Posted October 20, 200519 yr are they worth putting on and what do they do :confused: . also eliminating the hicas why do you guys do it i thought hicas was to improve the handling
October 20, 200519 yr Strut braces firm up the suspension tops! Let me explain, as the bottom is tied together, the top is only held in place by the inner wings, that can flex. This then bolts between them and firms evrything up. Some say that if you're going to put a front strut brace on, then you should put a rear one on aswell (which reminds me, I must get mine on). There are also rear lower braces now as well. As for HICAS, some say that the handling is much more positive without it. HTH
October 21, 200519 yr I have a front one on - strut brace and i cant remember whether it feels any different. I guess it must affect torsional rigidity though. As for HICAS imho it's great if its not worn with sloppy inner or outer bushes / ball joints and the rear end has to be sound and properly aligned. No doubt people will say its better without but most of the time they are comparing a worn out or badly adjusted mess of a rear end. When I got mine the rear HICAS arms had been replaced but the handling was bad, especially in the wet, and tyre tread was dissappearing fast. I discovered 8mm toe in at the rear. They hadnt re tracked it properly. Once that was done it was and still is superb - with new UK actuator type shocks also.
October 21, 200519 yr I have a front one on - strut brace and i cant remember whether it feels any different. I guess it must affect torsional rigidity though. As for HICAS imho it's great if its not worn with sloppy inner or outer bushes / ball joints and the rear end has to be sound and properly aligned. No doubt people will say its better without but most of the time they are comparing a worn out or badly adjusted mess of a rear end. When I got mine the rear HICAS arms had been replaced but the handling was bad, especially in the wet, and tyre tread was dissappearing fast. I discovered 8mm toe in at the rear. They hadnt re tracked it properly. Once that was done it was and still is superb - with new UK actuator type shocks also. Amen to that My HICAS is superb now all the bushes have been done. Makes and agile car even more so without it having knife edge handling!!!!
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