CMan28

WHICH IS THE BETTER BRACE FOR A 951, CAMBERMEISTER OR RACING DYNAMICS? IS THERE A THIRD I'M NOT AWARE OF?

Dave E

I had a cambermiester and I thought it was heavy although well constucted, I have no brace now as there seems to be no need until I install monoball upper strut mounts, the rubber deflects too much for a strut brace to help.

David Floyd

Brey Krause is what I use <img src="graemlins/bigok.gif" border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" />

ian

I like the racing dynamics bar I had in my car, but I have no basis to compare it too.

jason952

the brey krause is nice but $$, like the RD. I am considering the one from stable-energies.com someone posted favorably about it and its 159 i think. just have seen a pic. however it doesn't have hinge joint like the RD which would seem to defeat the purpose.

Is anyone conviced they actually help any on a car that is as stiff as a 44/51/68?

Jason

Z-man

I'd go with Stable Engeries: I'm thinking of getting one myself.
[quote]Is anyone conviced they actually help any on a car that is as stiff as a 44/51/68?<hr></blockquote>
While our cars are stiff, they sure exhibit a lot of body lean. Isn't the strut brace supposed to help that? Also: the area above the front wheels is a weak point in our cars regarding flexing: a strut brace should have that a bit.

At the track, my car just loves to push through the apex of sweepers (Like Big Bend @ Lime Rock). Would a front strut brace help this understeering condition? I've heard conflicting ideas (loosen front end vs. tighten front end to help eliminate understeer). Anyone have any thoughts about this?

Thanks,
-Zoltan.

Michael Stephenson

Putting a Cambermeister bar on my S2 made the car understeer less – more so than I was led to believe (the vendor - Paragon Products - really downplayed any expected improvements)

I like the Cambermeister bar because it uses all 4 strut attachment bolts, which I feel distributes the loads a little more evenly than the bars that connect using only two of the strut bolts. Also, the raised hats of the Cambermeister cleared an A/C hose nipple that is by the drivers strut and I was not sure if the other brands would clear this hose.

Note that if you do SCCA events that having the bar connected puts you into a non-stock class.

Z-man

Michael:
Thanks for the info.

Yeah: I know SCCA bans all non-stock suspension stuff (except for sway bars). For autox, I run mostly PCA, and the tower brace is ok for there.

There is a SCCA club (WSCC) that runs near me: I'll have to remove the bar if I decide to play with them!

Looks like I'll be dipping into that Porsche fund soon....

-Z.

sean.

Not sure about the quality and performance, but Sparco also makes a strut bar for the 951. I think they have two -steel and aluminum. They sound like they're alot cheaper than the welmeisters and the brey. Again, not sure about the quality and performance.

<a href="http://www.sparco-usa.com" target="_blank">www.sparco-usa.com</a>

sean.

Not sure about the quality and performance, but Sparco also makes a strut bar for the 951. I think they have two -steel and aluminum. They sound like they're alot cheaper than the welmeisters and the brey. Again, not sure about the quality and performance.

<a href="http://www.sparco-usa.com" target="_blank">www.sparco-usa.com</a>

Skip

Sean: I've been dying to find out how the Sparco braces are... anyone want to be the first?

Michael: Always better to be pleasantly surprised, than sorely disappointed Seriously, it takes a driver pushing the car hard to really feel the benefit of the strut brace... they sure are functional though.

944Fest (aka Dan P)

I've been complimented on my Brey-Krause, even though it was $230 or so, I'm very pleased. The stainless makes me think it will look nice for a while..

Flight_951

[quote]Originally posted by Skip:
<strong>Seriously, it takes a driver pushing the car hard to really feel the benefit of the strut brace...</strong><hr></blockquote>

I installed a strut brace on a twin turbo Rx-7 that I had a few years ago. The bar was made in Japan and distributed in the US by a racing division of Mazda. It was incredibly light, but very stout and with perfect welds. I actually noticed a difference backing the car out of my garage after I installed it. Maybe the front of that car flexed more than a 951 in normal use, but the difference was immediately noticeable. I agree that they are functional, and I'll put a bar on my 951 when I find the right one.

David Salama

I'm very pleased with my RD strut brace. Its the best looking one IMO. I immediately felt the front end flex less in the first corner after installing. In terms of handling, I would say that anything that stiffens the front end will increase understeer. IMO, while the balance is shifted towards understeer, the overall handling limits are increased. It simply would need to be balanced with increased stiffness in the rear.
<img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" /> <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" /> <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />

Water944t

Dunno how relevant this is....

I read (glanced at) a thread on Corner Carvers describing the fact that strut braces rated somewhere around fart can mufflers as a performance mod.

Maybe we should look for some real tech, so that we all can make a informed decision.

I like hearing "seat-of-the-pants" testimonials, but I have decided for me personally, if it isnt really worth it, it aint really worth it.

<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />