i spent quite a bit of time reading up on x-braces, and it seems like the general consensus is that they help chassis rigidity...a lot. not too expensive either, so i think that's my next purchase.

i guess what i'm looking for is, any input on the best one? looks decent (not too important since it's on the bottom), solidly built, and doesn't interfere terribly w/oil changes.

i see that there's a cusco and a spoon for sale locally, how are those? the other ones i thought looked good (only from reading) were the muz and digrappa (no longer available?) x-braces. thanks

 

Spoon rusts out too easily. I've had two of them (one of them rusted, the other rusted and broke at the gussets).

I've had the DiGrappa brace as well...the first one Mark DiGrappa ever made. That was the best.

I now have the Comptech brace, I like it alot. However, if I was buying a new one today, I'd go after the Cusco bracing (full chassis and sub-frame bracing).

 

I've had the Muz one on since I bought the car. I bought it along with the clear turn signal markers, custom floor mats, and wide angle sideview mirrors.

Can't say I feel much with it on. They do make oil changes slightly messier. I say save your money and get some decent coilovers or buy some better tires instead.

 

The testing I saw showed that the Xbrace offeres no benefit (except as a skid plate to protect your oil pan.)

Save your $$$.

 

urmil: are the digrappa ones still available for purchase anywhere? i think i remember you were telling me a story about it; didn't seem like they were in production anymore.

alan/pete: really? it seemed like over 85% or so of the people that offered opinions on x-braces in general said they felt an improvement in stability or whatever...maybe it was just a placebo effect? coilovers are a little too expensive for me right now (>$1k?).

 

I am sure it is a placebo effect. The results I saw were back to back laps around a track.

The one Rick's currently sells is close to the design of the Digrappa brace. There is a story, but its probably best told at a meet, not over the board.

 

This can be said also for a front strut bar yet many manufacturers are including them as OEM.

I personally have had a Spoon X-Brace on for 3 years with no problems. As for the potential for rust...its called Rustoleum and can be purchased at any hardware store. Pull the brace off once a year and spray it down and reinstall. No big deal.

 

Not to thread jack, but on a similar topic, has anyone tried inner fender braces?

 

I think he meant for the S2000 specifically. The S2000's chassis is very stiff that an x-brace makes no diffrence. Some feel the difference and am not to dispute that.

 

ah okay, yeah i remember the story now. as far as back to back lap results...that'd only be for lap times, right? i guess i'm more interested in everyday driving improvement. some posts i saw were about say, improved handling over bumps or railroad tracks or whatever. any benefits there, or do you think there's nothing there either?