Need advice on strut brace

[targa911man]

I plan on cashing in my PP gift certificates on a strut brace. I've pretty much ruled out the Weltmeister because of its weight and I think it's more than I need for a daily driver. Also expensive. So of the Rennline, JMPRO, and lightweight Elephant (non-triangulated), what would people recommend for a daily driver? I'm leaning toward the Rennline at this point because I had the opportunity to examine it at Hershey and it was adjustable, strong but not too heavy.

[Joe Bob]

Brey Krause makes a Carbon Fiber one.....

[makaio]

If you're not looking for a triangulated brace then here's my 2 cents.

1st choice Elephant Racing bar. Light weight and clean looks. Plus the owner Chuck contributes a lot to this board.

2nd choice JMPRO bar. Jerry is also a poster here.

[Emission]

My wife bought me the Weltmeister for X-Mas.

In all honesty, the weight is less than a gallon of fuel - you can't tell me that you care if your tank has +/- 1 gallon in it... The weight is also at the front - less of a concern for me.

It is very strong (steel), and won't flex (or stretch) under stress like most aluminum bars. The Weltmeister ties the top of the struts together, and locks the top of the shock - unlike many units out there. It is strong enough, and designed for, adjusting negative camber!

It was easy to install - and very solid.

[targa911man]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Emission's points are well-taken, particularly on the weight. I think I'll go with the Weltmeister. I have Jerry's hardtop and he did a great job on it, but it does look like Weltmeister really did there homework on the brace. I usually carry around 50 lbs of tools and crap in my trunk, so I guess the weight isn't that much of an issue.

[widebody911]

Originally posted by Emission
In all honesty, the weight is less than a gallon of fuel - you can't tell me that you care if your tank has +/- 1 gallon in it...

s /fuel/meal/

[makaio]

WTF?

[Emission]

Originally posted by widebody911
s /fuel/meal/

I'm confused too.

[jhoagg]

Recently there was another thread where knowledgeable guys seemed to say that locking the top of the shock as the Weltmeister does is a very bad idea. Leads to stress and possible breakage. If I understood it right, some suggested that metal be cut off the Weltmeister to actually avoid locking the top of the shock.

[Emission]

Originally posted by jhoagg
Recently there was another thread where knowledgeable guys seemed to say that locking the top of the shock as the Weltmeister does is a very bad idea. Leads to stress and possible breakage. If I understood it right, some suggested that metal be cut off the Weltmeister to actually avoid locking the top of the shock.

According to Weltermeister (and their track testing), 85% of camber change takes place from flex in the soft rubber top shock mounts. Their Cambermeister (strut brace) ties the tops together to prevent shock mount flexing to improve handling. I've never heard of anyone having breakage (of the brace or chassis) - I really can't understand how it could happen.

[jhoagg]

I'm very far from being a suspension expert, so I am just repeating what these guys said in threads. Do a search under the name 911nut and look for the thread "Non-triangulated strut brace" dated 9-28-03. There have been other threads similar to this, but this thread gives you their thinking. Chuck Moreland is one who apparently thinks the Weltmeiseter is not a good setup and should be modified before using.

[Chuck Moreland]

The top of the shock absolutely has to move, by design, as the suspension compresses and rebounds. The normal pivot point is the center of the rubber bushing in the camber plate, that is why it is rubber.

The weltmeister brace attempts to hold the top of the strut and prevent it's movement, effectively creating a second pivot point about an inch or so above the bushing.

Now we have a fight between the rubber bush and the cambermeister, each trying to be the pivot point. Essentially we have a lever arm (the strut) using a fulcrum (the rubber bush) exerting force on the cambermeister mount. This creates a great deal of stress on the strut and mount, resisting normal movement and causing binding. Some cambermeister mounts have fatigued and cracked over time.

Note that even weltmeister recognizes this problem and produces a different product that does not grip the top of the strut. They sell this for use with monoballs, since the regular one would break immediately in a monoball equipped car.

[Emission]

Originally posted by Chuck Moreland
The top of the shock absolutely has to move, by design, as the suspension compresses and rebounds. The normal pivot point is the center of the rubber bushing in the camber plate, that is why it is rubber.

How much does the shock have to move?

I just installed the Weltmeister brace on my front shock towers, and they really don't "hold" the top of the shock completely still.

In a more accurate description, their top collar prevents the shock from moving around by containing the movement into a small area. It is not held still - as some are led to believe.

How often have you seen these break? Wouldn't this be considered a liability (potential lawsuits against Weltmeister)? What are the mods you suggest?

[cstreit]

Hate to be the voice of reason here... (Okay, I don't hate it) but a strut brace on a street only car IMHO is not a good upgrade. Honestly they are mainly effective in preventing MINOR camber changes due to body flex under hard cornering.

Considering the rather amazing amount of slop in your average street car suspension (rubber bushings and all) added to the sub-optimal cornering with street car alignments, there are so many other improvements that can have a better effect on cornering.

None that look as nifty as an anodzied carbon fiber triangulated super-conductor strut brace mind you, but nevertheless, much greater impact.

My 2 pfennig...

[jhoagg]

Chris,
I suspect you are right, but what about cabs? You think a bar might stiffen the structure a bit so it might be worthwhile in a cab driven only on the street (but hard in the twisties)?