Yom WROTE:
"turbo march-rolling shell WROTE:<BR><BR>"just mounted it across the back strut towers, sorry, i got no pictures... i doubt that big cross brace thing would do much either,..its right at the back of the car, i think it'd have to be a little further forward perhaps to improve the chasis significantly.. might be usefull to tie down a baby seat to.."</DIV><BR><BR>Of course it wont make a difference - the strut towers are insulated from the body with rubber. They're not structural areas - they're just there to hold the shocks.<BR><BR>A strut brace has to be bolted firmly to the body/chassis in order for it to stop chassis twist.<BR><BR>On this topic..<BR><BR>I always felt the front strut brace effectiveness on k11 will vary somewhat depending on the fatigue already in the chassis (they dont last forever). As it is the strut towers are very close to the structural firewall meaning they have a fair amount of natural strength. I still think it would be worth fitting the strut brace if you can afford it. You're likely to make the vehicle safer in an accident by doing this as well.<BR><BR>But I reckon the lower control arm brace will make more difference on the k11 than a strut brace. The k11 has no big heavy subframe to mount the suspension to - all forces are exerted directly to the chassis. Anything to strengthen it down there will make a difference to the suspension geometry staying the same during extreme cornering (and even braking). Anyone who's actually used one might want to comment on this.. I never got around to it unfortunately.<BR><BR>The other thing I would have liked to see on the k11 is an under car Z brace like on the Honda S2000.<BR><BR>A big triangulating brace between the rear pillars like on that jap k11 will improve body stiffness but whether it'll do anything is pretty questionable in my eyes - the 5 link rear beam axle will absorb alot of cornering forces.<BR><BR>An internal rollcage would have been just awesome - and it turns out that in QLD they are legal for road use providiing they're properly engineered and do not obscure vision or the abilty for emergency services to remove you from your vehicle in the event of a serious accident (ie: no side bars), just pillar and roof bracing.<BR><BR>For those repainting their k11 - a fully seam welding the body will probably improve things out of sight. the panel pressings just don't hold tight after 10 years/150,000km.