my car has gone to a whole different level. I don't have to reign in the front end at all - I just point and shoot. Because the front end isn't dancing around, I can get the rear end much closer to the edge because I don't have to worry about a wild jitter kicking it loose. And to think, I wasn't even aware of the problem until it was fixed.
Although I already knew the difference was huge, today's PV twisties really highlighted it for me. I wasn't ready to drift it, but I knew exactly where I was going. I had a heck of a lot more fun on them than I ever had before. I can't WAIT for the canyon runs. Guess I just can't stop gushing about this mod, this even bumps the high-beam garage door opener mod from it's top spot as my fav mod.
The funny thing is that while everyone I talked to since who has one says "yeah, big difference" but I just didn't get that from assorted posts on the subject that I cruised here -- so I was on the fence about it for a long time, just kinda tried it because it was there and I was bored. So if you are on the fence about it, take it from a stealth fan - this isn't bling, this is an incredible all-out performance improvement.
As Starsky and Hutch would say - DOIT!
-JD
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 307
Likes: 0
From: Torrance
I just missed the delivery of mine on Friday... Oh well should get it monday!
Glad to read this thread... I had not found anything totally positive either but decided to by it on Muz's advice..
Glad to read this thread... I had not found anything totally positive either but decided to by it on Muz's advice..