Next Chassis Brace

[kandyflip445]

I have a front strut tower bar so far. I'm ordering a Nismo Power Brace and some SPL TC Rods now. What should I get next? I was thinking of the DoLuck Rear Cross Bar or the Cusco Rear Strut Tower Bar and get the part that links it to the floor. Which would be better?

Summary: DoLuck RXB or Cusco RSTB w/floor attachment? Or something else?

[240KAT]

How about some tires?

[Ghettokracker71]

I'd vote rear strut bar.

[sykikchimp]

the do-luck bar will have a bigger impact on the handling. I have the Cusco bar with triangle bar attachments, and it really didn't make that much of a difference.

[AKADriver]

A cheap knockoff Pilot or something rear strut tower brace made my fastback's hatch lid stop squeaking. No change whatsoever in the way it drove, but it was a lot quieter. The sunroof quieted down, too. I doubt the triangle parts of the Cusco brace do anything.

I'm skeptical of all this overkill bracing in general, but that's my 2 cents.

[gmckey]

have you looked into the SPL Fender Braces? They made a drastic improvement on my 98 S14 (the car pictured for the S14 fender brace on SPLParts.com). I recommend that brace very highly, made my whole car feel more rigid!

[kandyflip445]

The fender brace was one of the "other" braces I was looking at.

Ok, so the RSTB isn't that big of a deal. My sunroof doesn't make anymore squeaks because I've been putting vasiline on the rubber and it's made it softer/better lubed.

I have 4 tires actually.....go whore in another thread.

I wanted the Nismo Power Brace because I've read ppl say that it helps eliminate the vagueness/dead zone in the steering. Hopefully it will help when I get it in.

When I'm coming out of the parking lot at work the driveway dips and then the road comes back up. It kinda like a "T" so you have to be turning left or right. I feel like my chassis is twisting or moving somehow. I drove a S2k there and it felt stiff at hell, very nice. I want it to be more like that. So, what about a Tunnel Brace? Anyone try one of these? It's kinda close to the front though so with the Nismo brace I don't know if it would make that much of a difference.

Thanks for all of your replies. (cept' for 240KAT)

[HaLo]

Too much stiffening up front will cause the car to understeer...

[kandyflip445]

Why is that?

[AKADriver]

Too much stiffening up front will cause the car to understeer...

Not necessarily.

For instance, in theory, an upper strut tower brace will keep the top of your struts from flexing outward, causing positive camber gain (and thus, loss of front traction and understeer).

I don't think the power brace or fender braces will add so much rigidity as to increase the effective spring rate of the front of the car THAT much.

[MakotoS13]

i always thought it to be quite well known that stiffening the front too much (in relation to the rear of the car) is a way to increase understeer. vice versa for the rear and oversteer.

[sykikchimp]

chassis stiffening only serves to allow the suspension to work better. Forcing the springs to absorb all the bumps, and the suspension to maintain proper alignment when seeing higher cornering forces.

It doesn't cause the car to under/over steer more. It WILL make a suspension or alignment problem more evident as much of the 'play' that may have been causing certain dynamic alignment situations will be removed.

increasing chassis stiffness serves to: Increase ride quality, increase agility, increase suspension accuracy and repeatability, and reduce NVH.

All good things.

Of course if your adding tons of bars that only marginally increase stiff(y)ness, you may just be hurting yourself with the extra weight. Some of these bars are really heavy.

[MakotoS13]

well, i was more less meaning the use of sway bars and the like but wouldn't anything making the front suspsension more effective usually at least have some understeer along with it? for instance; lets say you have the front all dolled up in braces and the like yet the rear is still sloppy and stock. (as far as bracing is concerned). since you've enhanced the front suspension's ability to cope with the rigors of driving wouldn't that add understeer? that seemed to be the case in my cougar.

[sykikchimp]

I believe that falls under the "other suspension or alignment problem"

[shinhed]

..... Nismo Power Brace.........DoLuck Rear Cross Bar....
If you have not ordered the Power Brace yet, I doubt you'll find it cheaper than here....
http://www.performancenissanparts.com/
http://www.performancenissanparts.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=146_560_630_632

I'm thinking of the Do-Luck Cross Bar next but not certain.

[heated heavy]

i hear the do-luck cross bar is pointless and that it flexes due to the huge hump in the middle.

[s13conv]

I wouldn't mind if it [power bar] took away *some* of the oversteer that the HICAS rear bar has given me. ;-)

[gmckey]

adequately sized sway bars in the front and rear should give you neutral response... unless they are designed for understeer or oversteer. anyways, the power brace is a good idea, but I stand firm by the SPL Fenderbraces, great bang for the buck.

[s13conv]

I've been thinking about either the power bar or the fender braces. Are the NAMS fender braces cheaper? Does anyone know who sells them?

[gmckey]

Nams are pretty much the same thing and SPL will most definetly be cheaper. Plus, they rock as far as customer service and their price is shipped.

[Var]

anything from do luck is a rip off. the rear cross bar costs more than an Autopower roll bar. 4 point race roll bar with horizontal and diagonal links is like 300 bucks. do luck bullshit bar is like 350.

[sykikchimp]

The only review I've ever read on the Do-luck RXB is from TY Yapp on FA, and he said it made the biggest difference of any chassis brace he's installed on his car. Coming from a guy with a LOT of braces, and track experience, I would tend to believe him.

Roll bars are definatey the best way to tighten the car up, but some people don't want an unsightly roll bar in their car.

[Var]

totally understand...but unsightly? very sexy IMO..besides the point though. I know do luck is a great company with good products, but prices are about double what everything is worth.

[AKADriver]

If the Do-Luck RXB is really that good, making a copy here in the US would be dirt cheap. Probably worth a good profit. A roll cage fabricator could make that for you, too... it's just a bar that bends over the tunnel and bolts to the sills, right?

Hm, if that works, even better, you could make a bar like that, that hugs the floor, and weld it in along the way. STIFF!

[Brian]

i believe APC sells a generic floor bar just like the do luck unit.
maybe you should look into it...

[AKADriver]

Could be worth it.

The problem with APC is that they generally cut TOO many corners. No guarantees about what materials they're using or the quality of the welds.

But I can't judge until I've seen it.

Ah, here it is... it's Arospeed that makes it, and it's universal-fit. I don't know how it's possible to make something like that universal-fit. Ghetto.

http://arospeed.com/images/images_big/floorbar.jpg

[kandyflip445]

I really don't like "one-size-fits-all" stuff. Thanks for the links. I think I remember reading that thread on FA about the RXB. Doesn't Dousan have a lot of braces too? Maybe he'll post sometime.

I think SPL should just copy it and sell it for like 100 less, if they could. I would buy one without hesitation if they did.

I wouldn't think the big hump in the middle would flex THAT much. Sure, it's not exactly strong to stick a hump in the middle of a straight bar but it looks to be a pretty thick bar.

[kuruptR]

Stop wasting money, get a half cage (4 point) and call it a night...

[Dousan_PG]

i have the do luck bar and i f'in love it
i have the jspec rear ladder and front ladder and i freaking love them too! all those do luck products rock.

worth every penny!!

i know you can get them at www.splparts.com

[kandyflip445]

Would the half cage be like the Do-Luck Tension Gauge? I was thinking about this but if you look at it on the SPL site it still has the RXB on the bottom. Right now I'm thinking the RXB and then getting maybe the Tension Gauge later. I found a Tanabe RXB too and it has more mounting points(it mounts to the tranny tunnel too).

[AKADriver]

Autopower's "street" roll bar will look like the "tension gauge set"... except the diagonal bars will point straight down from the roof to the strut towers instead of following the curve of the roof and rear window. This is a much stronger design, but it obviously kills rear seat head space. A "race" roll bar will have a diagonal brace across the main hoop.

The "tension gauge set" doesn't include the floor bar, by the way, it's just there in the picture.

Do-Luck Tension Gauge Set:
http://www.splparts.com/Parts/_Nissan90/Suspension/DoluckRearTensionGauge.jpg

Autopower Street:
http://www.ioportracing.com/images/product/rb-street.jpg

Autopower Race:
http://www.ioportracing.com/images/product/rb-race.jpg

[Var]

Do luck Rear tension gauge steel=$550 aluminum=$680
Do luck rxb=$350

Autopower race roll bar =$300 for DOM tubing $270 for ERW tubing

it would be tight to have the rear tension gauge and the rxb if you can afford it and think it's worth all the extra money. I went with the autopower bolt in cage for 700. If i were to decide again, i think i would just go with the 4 point. The car spends most of it's life on the street and in the mountains where a roll cage can be dangerous without a hemlet..

[s13conv]

Could be worth it.

The problem with APC is that they generally cut TOO many corners. No guarantees about what materials they're using or the quality of the welds.

But I can't judge until I've seen it.

Ah, here it is... it's Arospeed that makes it, and it's universal-fit. I don't know how it's possible to make something like that universal-fit. Ghetto.

http://arospeed.com/images/images_big/floorbar.jpg
From Arospeed website:
The Arospeed floor bar is designed to create a brace between each side of the chassis. This bar is placed between the front and rear seat floor, and bolts directly into the seatbelt mount. By being placed in a central area of the vehicle it helps to create a more rigid chassis, which can also help stiffen the suspension.

It looks similar and it's $79
http://www.splparts.com/Parts/_Nissan90/Suspension/DoluckRearCrossBar.jpg

[wanganwonder]

Somebody was selling safety21 4 point cages for around $300 but i can't remember who it was. Might have been tougefactory.

anybody else seen that?

[sciamop]

I tried to install the aerospeed RXB on my 90 Coupe -- Due to those GDMF'ing automatic seatbelts, the tensioners are located on the floor (not the B-pillar). This interferes with mounting the RXB properly.

I could have got it to work, but I do not like to mess with the only safety equipment this tin can has. I'd suggest converting to the Canadian seat belts before trying to put this on.

However, I had this in my MKIII Supra and it made a marginal difference with the targa/sport roof off.

Todd
90 Coupe
93 Coupe