Braces....
05-25-2006, 03:25 PM
#31
Originally Posted by gaddafi,May 26 2006, 09:13 AM
I was surprised to read that some people regard the front strut brace as having little or no value. I lexperienced these with an M3 GT
The BMW, and most other vehicles use an A-arm or similar at the bottom but use a strut (containing the spring and shock) as the other mounting point. The strut mounts into sheet metal on either side of the engine bay. This structure can move around a lot under load and hence a bar between them makes a noticable difference.
05-25-2006, 10:07 PM
#32
Registered User
Originally Posted by gaddafi,May 26 2006, 01:13 AM
It's difficult for me to comment on the merits or otherwise of these braces, not least because the car has been running on KW coilovers (set low and firm) and 17" front and 18" rears.
I would say that the car feels stiffer than my standard MY02; I'd describe it as more kart like. I would not say that it is less likely to skip at the rear (I would say bunny hop. If anything, it's worse than the MYO2 in this respect.
The qualification to this statement is that the car is set too firm for poor to average road surfaces, but it is very nicely set up for high quality surfaces. I intend to experiment with the damper settings once the oem wheels and new SO2s are fitted shortly. At the moment I intend to maintain the lower ride height, but soften the damper settings slightly.
I would say that the car feels stiffer than my standard MY02; I'd describe it as more kart like. I would not say that it is less likely to skip at the rear (I would say bunny hop. If anything, it's worse than the MYO2 in this respect.
The qualification to this statement is that the car is set too firm for poor to average road surfaces, but it is very nicely set up for high quality surfaces. I intend to experiment with the damper settings once the oem wheels and new SO2s are fitted shortly. At the moment I intend to maintain the lower ride height, but soften the damper settings slightly.
I have the KW V3 and have tried a few different settings for the bump/rebound that KW provided for different circumstances.
the rebound can be easily adjusted, but the bump setting (if you have V3) is a bit of a pain and best to be adjusted with the wheels off and the car on stands.
Let me know if you want any info.
even though the spring rates are quite high..if you get the damper settings adjusted for road.. and with factory wheels.. the ride is really OK. With track settings of course it is a different story... but then when you are on the motorway the car feels very stable and does not become floaty at 100+
05-25-2006, 10:39 PM
#33
Banned
Originally Posted by Kobe,May 26 2006, 06:07 AM
do you know which model of KW you have? do you still have the instructions/settings from KW.
I have the KW V3 and have tried a few different settings for the bump/rebound that KW provided for different circumstances.
the rebound can be easily adjusted, but the bump setting (if you have V3) is a bit of a pain and best to be adjusted with the wheels off and the car on stands.
Let me know if you want any info.
even though the spring rates are quite high..if you get the damper settings adjusted for road.. and with factory wheels.. the ride is really OK. With track settings of course it is a different story... but then when you are on the motorway the car feels very stable and does not become floaty at 100+
I have the KW V3 and have tried a few different settings for the bump/rebound that KW provided for different circumstances.
the rebound can be easily adjusted, but the bump setting (if you have V3) is a bit of a pain and best to be adjusted with the wheels off and the car on stands.
Let me know if you want any info.
even though the spring rates are quite high..if you get the damper settings adjusted for road.. and with factory wheels.. the ride is really OK. With track settings of course it is a different story... but then when you are on the motorway the car feels very stable and does not become floaty at 100+
KWA15250005 - variant 2 - Inox suspension kit
so not as sophiticated as the set up you have
no instructions although I'm sure they are available online
any practical advice appreciated
especially as the car is currently on stands, waiting for its new wheels to return!
05-25-2006, 10:56 PM
#34
Registered User
for V2 system, then it's easier as you can adjust the rebound from the top..and bump is preset by KW. I leave the dial on the rear passenger side.. as it is a pain to get behind the fuel pipe.
what I have used so far on the rebound setting..
first turn the dials full positive (clockwise) so you know where you are. Then back the power off from that point. You might want to note down how much you could turn it to full power..so you know what was on the car before you start with your own settings.
These are the settings I have used as suggested by the KW engineer in germany:
(always anticlockwise from the full power setting)
For the Road:
Rear 2.5 turns
Front 1.5 turns
For the track:
Rear 1.5 turns
Front 0.75 turns
what I have used so far on the rebound setting..
first turn the dials full positive (clockwise) so you know where you are. Then back the power off from that point. You might want to note down how much you could turn it to full power..so you know what was on the car before you start with your own settings.
These are the settings I have used as suggested by the KW engineer in germany:
(always anticlockwise from the full power setting)
For the Road:
Rear 2.5 turns
Front 1.5 turns
For the track:
Rear 1.5 turns
Front 0.75 turns
05-26-2006, 08:13 AM
#35
Banned
Originally Posted by AusS2000,May 25 2006, 11:25 PM
The reason they have little to no effect on the S2000 is specifically because of the type of suspension it has at the front. It uses double wishbone (or A-arm) suspension. What this means is that the suspension geometry is locked at the top and the bottom by the A-arms which are connected to a fairly beefy crossmember. The shocks still mount to sheet metal but are not a part of the geometry.
The BMW, and most other vehicles use an A-arm or similar at the bottom but use a strut (containing the spring and shock) as the other mounting point. The strut mounts into sheet metal on either side of the engine bay. This structure can move around a lot under load and hence a bar between them makes a noticable difference.
The BMW, and most other vehicles use an A-arm or similar at the bottom but use a strut (containing the spring and shock) as the other mounting point. The strut mounts into sheet metal on either side of the engine bay. This structure can move around a lot under load and hence a bar between them makes a noticable difference.
for thatgood explanation
05-26-2006, 08:16 AM
#36
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Just a note, I will be doing a big old post about this. Have found alot of useful information and been talking to all the right people. I just need to condense it now
12-08-2010, 07:58 AM
#37
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Just want to drag this old post about braces out of the bushes:
X Brace, U Brace, H Brace.
All front lowers. Are they just slight variations on the same theme? Is any better than the other in terms of stiffness?
X Brace, U Brace, H Brace.
All front lowers. Are they just slight variations on the same theme? Is any better than the other in terms of stiffness?
