Fitting strut brace

[DanH]

Sooo my omp brace turned up today...really want to fit it tonight/tomorrow afternoon before heading off through Wales either tomorrow or sunday.

It should be a quick easy job right, have other people found this to actually be the case or is stuff likely to be seized/shear/whatever, I'd normally just go for it but for the next couple of weeks everyone is on holiday so if something goes wrong I'm royally screwed and won't be able to get to work!

[The Autoad]

Front brace? Upper or lower?

Guessing the front lower. Easy job. - Wishbone bolts should undo easily, just make sure any crud is cleaned off them before undoing to make sure that your socket doesn't slip.

Align the brace and put one bolt back in quite loose, then align the other side and get the other bolt in. Then tighten both bolts to specified torque as per Haynes.

edit: I've always fitted a lower strut brace with the wheels off the ground, then lower the car to ground for final bolt tighten up, but other may disagree.

[Risocco]

Dan, if its an upper, try to add a little thin foam between the suspension tower and brace as to avoid the two metal surfaces touching, will scratch the paint from experience

Alex

[DanH]

Aye sorry should have said, it's a lower. Have read somewhere else that you're supposed to put the wheels back on the ground and let it settle before you tighten the bolts up too so I'll do that, fun times! And hopefully very fun times on the way to Borth on sunday haha

Also massive noob question as I'm the king of over thinking simple tasks...I usually put the axle stands under the rearmost front wishbone bushes (probably the wrong thing to call it)...presumably can't or shouldn't if I'm removing the front wishbone bolts? So err...where?

[ghost123uk]

Dan, I take it you fitted it OK ?

Can you tell us (me) what if any improvement you noticed ?

[DanH]

Yeah I wanted it done quick cos I was driving through wales that weekend so gave it to the garage opposite work and they fitted it for a tenner in the end, holes needed a bit of adjustment with their grinder so it's a good job I did! Would have taken forever to do myself without air tools.

It's quite hard put into words how it changed the car, not sure I'd say it made the steering more responsive or direct, but it definitely gave it a more positive feel and the whole front of the car felt a lot stiffer, in a good way (Or rather, it made it feel like the car had previously been really flexy...), more confidence in the corners and just changed direction better, in a subtle way.

I didn't really understand how a £40 piece of metal was going to make much difference to the feel of the car but they really are worth it in my opinion.

[ghost123uk]

Thanks for that Dan, I will order one today

[wassell]

having driven sciroccos with no lower strut braces, and sciroccos with lower strut braces i can say it definitely makes a good difference to the turn in feel.

need to get myself an upper omp brace now (mainly for show), but i already have a lower fitted.

[Nate]

I've always fitted a lower strut brace with the wheels off the ground, then lower the car to ground for final bolt tighten up, but other may disagree.

spot on