does anyone have any first hand experience using frame braces, also if anyone has use teh spoon x brace Vs. the White Line (Muz) brace. Also has anyone used the tower brace withe a under body brace Vs. no under body brace. Like to know the difference between the different combinations.

 

I've driven a couple of cars back-to-back with and without the Spoon x-brace. There is a definite difference in feeling...especially how solid the car feels over Chicago type streets, and railway crossings.

I have yet to get an x-brace on my car, but will sometime in the near future. As far as the White Line brace compares to an "X" style brace, I'd be a little weary...I am no engineer so please don't take my opinion as a professional one.

I've also driven a car with no x-brace, but with a beefed up front anti-roll bar on the same day we were testing the brace vs. no-brace setups. Hands down, the car with no brace but WITH an anti-roll bar was the way to go. So I did, I have the Mugen bar on the front and the OEM on the rear.

Whenever the next time we meet, you can take my car for a spin so that you can get an idea of the ride.

 

I have the Neuspeed X-brace on my car because I do my own oil changes. The Spoon can make oil changes rather messy because one of the triangular supports welded into the center of the X-brace is right below the drain plug. The Neuspeed does not have this problem because the triangular supports are located in different places. I also have the Neuspeed Shock Tower Brace on my car.

As soon as I put the X-brace on my car I could feel the front was more rigid when steering through a corner that had bumpy or broken pavement, a VERY good improvement to the car even if you do not track it. When I put the STB on, the X-brace was already there so it was hard to tell if it did much, but I track my car and I felt it was a wise idea to give the top of the shock towers the extra strength.

 

The thing I would like to know about this bar is where does the bar on the passenger side go from the front to the back in relationship to the engine? When I see pictures I suspect it goes right under the opening where you reach up to get the oil filter. So you can get to the drain plug, but can you now get to the oil filter???

 

Luder when I get the braces maybe we can do some tests and post it on the web site. Maybe throw it on different cars and get a more scientific feed back on the braces.

 

some input from import development on braces and shock upgrade for the S2K;

The Koni's or even Bilsteins would be a good first step in a shock upgrade. The stock shocks are actually quite fine, except on the track, after you've been out there pushing anywhere between 8 and 10 tenths, the shocks will heat up, and for the rear shocks, they will get a little twitchy. Otherwise, for spirited drives, stock, Koni or Bilstein would be fine.

Just a note, we have shocks, no struts in this car. The STB was originally for cars with McPherson strut suspension. The STB adds a little bit of flair on this car, and functionality wise, will do very little - but when joined with a lower x-brace, it will do a bit more. I'd recommend getting an x-brace first. We currently have in stock the new Comptech and Neuspeed x-braces and the Spoon x-braces are a few weeks out before we get our next shipment. So my suggestion - start with that, it will help tighten up the steering in front, and YES you will notice a difference.

 

I don't know where this bar is in relation to the engine, but I can assume that for the majority, this would be a non-issue. It's very easy to get to the oil filter from the top of the bay, I'd suspect it to be easier than the bottom with or without the brace.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Racezx9
[B]Luder when I get the braces maybe we can do some tests and post it on the web site.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Luder94
[B]I don't know where this bar is in relation to the engine, but I can assume that for the majority, this would be a non-issue.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Triple-H

That is a personal choice kind of thing. All the people I know do it from below because one, they are already down there...

If I remember correctly, the reach from below is much longer (further away) than it is from above. I'm not too positive though.

...and two, because there is no chance of dripping oil on the engine or frame,...

Any drops left behind, clean up easy with Simple Green.

...no chance of scratching the fender with your cloths...

Just takes some care and precaution on wearing just the right t-shirts when working on a car.

...and no chance of dropping the filter or a tool on the fender....

I only hand tighten wearing a pair of Mechanix gloves and see no use for tools. The tips of the gloves make sure I have a good handle on the filter. I'd rather be above the filter than below it if/when I dropped a filter.

...Thus it is not a "non-issue" for lots and lots of people.

I guess I misrepresented, this is really a non-issue for me. Please take my comments as tongue-in-cheek. I am just messing with you, if you find anything I've said as condescending please let me know. I will edit out my comments.