HyperS4

Hello again fellow enthusiasts. Just received my strut brace and was eager to get this bad boy in my baby....that didnt come out right...you get what I mean.

First thing, this is one of the smallest boxes Ive ever received from UPS. I dont know what I was expecting but the presentation wasnt there. Then again, its car parts, not a plate of food, not sure what I was expecting. Everything was packaged up nicely(see first pic).

Im not going to make this so much a DIY because they already posted a video on how to install this and, well, I couldnt do much better. There are really only a couple things I want to make suggestions on. First, when removing the rear nuts, make sure you have something under(a cup, your hand etc.) to catch the nut in case it falls out of the socket. It didnt happen to me but I could see it happening to someone and its a long way down to try to find it again.(See second pic).

The second thing I want to suggest is dont tighten the rear nuts completely as it says in the instructions. Just loosely hand tighten them but not all the way down. If you do tighten them all the way then the front holes on the strut tower wont line up. So just keep the rear nuts noose and then install the front new bolts first. After they are tight then go back and tighten down the rear ones.

All in all this literally took me about 20 minutes to install. The hardest part was constantly going back to my laptop to scroll down through the PDF instructions. Honestly, they arent really necessary if you have common sense. Strike that, Ive read a lot of the posts here, EVERYONE please read the instructions.

Ok last pic is the final install all done. Looks pretty right? I havent gotten a chance to drive it yet because I was actually in the middle of changing my bikes oil(engine and primary) at the same time I was installing this. Ill come back and edit it for a full drive review.

EDIT(Driving impression): WOW! Color me impressed(see what I did there...) Seriously though, I wasnt sure how much I expected from this brace considering its back in the compartment and connected to the firewall. Im used to strut braces that literally connect across the engine from strut to strut. While the design and solidity of the materials was enough for me to warrant the change, I didnt think it would do much to enhance driveability.

First test for me on any suspension related improvement is leaving my angled driveway. I examine the twist of the car as it goes down from the driveway to the road. This was where I noticed that this brace actually does something. The front was definitely stiffer, less flex felt.

Next test was on/off ramps. I took a few of these in succession going on and off the highway. Initial turn-in has been improved with much less dive in the corner. That being said, I did notice that at the limit(I love ramps) the car tended to start to push with understeer. Not a bad thing, just shows how much stiffer the front got at near or above the speeds on the ramps I was accustomed to. Nothing a stiffer rear bar(coming soon) wouldnt help out.

Third test was high speed stability. I dont know if anyone else has noticed this, but when there is a crosswind on the highway, this car is all over the place. Anything above 80 and I felt the car wandering more than it should. This is all but gone now! The weight of the steering at higher speeds feels heavier and more solid. I found myself coming close to triple digits comfortably without realizing it. This car is now rock solid feeling when going faster.

Last test was a pothole ridden parking lot. This is where I was very impressed with the improvement. The whole front end felt that much more solid when running over the craters. No squeaks or anything. Can I say I love this piece now?

One caveat to it all is that you will feel more in the road. Some might find that bad, others like it, I like it. Whereas before if there were undulations or road joints in the road and the car would just float over it, you will feel them now. However, that provides a much more direct and sporty feel, so like I said, this is what I want.

VipinLJ

Nice. I'm looking forward to the drive review. I've got them sitting below my bed right now. Can't wait till Monday evening to install it.

And yes. Keeping your hands below the nuts up front is a good idea. I'm planning on doing that since, if it falls down, you'll probably have to buy new nuts and live with a rattle because the one that fell down probably rolls around while driving.

exboy

Looks 🔥

VipinLJ

I agree. Along with that intake, looks lovely.

HyperS4

Thinking about adding some red pin striping to the engine cover. Not that I really open my hood much. Just want to make it pop a little.

VipinLJ

If you can get some that match the color of the air filter, that would look nice. Obviously, as long as you don't go overboard.

Something along those lines

HyperS4

Exactly. I miss the red on my S6 engine cover.

savi01

Thanks for the pics Hyper, it definitely looks great installed. I'm very curious to hear your feedback on if it improves anything or not; for a fairly small item, it is pricey. I'd like to make sure it's worth the price.

HyperS4

I concur, Ill give honest feedback of course. I dont want lead anyone on about a mod that I dont think has a good price/improvement ratio. That being said, these are beautiful pieces of solid metal art. I expect there to be a positive edit in the next day.

bob m

Mine's on order, but I also an eager to hear your impressions.