RR on Rick's X-brace
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Registered User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,660
Likes: 2
From: Midlothian
Well, I have driven it three times hard on some killer backroads, so i have a pretty good feel for it (no pics).
1) The install was easy - I just jacked up the front end and placed the stands outboard on the jack point lips so I had plenty of room to navigate. I applied anti-seize to the bolts and torqued them to 34#, then re-checked them a few days later and they had not loosened. The long bolts go in the rear.
2) The car feels more planted, and heavier in a good sense - there is a bit of nervous chatter in the stock setup down below, very subtle, but pretty obvious when it is removed by the x-brace.
3) The car takes a very tight line into a corner, and holds it smoothly (that planted word again). There is far less need to make little steering corrections, which allows you to focus on clipping the apex, and getting on the throttle as early as possible, an important race strategy for this car.
4) It is no trouble getting a 17mm socket or box wrench up there for oil changes - yes, a little oil could get on the brace, but you can always use a funnel with a hose to divert the oil flow, or make a bib out of aluminum foil or an old milk jug. Given the strength of the design, this is not a big deal for me.
5) Ground clearance - this would appear to be the low point of the car now. I drove over some severe road berms, and did not have any throuble, and I think if you hit anything high enough to engage the x-brace, it is likely that bad things would have happened anyway.
4) The car felt more neutral, with neither the MY04's slight understeer or the heritage cars' "light" tail to contend with.
All in all, I give it an A for performance, A for ease of installation, C for lack of directions, and B for ease of maintenance (the oil thing).
1) The install was easy - I just jacked up the front end and placed the stands outboard on the jack point lips so I had plenty of room to navigate. I applied anti-seize to the bolts and torqued them to 34#, then re-checked them a few days later and they had not loosened. The long bolts go in the rear.
2) The car feels more planted, and heavier in a good sense - there is a bit of nervous chatter in the stock setup down below, very subtle, but pretty obvious when it is removed by the x-brace.
3) The car takes a very tight line into a corner, and holds it smoothly (that planted word again). There is far less need to make little steering corrections, which allows you to focus on clipping the apex, and getting on the throttle as early as possible, an important race strategy for this car.
4) It is no trouble getting a 17mm socket or box wrench up there for oil changes - yes, a little oil could get on the brace, but you can always use a funnel with a hose to divert the oil flow, or make a bib out of aluminum foil or an old milk jug. Given the strength of the design, this is not a big deal for me.
5) Ground clearance - this would appear to be the low point of the car now. I drove over some severe road berms, and did not have any throuble, and I think if you hit anything high enough to engage the x-brace, it is likely that bad things would have happened anyway.
4) The car felt more neutral, with neither the MY04's slight understeer or the heritage cars' "light" tail to contend with.
All in all, I give it an A for performance, A for ease of installation, C for lack of directions, and B for ease of maintenance (the oil thing).
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,937
Likes: 7
From: houston
Rick's X-brace is the one mod that I would do again in an instant.
Easy to install and clearly noticeable the first time you get behind the wheel. IMO the S2000 should come from the factory with something like this in place.
Easy to install and clearly noticeable the first time you get behind the wheel. IMO the S2000 should come from the factory with something like this in place.
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Registered User
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 7,731
Likes: 1
From: Calgary, AB
I had the Muz brace on my '01, and I loved it. Rick's brace will be one of the first mods I do to my '04... I'm sure it'll make a great difference. I hate how loose the steering feels without a brace.
