240z strut brace recommendation - UK delivery?

[Graeme - CZ]

Thanks for all the tips folks. Happiest to keep it inside the EU, and to order from a fellow member.

As you say, I’m not doing this for racing. Rather to just protect the integrity of the car for the years ahead. I’m also about to put on BC coilovers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jonbills]

The Cusco is a great bit of kit.
Sean’s ones are very hard to beat on price and weight.

if you're not interested in performance and only price and weight and looks, a length of this is hard to beat.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232963010752

 

[AliK]

if you're not interested in performance and only price and weight and looks, a length of this is hard to beat.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232963010752

Brilliant Jon! I did use that for many years on mine and definitely smelled the difference!

The key points to what I was saying were that they all perform better than nothing there and they all have their individual differentiators that stand out. Most people are not going to be really feeling the difference between Sean’s profile of brace and the Cusco profile on the public road at legal cornering speeds.

In fact, those running squishy shocks and springs will not notice any difference IMHO from their investment other than the placebo effect.

On another note, from what I understand, the effect of a brace really comes home in compression (of the brace itself). So the adjustability - if we are beyond looks and weight - is surely an important factor to ensure a tight fit before torquing down the strut top nuts. Not all cars are precision / straight as per factory after 40+ years of abuse and welding etc.

 

[Mr.G]

This is the one I have, it was bought from Moggy's group buy 10 years ago, excellent quality.

The engine strut bar has hardly been used and in storage for many years as I went to a taller airbox which is too tall for most bars. The rear bar is as new.

Will be in the classifieds soon. PM for more details/price.

 

[SeanDezart]

if you're not interested in performance and only price and weight and looks, a length of this is hard to beat.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232963010752

That'a a novel way of supporting a Z Club member and trader.....

The trapezoid one must surely be more stiff than the others..

So why do Cusco make round ones as well for Zs, ZXs and other models and makes? I always believed that a circle resists the same pressure from all angles...why suspension bridge cables are circular !

You shouldn’t need to adjust a strut brace, it’s made to the perfect size from the off. Agree about the blue! it’s an easy fix Fix but annoying.

The strut will be perfect but a 50yr old car might not.....and 2+2s (let's not forget them chaps) are not of the same width between struts at the rear.

We do agree and also upon an easy fix !

 

[jonbills]

That'a a novel way of supporting a Z Club member and trader....

I offer my opinions in the interest of all members who might buy a brace, not just the one who sells them.
I think your brace looks as good as the Cusco one, but both can only resist flex in one plane.

 

[SeanDezart]

I offer my opinions in the interest of all members who might buy a brace, not just the one who sells them.
I think your brace looks as good as the Cusco one, but both can only resist flex in one plane.

Better buy a roll-cage if anyone wants more but not the same budget, looks or weight. Not sure where the ball of fluffy, glittery wool comes in unless the sarcasm is way too subtle for me today.

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

I offer my opinions in the interest of all members who might buy a brace, not just the one who sells them.
I think your brace looks as good as the Cusco one, but both can only resist flex in one plane.

I think the cusco front one will resist twist better, just from an engineering standpoint, where it bolts to the strut mountings, they're wider and the shape will work better.

its flexing a round bar vs flexing and oval bar.

 

[johnymd]

I bought the topend performance ones as they are a bit different from all the others and i like to be different. I like the fact they are satin/gloss black and in one piece. I especially like the triangulation and do believe it will have some effect. The place on the baulk head that the midle part mounts to is quite a strong area and acts as a deep beam in the direction load will be exerted. Delivery was a little slow with mine taking around 18 months to arrive from payment being taken. I had lots of promises and excuses during this 18 month wait.

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

Are we all obsessing a little too much here for the effect we can actually feel on the road?

I looked at the Cusco and very nearly bought it. I know Franky has had good experiences with RHD not marking the true price on their packaging and reducing the import duties. When they did that on mine, fedex impounded my item until I produced the RHD invoice and paid the full duty due. So you can’t always count on that either.

I think you would feel the strut brace on the road?

Sorry to hear about your RHD order. I know some have got away totally free of duty before. I've never been that lucky, although its never been what it should be.

 

[SeanDezart]

Well, mine are available from this weekend, should be a 3-4 working day delivery time.

I looked at all sorts before choosing - I have Cuscos here (which have steel plates making them much heavier), USA Nismo (see photos....round bars) an old set from Mike and another from Martin of MZR.

Weights of a pair of bars and brackets :

Mike/Martin 2,75kgs
Cusco 3,35kgs
Zstory 1,5kgs
Zcardepot 2,36 kgs (lowest weighing USA-market bars)

I didn't want to reduce the cost further buy effectively using the front bracket for the rear because, as you'll have noticed in Mr Gs' post-photo, there is an inevitable over-hang so my rears are specific as per those of the NISMO versions - also all alu with only steels nuts and bolts.

Agreed with Franky - you won't feel the loss of what you've never had but skip down the same twisty, uneven country road with at least the front bar (Paul has a point too) and I believe that any sensitive driver will feel the difference, whatever make of bar (s).

Lastly, I've never seen a bar fail through twist exertion...proof that none us drive as fast or as hard as we think ?

On the other hand, I would always reinforce with a welded plate, the points at which the front anti-roll bar is attached to the engine-bay chassis rails, NB !!!

 

[jonbills]

I bought the topend performance ones as they are a bit different from all the others and i like to be different. I like the fact they are satin/gloss black and in one piece. I especially like the triangulation and do believe it will have some effect. The place on the baulk head that the midle part mounts to is quite a strong area and acts as a deep beam in the direction load will be exerted. Delivery was a little slow with mine taking around 18 months to arrive from payment being taken. I had lots of promises and excuses during this 18 month wait.

18 months is a little too long [emoji4] I withdraw my recommendation.

 

[jonbills]

Better buy a roll-cage if anyone wants more but not the same budget, looks or weight. Not sure where the ball of fluffy, glittery wool comes in unless the sarcasm is way too subtle for me today.

no, thats not true. the next step up is not a roll cage. the top end performance one (for example) resists flex in more planes than hinged single bars like yours. even this sort of design has less flex.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392081656530

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

no, thats not true. the next step up is not a roll cage. the top end performance one (for example) resists flex in more planes than hinged single bars like yours. even this sort of design has less flex.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392081656530

A rear roll hoop, joins the rear of the car up well, end of the cills to strut towers

 

[SeanDezart]

no, thats not true. the next step up is not a roll cage. the top end performance one (for example) resists flex in more planes than hinged single bars like yours. even this sort of design has less flex.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392081656530

So you're now only reccomending those bars that connect to the bulkhead ?

Have you thought of servicing and how long it takes to remove a bar up out of the way of the cylinder head ? I speak for the majority of members whose cars spend 98% of their time on the road.

And my point was that since I've never seen a single bar fail, to do so will no doubt involve a very serious accident in which case, I'd rather have a rear half cage or perhaps more accurately described by Franky as a 'roll-hoop' which, as stated, also doubles up to seriously rigidify the chassis.
In this instance, neither front nor rear bar failed despite a twisted chassis but the roll-hoop saved the driver and passenger.

Besides, my bar (s) come with a cute, smelly-leather exclusive and original key-ring and the parts are life-time gauranteed. Lastly, any problems and I'm only a phone-call, email or PM away - all problems solved within a week.

Yer pays yer money and takes yer choice - it's a free country and becomming even freer later this year but maybe not cheaper

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

So you're now only reccomending those bars that connect to the bulkhead ?

Have you thought of servicing and how long it takes to remove a bar up out of the way of the cylinder head ? I speak for the majority of members whose cars spend 98% of their time on the road.

And my point was that since I've never seen a single bar fail, to do so will no doubt involve a very serious accident in which case, I'd rather have a rear half cage or perhaps more accurately described by Franky as a 'roll-hoop' which, as stated, also doubles up to seriously rigidify the chassis.
In this instance, neither front nor rear bar failed despite a twisted chassis but the roll-hoop saved the driver and passenger.

Besides, my bar (s) come with a cute, smelly-leather exclusive and original key-ring and the parts are life-time gauranteed. Lastly, any problems and I'm only a phone-call, email or PM away - all problems solved within a week.

Yer pays yer money and takes yer choice - it's a free country and becomming even freer later this year but maybe not cheaper

Sean, hes not meaning that the bars fail, just that triagulation adds resistance to flex in more directions, same as the wider bars/oval(that are just strut to strut) will offer increased strength over a straight round bar with a narrower mounting point.