Just Jap Strut Brace

[simpletool]

Fitted a Just Jap R33 GTST strut brace (the blue type) on the weekend.

Was a fairly tight fit (just fit over the mount point with the centre bar at full extension on the eye fittings). Clearance over the throttle body is only about 10mm so I'll have to investigate if it actually touches during full throttle (stock rubber engine mounts).

Driving impressions:

I was actually surprised at the difference it made. I was skeptical on strut bars on skylines as they don't use macpherson strut front suspension. But as soon as the front wheels crept down off the awkward angle driveway I could tell the front-end was tighter. Mid-corner response was significantly better - no way I could mistake it. Moderate speed to high speed turn-in is much better and mid-corner bumps are absorbed more by the suspension than the rest of the car chassis so the car stays on line better. I would think that a stock setup on 16" wheels it wouldn't be as noticeable but with some suspension mods and good tyres on 18" wheels you would notice.

My suspension setup is mildly modded with some urethane bushes here and there, bilstein shocks, king springs and 18" wheels. Strut brace was definitely a worthy upgrade. Just need to check out if the clearance is enough.

Side question: I put some high tensile washers under the mount points to lift the mount plate off the strut tops and make sure it wasn't all twisted by the uneven area of the car there. It also have another 2mm of clearance but I'm wondering if having washers under the mount plate is a good thing or a bad thing.

Edited May 18, 2011 by simpletool

[Povie]

Sweet as, i just bought the same from justjap.com for my r33 series 1 gts. hopfully next week.

[fastjetjockey]

I'd imagine that the same rule applies to strut braces as applies to wheels and hubs...

It's the hubs on a car that support the cars weight, not the studs. The torque of the lug nuts/bolts hold the wheel to the hub and it's actually friction that keeps the wheels in place. The old Physics 101 - Normal force times the coefficient of friction. The normal force is the force applied by the torque of the bolts/lugs and the coefficient of friction is characteristic of the two mating surfaces.. Studs are not designed for any lateral force to be applied to them - they tend to bend or snap. So, apply this to your situation with the strut brace, and how it mates to the top of the strut towers.

Having any height between the two mating surfaces, as determined by the washers in your case, cannot be too good a thing. It just adds leverage to the system. Possibly resulting in flex in the studs on your coilovers/struts, or depending on the tensile of said studs weakening or breakage!

I would try to find a way to get the strut brace plate as close to the strut tower as possible.

Now, for an anecdote - I bought a strut brace for my S13 way back when. It didn't fit, just as you describe in your case. However, I just tightened the shit outta it until it warped the plate down to the strut tower. Happy days.

[simpletool]

I think the hub is what supports the wheels, in the case of a Nissan this is 66.1mm. I wouldn't expect the strut tower to see an inward force anywhere near as strong as the force exert at the wheel hub but I do see your point. I don't mind bending the mount on the strut bar, I wasn't so keen on deforming the area at the top of th strut tower and was wary of marks in case I wanted to remove it.