Strut Braces are they any good ?

[milocoon]

On Ebay you can get these for less than £100 but reading the feedback someone mentioned it was a waste of money ?

I`ve an Aerotop so I do get scuttle shake on the rare day I go topless, would a Cusco Front and Rear improve things slightly / a bit / hugely and could I still fit the roof in the boot ?

Thanks for everybodies feedback !

:search:

[Terry S]

I would be suprised if the rear makes much of a difference. The front should if you chose a decent one. You maybe better off with the Do-Luck floor bar/brace to help with the flexing

[Wez]

I have Cusco front and rear but I also had JIC suspension fitted at the same time so the whole car changed really.

[Terry S]

Wez I am only going from the amount of strengthening at that point in the car ( rear) as standard

[Ark]

I had Carbing front and rear braces in my old aerotop - made an awesome difference.

Remember that the carbing is a solid, one-piece brace that also bolts to the middle of the chassis at the back, while the cusco is effectively hinged. Who knows if it's measureable the difference in stiffness that either type creates, but it seems obvious to me that the fixed carbing style is going to work 'better'.

[milocoon]

First bit of positivity

Ark where can I buy these strut braces from ?

Thanks in Advance, I know an Aerotop will never be as rigid as a coupe but it does have ONE big advantage for that odd one summer day !

:search:

[Ark]

I bought mine from Whifbitz:
http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?t=44119&highlight=carbing

[paul mac]

as Terry says i think the rear is a waste of time, you realise this when you come to fit it and see the amount of bracing there is once the carpet comes up, this part of the car is built like a battleship, i have one but purely from a bling point of view:D

[Nic]

Ark where can I buy these strut braces from ?

I can supply Carbing and Cusco braces at good prices :)

The Carbing braces are some of the best available, the front ones include a brace, to stop the brake master cylinder flexing, which makes a noticable difference to pedal feel and brake power. The rear ones as mentioned also bolt in the middle to the chassis. They are available in either steel or aluminium. Carbing is also one of the only companies to make a front brace to fit the NA Supra.

I've supplied quite few of these to members, so hopefully someone will be able to post a pic of one fitted.

http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/1130/cimg00014dp.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/8629/cimg00025tj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/6040/nafrontalu5zt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/9949/towerbar4wq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Terry S]

I have a Carbing front from Nic ( thanks bud) and it seems pure quality.

[Chris Wilson]

The Carbing one is one of the very few I have seen that will actually do anything worthwhile, but even that is a bit flimsy, but at least it's welded and will aid torsion resistance in at least 2 planes. Bolts are flex points, the fewer the better.

[Hak]

I was out in my aero-top today and the discussion of strut-braces came up.

However, I was concerned that on the aero-top a front strut-brace could just end up transfering the cornering force into the middle of the car which is the weaker point...?
You might then feel it flexing more...?

[Ark]

I was out in my aero-top today and the discussion of strut-braces came up.

However, I was concerned that on the aero-top a front strut-brace could just end up transfering the cornering force into the middle of the car which is the weaker point...?
You might then feel it flexing more...?

Nope. Used to have one, braced it front and back and it was significantly more solid.

[chilli]

I've found with the carbing front that the car feels more solid and less 'skitish' if that makes sense.

Not so much at low speed where the back will come out due to lack of grip anyway, so the front makes little difference.

Not so much at mega high speed where other factors like aerodynamics seem to take on more significance.

I mostly noticed it at mid speeds, especially over unulating or bumpy roads, where the car now feels more planted and steady.

[Nic]

The feedback so far from members who have fitted the Carbing Brace is very positive. Carbing also make a rear strut and centre floor brace, a combination of all 3 braces sounds like it should make a bit of difference to the stiffness.

Here are a few pics (thanks Chilli :thumbs: ), I have supplied quite a few of these now to members, if anyone would like details please email me at importpimp@mac.com and I'll send you a price list.

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/1011/cimg00015zx.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/592/cimg00023ff.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6618/cimg00084ks.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/6338/dsc01372small8dq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/6999/dsc01373small7oc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/323/dsc01375small3ly.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[supraGZaerotop]

where do i buy both the rear and front Carbing

[Pabs]

speak to Nic on here ;)

[supraGZaerotop]

ok cheers

[pedrostar]

anyone have any pics of the NA version of the front and rear struts?

[DamanC]

anyone have any pics of the NA version of the front and rear struts?

Its the same as the TT version I believe.

[Ark]

Rear is the same. The front one is slightly taller, to clear the manifold, but otherwise the same.

[Nic]

anyone have any pics of the NA version of the front and rear struts?

Here you go, as said the front is specifically designed for the NA, the rear will fit an NA or TT. Let me know if you would lie prices

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/4341/attachmentphpgr9.jpg (http://imageshack.us) http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/2775/attachment1phpdh1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7824/p3150092zg3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/6907/p3310126oh5.jpg (http://imageshack.us) http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/1845/p3310127yd8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[pedrostar]

thanks guys exactly what I needed! :)

Does anyone know if the rear strut braces pose any probs for aerotops i.e. when you pack the roof in the boot?

[georigg]

Hi Pedrostar,

Short answer is No , the roof fits in, in such a way that it should clear the rear strut(or more accurately miss it as the roof fits in "behind" the strut, rearwards.

Just to clarify though, I do NOT have a rear strut in my Aerotop, only a front Carbring, bought from Nic for around £160 and I can confirm that it makes a noticeable difference!
Rgds
George

[pedrostar]

thanks George :)

Am trying to stop some of the rattling at the back of the car but can only afford one strut for the moment. Front or rear guys? cant decide...

[dr_blackman]

I have a carbing strut brace on mine :) Very good quality!