Adjustable Strut Brace Fitment

[Malcster]

Hi folks,

I've just bought a strut brace, and am about to fit it.

Question is - should it be pulling the struts together, or pushing them apart?

Or, door number 3, should it just be sitting with no tension?
- If this is the case, why is it adjustable?
It's not a universal brace or anything, it's designed for this car, so I can't see a reason for it's adjustment in length...?

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Malc

[marshalla]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=fitting+a+strut+b...

[RobCrezz]

Never seen an adjustable one. I dont think you really want it pulling together or pushing apart, just tight enough to stiff?

[rhinochopig]

doogz said:

You're assuming all cars are created equal.

It's adjustable, as not all cars are the exact same size. They should be, but they're not.

And it shouldn't be pulling or pushing on the strut, it should be adjusted so that it sits over the top mount studs (assuming that's how it is fitted) freely, then the retaining nuts torqued down.

Exactly, they're designed to maintain front suspension geometry. Pulling or pushing will alter that.

OP unless you have had a proper geo set-up done though I wouldn't bother TBH.

[Malcster]

rhinochopig said:

Exactly, they're designed to maintain front suspension geometry. Pulling or pushing will alter that.

OP unless you have had a proper geo set-up done though I wouldn't bother TBH.

Okay dokey, that's what I thought, just sitting over the top mount molts.

Yeah, I have had a full laser geo setup done last month.

Thing is the adjustment is pretty massive, like 150mm maybe!
Seems a large amount. I wouldn't have thought that there would need to be that amount of adjustment for allowing factory screw-ups through mass-production.

Guess it's just the way they make the braces.

[kambites]

Maybe the brace is designed to fit multiple different cars?

[Malcster]

It's a GAB Sports upper-front strut bar for the MR2 Turbo, centre one in the pic on this website:

http://www.fortyone.co.nz/parts/show/232/GAB/Strut...

The section where the bolts actually go into the bar can unscrew, then be locked in place with the lock-nut.

Roughly 60 - 70mm on each side.

I've checked out a couple of pics online, and most seem to have no adjustment added - just sitting over the top mounts as said earlier.

Just seems strange they can be adjusted.

[NHK244V]

Coat saving, one bar will fit many cars with the correct stut mounts added

[Pigeon]

NHK244V said:

Coat saving, one bar will fit many cars with the correct stut mounts added

...and it'll keep you warm in the winter too.

[PhillipM]

Put it slightly in tension, that'll take the slack out of any of the mounts, etc.

[RWD cossie wil]

PhillipM said:

Put it slightly in tension, that'll take the slack out of any of the mounts, etc.

It has to be said, I would advise puting it into slight compression, thus reducing strut movement on cornering....

[PhillipM]

Tension

[Mr Sparkle]

Put it in shear.

[GravelBen]

I don't know MR2 suspension but if its McPherson Strut then IIRC it should be resisting the tendency for the strut tops to move together under load, so you should adjust it to push outward against them. If you put too much pressure on it might change your wheel alignment though

If its a double wishbone setup then a strut brace will do approximately bugger all as they don't put significant lateral load on the upper suspension mounts.

[Panayiotis]

I was told back in the day (rightly ot wrongly) that the correct way to fit a strut brace is to raise the car as to have no weight on the suspension, fit it and then take it for a geo setup. If this is correct, you should adjust it when the car is raised so when lowered it takes the forces properly.

[PhillipM]

GravelBen said:

I don't know MR2 suspension but if its McPherson Strut then IIRC it should be resisting the tendency for the strut tops to move together under load, so you should adjust it to push outward against them. If you put too much pressure on it might change your wheel alignment though

If its a double wishbone setup then a strut brace will do approximately bugger all as they don't put significant lateral load on the upper suspension mounts.

Lateral load on a McPherson during cornering is pulling the struts apart. The bottom balljoint is a pivot....
Under heavy compression such as braking + a bump it does try to push them together, but then that's why the spring is angled on the seats...

[stevebroad]

We seem to have covered all the posibilities but haven't come to a definite conclusion :-) I would have thought that, assuming that the distance between the struts is as originally designed by the car maker, the strut brace should be used to keep the struts at this distance apart. If this is correct, then would the ideal brace be a solid bar welded to the strut tops?