Strut braces!!

29th June 2009, 20:14

hi all,

lookin into buyin the OMP upper and lower strut braces, ive heard the combination isnt a good idea, but why would they be sold as a pair ?

has anyone got the strut braces, and what do you think of them

Tom

29th June 2009, 20:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by saxo88vtr

hi all,

lookin into buyin the OMP upper and lower strut braces, ive heard the combination isnt a good idea, but why would they be sold as a pair ?

has anyone got the strut braces, and what do you think of them

Tom

Very good set up......................

29th June 2009, 21:00

im after the same set up , what price have you been looking at ?

29th June 2009, 21:03

There about £70 - £80 for the two usually, the lower will make the bigger difference, but put together should add up to make a good noticable difference.

29th June 2009, 21:14

70-80-quid? thats real cheap for the pair i think ive seen them for about 110, think ill get them along with the powerflex full front n rear poly bush kit

29th June 2009, 21:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by saxo88vtr

70-80-quid? thats real cheap for the pair i think ive seen them for about 110, think ill get them along with the powerflex full front n rear poly bush kit

All good so far mate

What about dampers and springs? Rear arb? engine mountings?

29th June 2009, 21:18

www.strutbracer.co.uk

29th June 2009, 21:21

http://www.kamracing.co.uk/citroen-s...rut-braces-91/

£77, there is always deals for the 2 for a little bit less though.

29th June 2009, 21:31

fit the pair, the top is mainly for bay bling but wont hurt. Its the bottom that mainly aids performance.

29th June 2009, 21:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaXo_vtr123

http://www.kamracing.co.uk/citroen-s...rut-braces-91/

£77, there is always deals for the 2 for a little bit less though.

neither include VAT, so its around £85 iirc

also, top is sold out

29th June 2009, 21:43

Bottom once is the only 1 i noticed a difference on

29th June 2009, 23:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaXo_vtr123

All good so far mate

What about dampers and springs? Rear arb? engine mountings?

think ill get the bilstein set up they got on kam, front shocks with the 45 mm lowering option, n the rear dampers, should handle a treat then, where can i get uprated engine mounts from? and what makes them different to OEM parts? better quality? stiffer?

cheers

30th June 2009, 08:50

The strut braces when both used together make the biggest difference. I love mine i noticed better handling immediately after fitting them.

People say that the top one doesnt make any difference however under hard cornering i absolutely can assure you it does. It helps keep the whole front stable and uneven tyre wear down too.

30th June 2009, 08:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by saxo88vtr

think ill get the bilstein set up they got on kam, front shocks with the 45 mm lowering option, n the rear dampers, should handle a treat then, where can i get uprated engine mounts from? and what makes them different to OEM parts? better quality? stiffer?

cheers

You really know your parts

And you can get front engine mounting from Kam Racing, and there just stiffer and help with handling a little better.

30th June 2009, 10:31

Harder engine mounts stop the engine wobbling around so mainly aid in putting power down. Similar to the little dampers you can get for hondas, which stop the engine leaning back towards the scuttle under acceration.

Its best noticed on a car with knackered mounts i had a Gsi before i had my bm and that used to almost judder off the line where the mounts where shagged.

1st July 2009, 00:20

I bought the set, upper and lower, fitted the upper and I dont know if its just me but It feels much better. It feels like the steering is heavier? More feel, less flex. Anyone else get that or am I just feeling strange things through my hands haha

1st July 2009, 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by DusheR

I bought the set, upper and lower, fitted the upper and I dont know if its just me but It feels much better. It feels like the steering is heavier? More feel, less flex. Anyone else get that or am I just feeling strange things through my hands haha

All in your mind imo, its like when you service a car it feels faster even though tis not ^^

1st July 2009, 22:35

I had a OMP bottom one, Best mod i'd ever purchased. With my 155 tyres (Back in the day) it used to handle beautifully.

Now i recently bought a upper strut brace and the car handles like a slut (With 195 tyres this time). Worth every penny mate!

1st July 2009, 22:35

I forgot to mention. Its worth buying a good tyre brand as there is little movement up front.

1st July 2009, 22:37

You don't feel the effect of the upper strut brace so much. The lower strut brace makes a noticable difference to the turn in.

The upper strut brace sort of works in the background so you don't tend to "feel" the difference. It's effects on the suspension geometry can be massive, particular front wheel camber. If more than anything this will improve tyre wear.

1st July 2009, 22:40

And as above. Combined with a decent set of tyres the upper strut brace does make a massive difference which you can feel. As with the extra grip and if fitted, firmer suspension, a lot more flex is transferred to the chassis. The upper strut brace will help prevent this strain altering the suspension geometry.

3rd July 2009, 12:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiniGibbo

All in your mind imo, its like when you service a car it feels faster even though tis not ^^

Its all in my mind? I will disagree, pushed it a little last night the difference is certainly noticable just with the upper on.

Plus how isnt your car faster after a service?

3rd July 2009, 13:00

[QUOTE=DusheR;3465938]Its all in my mind? I will disagree, pushed it a little last night the difference is certainly noticable just with the upper on.

Plus how isnt your car faster after a service?[/QUOTE]

I was going to going to give you a proper reply but after i what i highlighted i think my effort would be a waste LOL.

As for the brace its widly known the upper brace effects are minimal and debaitable wether its all in your mind and thats not just for saxos its right across the board. I fitted a billet ally jobby to my coupe this month and cant say i notice any difference at all

Have you fitted the lower one yet?, Once you get that on youll see my point about how the difference with the upper is debaitable.

3rd July 2009, 13:54

Please give me a proper answer then. I would have thought, new oil + air filter + new spark plug etc = less friction/resistance and a hotter spark therefore the engine rev easier? Just seems like common sense to me.

Well I havnt fitted the lower yet but if its going to be much better than the upper I will look forward to it. Apart from all the speedbumps around my estate.

3rd July 2009, 15:42

If the cars serviced regulary (sp) then a service doesent make a difference youd notice driving. Unlike a mate of mine who braught a 205 gti that had never had the air filter changed from when it was first purchased LOL

When we took the filter out of the casing it crumbled in our hands a service was noticable on that gti

EDIT: Get the lower one on and drive slowly over bumps, the hype about speed humps is bollocks imo its how you drive my bm is far lower on the front end than a saxo dropped with a brace and i get on allright with all the sleeping policmen around here.

3rd July 2009, 17:17

You should of seen the clip of my car when I got it. Oil filter done the same as your mates air filter. Oil smelt like burnt wood or summit ha. The lower is getting put on soon. Im going to use me mates garage and get it up on the ramps. Going to put my 23mm MC on aswell as treat my car to some Slick 50.

How do I get rid of my tappety noise?

3rd July 2009, 23:21

cant remember if the tu's have hydrolic tappets tbh, if there not you can adjust them either with tightening them down (like fords) or shimming them.

Thinner oil can also quiten motors, if i run 5 rather than 10 in mine the vanos is a little quieter.

9th July 2009, 18:32

yes im looking at getting a set to, ive herd they make a difference to the handling of the car.

10th July 2009, 00:45

lower def the best bet i would say cant wait to get mine fitted back on again.

10th July 2009, 09:01

if you get an upper you might aswell polish it or something as it's mainly a looks thing

10th July 2009, 14:04

Just fitted my e-teck upper strut, car seems to be more level round corners, but also had 60mm springs fitted a week ago so may still be getting used lol! heared lower struts were for track use only unless u like roadkilll, speed bumps, an old ladies!!! lol, is this true

11th July 2009, 11:47

lower braces only bang if you drive like a tool.

11th July 2009, 11:50

Looking for Struts too.

Kam racing seams to be cheapest i've come across.

21st July 2009, 13:02

minigibbo - have u got a lower 1???? do u drive on lots of back roads - the roads are shite round my way,

22nd July 2009, 22:51

i just have the upper at the min and with suspension set up is great looking at a lower brace are they as easy to fit? never seen one fitted to a car before

23rd July 2009, 11:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by silversaxo76

minigibbo - have u got a lower 1???? do u drive on lots of back roads - the roads are shite round my way,

I have previous experiance with saxo lower braces and have a lower brace on a my coupe which as i said above is lower than most saxo's and havent had major issues with either.

If you drive normally and miss massive pot holes your ok its when you try to fly over speed bumps at over 20 or go up/down kurbs.

Only problem i have had in my coupe is i ripped a front mud flap off cornering LOL

23rd July 2009, 11:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by dan-vts1

i just have the upper at the min and with suspension set up is great looking at a lower brace are they as easy to fit? never seen one fitted to a car before

two bolts.

23rd July 2009, 19:32

Could these be sprayed a diff color easily?
http://www.strutbracer.co.uk/page1.p...d=181&manuf=19

23rd July 2009, 19:48

aye, buff them down, spray them, job done.

23rd July 2009, 19:55

Okie thanks mate

23rd July 2009, 20:17

Rattle canning them would chip if you want it to last get it powder coated.

25th July 2009, 00:55

Just a random reply to say I'm very happy with the difference the lower OMP strut brace makes toward the handling of my VTR. I may get the top brace later on, but the lower brace has improved things nicely, at the tiny cost of £30 or so!

25th July 2009, 01:23

Not bad,The upper one is nice, Totally changes the look of your engine bay