GT SPEC Mid chassis ladder brace Feeler - GB

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theMerchant said:
fyi did you know other vendors are using our comments to sell gtspec
post 14
http://www.iwsti.com/forums/gr-susp...nforcement-brace-gtspec-picture-thread-2.html

we are not the only one asking these questions, other car owners express this concern also.

I am not trying to burst everyones bubbles, I may eventually get them if I feel the need, but I just want everyone to at least think about the consequences of doing any mod to there vehicle (good or bad).


all any vendor has to do to limit their liability is to label it "off road use only" .... anyways it would be nice if the manufacture can address this rather then a member here.
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Thanks Merchant. that were some interesting posts. I need to look up more. our FX is quite longer than the STI, so in terms of flex, our body frame & chassis endure more forces during cornering and turning. That's why big trailer will never be faster than a smaller car during cornering. (Correct me if I am wrong )

I don't know if my points are valid, that is just my concerns and questions that I have already had for a long time. :.smile:
 
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All these braces are under the vehicle though. They aren't going to help you when a lifted truck slams into the a-pillar, b-pillar, etc. That's what roll cages are for.
 
Guys, when I did the roll cage comparison, I didn't mean you could flip over your FX and it'll be ok. The mid-chasis brace does NOT help on suspension. If you look at it, it's two parallel chassis rails combined with an aluminum brace. Yes, it won't help when you flip your truck but it will stiffen the chassis, much like (but in a less effective way) a roll cage. The roll cage, while being a protective element, is also a strong brace that joins chassis pieces together. Think of the mid-chassis brace a similar element but flipped upside down.. It definitely won't be as effective as a roll cage or any race bracings but it will help distribute the forces on the chassis better..
 
That's what the side impact door beams, curtain air bags, etc. are for. FWIW, modern cars are very, very safe. My wife was recently involved in a nasty accident where she got t-boned. Car (IS350) was destroyed, but she walked away without a scratch.

A roll cage isn't going to be as strong as you think for an impact. If you ever look at the tubing a roll cage is made from, you'll see it's not that thick. Compare it to a side impact door beam and you'll see. As the name denotes, it's designed for when the car rolls.

In most instances, a roll cage make a street car more dangerous. I've always wondered why people put them in street cars; probably because they look cool. But just think about what happens to your head in an impact. It will hit the roll cage and that will result in a far worse situation than had there been no roll cage and you let the factory safety features do their job. This isn't a concern at the track because helmets are required.

StuLax18 said:
All these braces are under the vehicle though. They aren't going to help you when a lifted truck slams into the a-pillar, b-pillar, etc. That's what roll cages are for.
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White_Hair said:
Hi Mark,

I have had a question in my mind for a long time. I heard from somewhere saying that a car can not be too rigid. Too many bracings will cause over stiffness of the car body frame and eventually that some other part of the vehicle will become loose due to the force and energy during driving and corner needed to be released and will eventually need stitch weld on the body frame where there is no bracing reinforcement.

Don't get me wrong on questioning the mid chassis bracing. I love GT Spec and I have all all the possible bracing on my FX already. :.smile:
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The chassis itself rewards stiffness, and it rewards stiffness with low weight.

For example, if you fit springs that are lower, and have significantly increased spring rates, you are limiting the stroke of the shock - this can have unwanted effects. If you install swaybars that are too large in diameter, this can have unwanted effects. If you install a 200 lb stereo in the rear of the cabin, this can have unwanted effects. However, the chassis bracing is a bit different. It is not limiting suspension travel in the way that an aftermarket shock or spring can. Instead, it is tying together parts of the chassis, or subframes (depending on which braces). It's allowing weight to be transferred more evenly across those subrames.,

While a roll cage certainly increases the strength of the chassis, it's doing so at the points that are inherently the weakest. A cage will always, at a minimum, tie together the shock towers, and attach those, via the cage, to parts of the chassis that are the strongest. Think of it like adding a second floor to a home. Things need to be added to the bottom floor to support it. The primary function of the cage is to serve as a safety device for vehicles that are driven outside the norm of normal use. What the cage is doing is tying together several previously unrelated parts of the vehicle together. That is far different from what the lower chassis braces are doing.
 
So it safer to have the brace..

I'm getting it!

We haven't heard from GTspec about prices/GB deals.
 
^ it's not "safer" lol it's just less drastic.

meanwhile alot of us FXers have the full brace kit, like me, and its not like I hit the track every day either..
 
This thread kind of deviated from the main point of it so let's bring it back to it's track.

Any updates on the modification for the mid chassis ladder brace on the FX?
 
Can't wait to see the final product for our FXes. It will look great plus it will make the FX's frame a but harder... I'm just waiting for it!!!!!!!!!
 
it's going to be awhile yet but we'll post here when things get closer - the whole brace basically needs to be redesigned
 
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