speedlife

i assumed the car was perfect already and very hard to improve on.
lowering the car is no good? x brace?etc

yu888

i highly recommend the addition of an x-brace, unless you plan to do autocross and want to stay in the stock class. the x-brace gives an immediate improvement to the wan the car takes turns, lane changes, and such. you may want to get the car first and enjoy it stock first though, as then you will get the enjoyment of how well the car handles stock before then upgrading and getting the improvement from an x brace. i know not about the strut bar and sway bars though...i am sure someone else will comment there.

Schatten

agreed - get to know the car first before adding braces.

keep in mind, the suspension will not change, only the chassis rigidity. the xbrace, stb, etc. only add stiffness to the chassis, these parts dont move. they improve driving responses directly to the suspension.

btw, I also recommend the x-brace, great piece and you'll feel a difference.

UCrazyKid

Lowering the car too much is no good. The x-brace, etc. are all going to improve handling if used correctly. Did you really think that people would spend the time and money to develop and sell products that would mess up the handling??? Search the web for sites on car handling and educate yourself on what different suspension parts do and how they work.

speedlife

i heard about more understeer or what not from adding such bars

Triple-H

I'm a huge fan of the Spoon X-brace and the Neuspeed Shock Tower Brace.

Essentially these components bolt to existing points of the car and create a more rigid structure. The more rigid the structure the more precise the steering inputs will be because the "flex" is eliminated or greatly reduced. The "flex" dilutes the steering response input from the steering wheel to the tires. The S2000 is an extremely rigid car, the bracing only makes it better, but it is already way better than most cars even without these components.

xviper

("Disclaimer": These are MY observations.)

I drove this car for quite a while before I put on the Spoon X-brace. I got it only because another member sold his car and he let it go for cheap. This car is already one of the stiffest cars on the road today (stock). After I put on the brace, I honestly could not feel any difference. Had I paid full price for it, I may have "felt" an improvement. I just hate to think I spent good money for something that did nothing.

SECRET AP1

xviper's point is something i've been waiting to see. so many people say so many tremendous things about the x-brace that it's a bit skeptical to hear. but from the standpoint of a buyer that pays a bit less, i think the incentive to be attentive and sensitive to chances on the car is a bit less. to those with the spoon x-brace, do you remove the brace to change ur oil?

Shinji

Spoon X-brace

After I installed it I could turn faster and steadier. What I noticed is that the front stays flatter through hard cornering. And it's a lot easier to get back in line after you swing your rearend.

xviper

Good lordy, NO! That would add another 30-45 minutes to every oil change. I make a small flat tray out of aluminum foil, slip it between the oil drain and X-brace, pull the one side of the tray down to make a bit of a spout - PERFECT. Now that you mention it, had I known the extra hassle the the brace causes for oil changes, I probably would not have gotten it. It was just too good a deal to pass up and I can't resist a good deal.