GREAT input so far. And just so everyone is clear, as always, there are no bad ideas in brainstorming. Keep throwing it at us!
I'm just going to do a quick run through of what I'm hearing so far to keep ideas fresh:
-Interested in multiple colors. Whether it is to match our current line, or the stock bars, or just colors that people like.
-Welded as opposed to hinged. I haven't heard a single person yet who wants it fastened together with hardware.
-Mounting location. Specifically, how rigid/effective specific mounting strategies are. We certainly are concerned about that too. Initial testing with the prototype shows that the 2 stud area is robust, but we have not delved into any comprehensive testing yet. Just to put a little perspective on it though: These points were designed to take load from the stock triangulation bars. The length of the studs seems to indicate that they designed them with the assumption that aftermarket companies would utilize them for this purpose. Additionally, TRD has utilized this mounting point for their very own strut bar (although STI opted to use the strut mounts). We'll get there, but we're just not at that point yet.
-Price. We really want this to MSRP at or below $150. As always, we will maximize performance and minimize price, but not at the sacrifice of quality or aesthetics. Sometimes it makes our job very difficult, but that's when we do our best work. I'd like to use the hood struts as a reference; we were able to produce a product that is higher quality (fit, finish AND function), entirely American made, substantially outperforms the competition, and at a similar price. It sounds impossible, it really does. But we did it, we do it, and we're going to keep doing it.
-OEM appearance. If the final design is intended to function with the stock triangulation bars, it might be nice if the bar appeared like it was stock too. We typically don't do super "blingy" stuff, but that is neither right nor wrong. We will go the route that our customers want!
-Replacement triangulation bars. We hear you, and we would love to hear more! Lots of people are interested in having matching replacements, even if there is little to no performance benefit (not necessarily true, I'm just saying worst case scenario). We're also still interested to hear how many people want the triangulation bars integrated, even if it means raising the MSRP (again worst case scenario) and offering a product that a couple of other companies kind of already offer.
-Pre-load adjustment. Typically adjusting preload is most useful on older vehicles that have experienced a lot of chassis deflection already in order to get the brace to even fit. It does raise cost a fairly significant amount, and we'll be working on determining if it is necessary at all.
-Branding/aesthetic features. We really don't want to get ahead of ourselves just yet, so hit us with your ideas. RazBRZ had mentioned an optional metal logo like on our hood struts, that's good thinking! Keep em coming!
-Length of studs. Replacing them to install a strut bar would suck. I know the maximum material thickness I can use for a bracket while still maintaining safe and effective thread engagement, so that is a limiting factor (especially when thinking about making this out of aluminum). As mentioned before I believe these are designed to be intentionally long to facilitate aftermarket use.
-Weight. I think we can all agree that we'd like to keep any unnecessary weight to a minimum. BUT, adding a few ounces to make something more beautiful might be acceptable?
-Fitment. Fitment with other aftermarket parts and stock parts. Being able to keep this low profile (more effective, stronger, lighter, less bulbous) can be difficult when trying to accommodate to other parts. Right now I can say that we can clear the noise generator, but not the AC line with the prototype. Some other braces you can currently buy will eventually damage the AC line from abrasion. If we ran with the current design, we're thinking a compromise in order to keep the design low profile will either be a clip or sheath to protect the line, as damaging it and potentially venting refrigerant is not an option. Other designs make the strut bar mount much higher in order to minimize rubbing, which is ugly to some, and adds weight higher up in the vehicle. Also, we will try and maximize fitment with aftermarket parts, but some things just won't be possible (supercharger most likely won't clear).
-Aluminum. I'll be looking into cost vs weight vs performance of a few options. Off the top of my head I've been worried about being able to produce a strong enough bracket that still safely bolts to the stud on top of the stock triangulation bar. That's nothing a little FEA can't solve though
-Other Stuffs. Shankenstein: I think Matt answered most of your question after seeing how vague my first post was. The quick and dirty deflection test was jacking the car up on the passenger side at the factory jacking point on the pinch weld until the tire was 1 inch off the ground. And just to put a number to the picture, the maximum deflection (unloaded vs no STB or triangulation bars) was 0.081in. This was determined using our Faro Arm and a program that allows us to directly digitize into Solidworks. I then overlaid them together. I had planned on doing a more dedicated post about testing after I used a few more methods. Btw, I love your work and what you're doing for the community
Mottor: Even when I was a teenager I have always been passionate about intake and exhaust manifold design, it's honestly one of my favorite things in the world. There are some pretty awesome developments coming out as far as exhaust manifolds go. And like Matt said, we're pretty darn good at exhaust stuff. I honestly can't say when we're going to start doing exhaust for the twins (interpret that verbiage however you want)
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I hope you can tell that we've read every single post so far. We always do. Everyone who has contributed so far did a great job and has provided something valuable to us. This post got a bit longer than I would have liked, but I just get so excited about this stuff, especially when I get to do it with TONS of other car guys. Thank you all so much, and KEEP POSTING!
Chase
Engineering