GTSpec fender braces?
 

Anyone running these? I haven't had to the fender off to see what the unibody looks like under there, but I know in my 02 WRX they made a world of difference.

How was it different? I'm looking into this too.

On the WRX just driving over the transition from my driveway to the street you could feel less body flex. The whole car felt more rigid.

Interesting, so exactly what would the fender braces do? Kind of like how a sway bar stiffens up body roll as an analogy to this?

I haven't heard of fender braces since i was 16. I always thought they were a bit of a joke, there was an Inifinty owner i knew who had a custom made one. Running cheap all seasons and fender frame sure made a wall of difference in his mind. Always felt those mods were a joke, something to tell off at car shows.

Would be interesting to see what people think about them.

Picture reference.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5NzxJoZCPk...FENDER3P-2.jpg
http://www.gtspec.com/sites/default/...er-rx8-006.jpg


Here's a snip it i quite like from reading a review...
I also say it because I use to be a poster boy for "cool" parts on my Miata. I had the full FM frame rails, butterfly brace, Boss Frog braces, and even the full Carbing brace setup.

All that stiffening didn't improve my times. I was getting passed by guys who had a much more simpler approach and actually knew what parts they were adding before they were added.

Save yourself the money. There are definitely other items to address on this car.....like that trans issue that Eric wasn't talking about. What's the point of having all that bracing when you third gear goes out and ends your season!

It all depends on what the unibody bracing is like stock. On the impreza their is a large vertical box section in front of the door and then a horizontal box section heading to the front. Triangulating the two helped a lot. On the STI there is one present from the factory. I'm not worrying about improving my lap times, a stiffer car just feels nicer to drive and let's the suspension do what it is designed to do.

Don't have any idea how I just did that goofy text transition...

Fender braces make a huge difference in chassis stiffness. That area of the car is rather weak because it is part of the crumple zone. When you're in a front end collision the chassis collapses in this area to absorb crash energy and protect the vehicle occupants. On that note, do they make a difference, yes. Will they put your safety at risk, again yes.

I had them on my S13.

Makes a bigger difference on softer unibody designs, namely older cars.

It does take away some of the safety built-in to the car (crumple zone), but frankly for our cars it's not worth it since the front end is fairly stiff with the stock triangulated strut bar.

-alex

Except the stock bar isn't actually triangulated. In math and engineering, 2/3rds of a triangle =/= a triangle. If I only have half a wheel, I don't call it round and pretend it will roll.

The OE bracing forms 2 rough triangles connected at the firewall on the top of the engine bay. The firewall and the fender/wheel wells for the 2 other sides of the triangles. 3 sides each. Crossbar connecting the strut towers will make 3 triangles.

None of the braces under the hood address vertical flexing of the front end of the car. After talking about it so much I'm now intrigued enough to pull off a fender and see what the unibody looks like...

If you do this, please post photos.

2 weak triangles that divide the front of the chassis in half? Independent suspension is a good thing. An independent chassis is not. Point is, the stock front brace does not completely triangulate the front of the chassis. Thus, it is not triangulated. If you want to say the wheel well is triangulated, go ahead.

Still, I dare anyone here to put a GoPro on the side of their door and track the car, then post the video proving the fenders don't move or flex towards the door with stock bracing.