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Originally Posted by iam7head,Aug 15 2009, 03:12 AM
why? the are meant to be exact and tight because it's the only way they function, if you enlarge the holes, the tension from the bolt will not able to against the chassis flex.
you now have a piece of aluminum brace that shift around in the underbody instead of strengthen it.
it's a trail and error, the chassis flex is more noticeable on the older car(natural with age and mileage), i putted them on with front lifted, i putted them on with all four wheel off the ground, it's really depends and it could be time consuming, if you can't do it have a shop put it on a lift.
That's true. Having the brace fit fine without modifications would've been ideal, but I couldn't get it in. I guess I could've spent more time trying to get in and trying different ways, but do you think 1-2mm on one side of the hole on two holes will make a huge difference? In any case, lesson learned.
I have received the Whiteline X-brace by Muz last Friday. My car will be lifted as pictured in my previous post and I will let you know if there is any installation issue.
One think that I don't think anyone is taking into account is that there are variations in mounting hole locations from vehicle to vehicle, and variation in mounting hole locations from brace to brace.
I'm sure the brace is supposed to fit perfectly, but does anyone really know how well the brace manufacturer is holding tolerance to the size/shape of the brace? Similarly, does anyone really know how dimensions/tolerances of the mounting holes on the vehicle? I think not on both accounts.
It's impossible to design every part to an exact dimension, thus dimensional tolerance is required and it needs to be confirmed that mating parts will fit under "worst case" conditions at both ends of the dimensional spectrum.....think biggest post with smallest hole or smallest post with biggest hole.....
Being a mechanical engineer I can totally see how a "worst case" condition could occur with mating parts at different ends of the tolerance band for a dimension. So I think that it's entirely possible for someone to have these fitment/alignment issues which may necessitate drilling out the holes in the brace to make them fit. It doesn't necessarily mean they're doing anything wrong, it could just be a matter of probability of getting two parts that simply cannot be aligned due to dimensional differences.
If every bar were custom made to fit every car, then this would not be the problem. However, since these braces are made in lower volumes with manual manufacturing and welding, there is definitely some tolerance that has to be expected. Same as for the manufacture and assembly of a vehicle with thousands of components.
Just food for thought...I'm not trying to start an argument or irritate anyone...just looking at the big picture from an engineer's eyes...
sound like chassis flex now you have 3 of the 4. you tightened it while it flexed.
I had all 4 out on flat ground started one and like torquing a wheel go to opposite side
snugging them down after they are 4 inplace
[QUOTE=Nofar,Aug 21 2009, 06:14 AM] One think that I don't think anyone is taking into account is that there are variations in mounting hole locations from vehicle to vehicle, and variation in mounting hole locations from brace to brace.
As promised here is my feedback regarding the installation of Muz's Whiteline X-Brace.
I cannot say that I had any issue or trouble getting it on the S. I think its normal, that you have to play a bit around with the brace and first screw a few turns all four Allen bolts. Then you tight them carefully all around with no torque wrench at first. Once you are done, then you finally torque tight those Allen bolts as instructed by Honda in its S2000 manual.
Tomorrow morning I will test this product on a small track and see how it feels. Here is a quick photo I took with my phone's camera.
