[FOUND] new corolla front and rear tower braces

[chicken]

im thinking of getting this set

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...X:BOCOR:AU:1123

i asked the seller and he said the rear tower brace bolts directly to the rear struts! i think thats great so it doesnt get in the way of boot space but is it just as effective? your thoughts?

Cheers

[SuperDave]

i asked the seller and he said the rear tower brace bolts directly to the rear struts! i think thats great so it doesnt get in the way of boot space but is it just as effective? your thoughts?

Being so low and close to the chassis brace that comes with the car I'd say it'll do nothing. If the chassis isn't flexing there it doesn't need reinforcement, but I have never put a strain gauge there to see.

[chicken]

i asked the seller and he said the rear tower brace bolts directly to the rear struts! i think thats great so it doesnt get in the way of boot space but is it just as effective? your thoughts?

Being so low and close to the chassis brace that comes with the car I'd say it'll do nothing. If the chassis isn't flexing there it doesn't need reinforcement, but I have never put a strain gauge there to see.

oh ok. makes sense that trd designed it differently. ill save for new tyres instead

Edited September 21, 2009 by chicken

[bradsm87]

i asked the seller and he said the rear tower brace bolts directly to the rear struts! i think thats great so it doesnt get in the way of boot space but is it just as effective? your thoughts?

Being so low and close to the chassis brace that comes with the car I'd say it'll do nothing. If the chassis isn't flexing there it doesn't need reinforcement, but I have never put a strain gauge there to see.

The european and japanese models have an extra brace from factory there so i reckon it would make a diff. That's why that black plastic thing has so much extra room inside it.

[daniboy]

yea i asked him about that too and from the looks of it i didnt reckon it would actually clear the floor properly haha, but yea its a good tie down point if ur carrying stuff in your boot :P

[terryo]

brace bars with bends in them, are rarely very effective. many toyotas have an optional rear tower brace system, that fitted standard in some markets. does anyone have a pic of the jap market rear brace???

[bradsm87]

Nah but it's in the factory service manual

[daniboy]

these factory rear bars where do they bolt to? should my wagon already have one?

[terryo]

I have asked this ebay seller for installed pics, and he has none, so its likely that they wont fit, or wont fit properly. he may be just another on-seller of cheap rubbish. until someone gets a set, there is no-way to know. as I said however, bent bars rarely do the intended stiffening job.

Edited September 28, 2009 by terryo

[AE102]

i fitted a facelift yamaha rsb and surprisingly that made a difference for only being attached at 1 point of the strut mounting points and being so flimsy for a sb. if you use your imagination you could make one in no time....................

[chicken]

interesting bar AE102. What difference has it made?

The seller was willing to sell it to me for $200 plus $50 shipping so thats like a cost of a branded front tower brace. It looks very similar to the cusco and summit front brace. Someone can buy it just for the front. If the rear fits then thats a bonus.

[terryo]

can you post up a complete pic.???

that floor reinforcement panel is triple layer and to make an improvment, you would need a HUGE hollow rod. some basic statics maths will show you that, beacuse it acts as a bucking column .

the proper way to improve the rear stiffness is to add a bar up high like was done in the ST205's GpA cars

[AE102]

interesting bar AE102. What difference has it made?

The seller was willing to sell it to me for $200 plus $50 shipping so thats like a cost of a branded front tower brace. It looks very similar to the cusco and summit front brace. Someone can buy it just for the front. If the rear fits then thats a bonus.

its a stock bar fiited to the facelift models - made by yamaha. i didint expect to notice it to be fair but it made a noticeable difference, reduced flexing thats for sure and tightened the rear up. i plan on putting one the other mount bolt - but i'll knock that up myself. i

can you post up a complete pic.???

that floor reinforcement panel is triple layer and to make an improvment, you would need a HUGE hollow rod. some basic statics maths will show you that, beacuse it acts as a bucking column .

the proper way to improve the rear stiffness is to add a bar up high like was done in the ST205's GpA cars

i'll get a proper pic - its mounted to the strut mount bolt and it does make a difference, thats why it was fitted on the facelift. i doubt it will offer the same improvement as the TRD tower brace but for £40 i'm happy - but yes the TRD one will be going in at some stage to compliment it.

[terryo]

I just pulled the rear trim out of an Australian delivered 2006 facelift model, and it does not have anything like this

[chicken]

i found the company that makes these bars. KX-F3. the four-point rear chassis brace looks alright.

http://www.kx-f3.com/en/carprod.aspx?carclass=167

[and1]

Alternatively if anyone is keen my mate and I might be knocking up some rear strut bars similar to mine..

[chicken]

Alternatively if anyone is keen my mate and I might be knocking up some rear strut bars similar to mine..

how much roughly and1? although im not keen to sacrifice my boot

[bradsm87]

Just get a bit of aluminium pipe and hammer the ends flat and drill a hole in each end. That's what I did for a rear strut brace in the S14 and will also do one in the rear for the corolla.

[terryo]

I'm currently designing a rear brace for a road/track ZZE123 being built at my work. To keep the rear seats and boot space as normal, then a high level brace wont be easy, but it will be the most effective. see pic on http://www.trdparts.jp/english/parts_towerbar.html

I cannot explain the comments about the floor brace as pictured , as it should do very little by the looks. Maybe done like this to make it "bolt-on" for selected markets. Changing the floor cross section would have been cheaper/easier on the production line.

The pics on the KX-F3 site dont show enough to be useful

I'll keep you all posted. if anyone wants something making that will actually work, let me know

Edited September 30, 2009 by terryo

[and1]

This is the one in my car atm:

My mate and I might be making some very similar to mine but bracket will be bolted to bar, not welded as mine is. This is so you can keep the side trim if you would like to.

Also its not that colour anymore, it's black now. That was during testing phase.

It pretty much has the same position as the TRD rear strut bar.

[terryo]

that will actually do something, provided your mountings are stiff

[and1]

that will actually do something, provided your mountings are stiff

Oh trust me mounts are stiff :P

[chicken]

I think someone bought the ebay set for $99! Whoever bought it please put up photos and a review on them :)

[Kenneth]

Alternatively if anyone is keen my mate and I might be knocking up some rear strut bars similar to mine..

didnt u say that almost 5 months ago <_<