Is there any truth to what I have heard about the X-Brace not allowing the engine to properly drop into the chasis during a front impact crash?

 

This has been debated back and forth quite a bit. I believe the general consensus is that the x-brace is designed to be stiff across the horizontal plane of the car. If the engine were to drop down on top of it, most people believe that the bolts would shear letting it drop out of the way. I don't believe there's been a documented case yet to prove or disprove this theory.

 

We do know the cross brace will bend if you try and jack from it, so I suspect it would probably break in an accident. Whether it would break soon enough or in the right way to allow the engine setback to occur is unknown.

UL

 

Anybody want to talk about their handling change with this upgrade or will I get sent to the Search box for asking?...

 

You might want to try the search

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ludedude

 

Here's a relevant thread going on right now in the racing and competition forum. The fast guys don't think they're necessary. http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.p...xbrace+handling

 

Pure and utter bullshit is the answer to the rumor.

 

I understand the principle of having the engine drop down in a frontal impact but, just where do you expect the engine to go? This may be applicable to most passenger cars but not low-to-the ground sports cars such as the S2000.

I did some back-to-back testing with an X-Brace on and off and back on and there is a significant difference. Steering is much more responsive. I really noticed a big improvement when the rear would step out during cornering. Without the X-Brace, there is a slight lag to the steering which is pretty unnerving. It almost felt like the car would flop over a bit before reacting to your steering correction. During this lag time, it is easy to overcorrect because it doesn't feel like the car is responding. This results in a big wiggle. With the X-Brace, the steering correction is immediate and inspires tons of confidence. You can rip around corners drifting through every apex and make micro adjustments to the steering to keep the car on the road. You never overcorrect because the input is immediate. With the X-Brace, the entire chassis feels tighter, with a more solid response to bumps and road imperfections. When I took the X-Brace off for comparison is when I really noticed just how drastic a difference it makes. Without the X-Brace, the car was downright scary to drive at full tilt in the twistys.

I'm sure a highly skilled driver could predict the behavior of the car without the X-Brace and compensate to get the same lap time as a car equipped with an X-Brace. I think the average to above average driver would be faster with the X-Brace because of the extra confidence and control. For me, it's worth every penny and every ounce.

Just my 2 cents.

 

There is a thread about this in UTH.