Rear Strut Brace Install On R34

[uncouth32]

cheers for the input.

[satanic]

I've got the Cusco item in mine and I must say it did achieve something...

[jrm]

What? less cash in your pocket?

[satanic]

Ho ho ho... funny man right there! Sometimes it's best to find things out for yourself rather than go off the words of someone else.

[jrm]

Well, i dunno - you're all like 'it did achieve something' without explaining what. Where-as SydneyKid has explained fairly comprehensively in this thread (and others) that the design of the R33/R34 chassis means that a rear strut brace won't improve handling that much - just improve chassis rigidity somewhat - and would be one of the last things you'd do.

So please - and I'm not trying to be nasty here - what improvements/achivements did it give your car in your opinion - and what other suspension modifications has it already got? One of the whole points of this thread (it seemed to me) would be that the OP was trying to determine whether a rear strut brace would be worth it. So your input about what improvements you've noticed (especially in relation to whatever suspension mods you already have) would be useful for them.

[satanic]

Without getting technical (because I'm not an engineer / mechanic), the bar just stabilized the rear through cornering, either at mid-range / high-range speeds. When the back gets loose, it's even more noticeable.

Other suspension changes:

TEIN coilovers

Standard Front Strut Brace

Cusco Rear Strut Brace

Cusco Front Tension Brace

JIC Adjustable Castor Rods

BEE*R Pineapples

HICAS Elimination Bar

[Sydneykid]

  satanic said:

Without getting technical (because I'm not an engineer / mechanic), the bar just stabilized the rear through cornering, either at mid-range / high-range speeds. When the back gets loose, it's even more noticeable.

Other suspension changes:

TEIN coilovers

Standard Front Strut Brace

Cusco Rear Strut Brace

Cusco Front Tension Brace

JIC Adjustable Castor Rods

BEE*R Pineapples

HICAS Elimination Bar

It's impossible for a rear strut brace on R33/34's to "stabilized the rear through cornering". In R32/33/34's the control arms are attached to the rear subframe not the body, so sticking a strut brace between 2 parts of the body doesn't do a single thing for maintaining the rigidity of the mounting for the upper and lower control arms. So the suspension angles, camber, toe and bump steer benefit nothing from the addition. All it achieves is the linking of the top mounts of the spring and shock units, which in a double wishbone car contributes nothing to maintaining the suspension geometry.

This is especially so in an R33/34's where the parcel shelf support structure already does a good job of linking the strut tops. In R32's, where the strut tops are mounted lower, at the inner guards, and are therefore not joined by the parcel shelf, there is a slightly better argument for a rear strut brace, but even then the effect is miniscule. Unnoticeable by even the most sensitive of drivers.

I should mention that this is not the case with the front strut brace on R32/33/34's, because the front upper control arms are mounted to the body ie; the inner guards. So linking the inner guards adds noticeably to maintaining the rigidity of the mounting for the upper control arms.

Technically what your are feeling with the rear strut brace is placebo effect, you spent the money, you put something on the car that looks good, so it must work and therefore you truly believe that you can feel it. If you don't believe the facts then that's your choice. But if you want to prove to yourself that it's true then a blind test is the only method, have someone remove and replace the rear strut brace without telling you, then you try and pick it. I've done it on an R32 and even a current V8SuperCar driver couldn't get it right more than half the time, mere mortals like you and me have no chance.

Cheers

Gary

[dori34]

if thats the case, then why did nissan make the 33 gtst & gtr come with one from factory?

ie:

[GUN_METAL_GTR32]

dont waste ur time with rear strut brace. (especially the jjr ones they r very shit it actually put my boot out of line lol)

if u want better handling get the following

coilovers

camber

caster

pineappleas

sways (these r the most important i reckon)

awesome tyres

awesome brakes and pads

and if u wanna go the extra step get a cage as well

[dori34]

put your boot out of line; what do you mean by this?

[Sydneykid]

  dori34 said:

if thats the case, then why did nissan make the 33 gtst & gtr come with one from factory?

ie:

Marketing

Cheers

Gary

[PhilKenSebben]

Damn you SydneyKid! In another thread called "what fits in your boot" or some crap I admitted that I made a custom fibreglass esky to utilise the minimal space of my r33 boot, but then I bought a rear strut brace and it "clashed"

Now I read your bloody logical argument that this was a pointless addition and I'm pissed off.

Well I say, there are some things we don't wanna know. Important things!

Ignorance was bliss. Can't you just talk crap and call everybody thick based on heresay and Wikipedia-sourced info like so many others? Or admit you're trying to sell swaybars as the primary motive behind this?

I need a drink.......

[spectrekt]

  On 16/04/2009 at 11:09 PM, GUN_METAL_GTR32 said:

see

Hey GUN_METAL_GTR32,

Did you end up getting this fitted? I have brought one from JJR and it is advertised as "Direct Fit" but when I bolt it up my boot lid wont close I have it the exact orientation as the pic you uploaded... Am I missing something here?

Cheers man

KT

[kimbod]

My R34 has the factory fitted rear strut brace and a factory fitted brace between the spare wheel well and the back of the car to stiffen it up , so I don't think it is just for marketing purposes

[GTR-N1]

  On 16/11/2012 at 12:16 AM, kimbod said:

My R34 has the factory fitted rear strut brace and a factory fitted brace between the spare wheel well and the back of the car to stiffen it up , so I don't think it is just for marketing purposes

Now if someone could make these out of titanium, that'd save some weight!

[kimbod]

Yep that would be nice