mbc300

hello everyone,
im looking for an upper strut brace. does anyone know of one....im looking for a three link type.
thanks in advance,

Peabody

SMERC engineering has one posted in this forum, use search.

qwqwerertyty

there's one from MB arts, I heard quality is amazing but unfortunately they had some dispute with MBW so they took down their thread.

you can contact sonicMS whom i think carries them, or just go on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MB-Ar...item3ca7030268

Peabody

Seems SMERC had the same problem with MBW.

Here's the website and a few pics.

qwqwerertyty

i don't know too much details but i heard smerc copied MBarts design

also in terms of structure MBarts will definitely be stronger

however i do agree that it's less appealing in terms of looks

Sportstick

May I please ask why you want the brace? I had been thinking about it purely for handling improvement (don't really care that much about the aesthetics), but most comments said it's hard to tell the difference without very aggressive driving. I am now considering upgrading the anti-sway bars first.

SMERC Engineering

Hi qwqwerertyty,

SMERC Engineering has done all of its research, design, & testing by its self and has not replicated any other companies designs. The brace you are refering to has no resemblance to our design or features. Please feel free to compare the two side by side and see for yourself. We appreciate your concerns and comments. We stand 100% behind our product and assure you that our product is not a copy or replica of another product.

Thanks!

Yuta @ SMERC Engineering

micropower99

Just bought my MBarts Strut Bar the other day. It should arrive within the week. I'll post a short review along with some pics.

qwqwerertyty

I don't know the whole story and I've never seen either braces. I just wanted to share what I heard from a source which I thought was trustworthy. Anyhow, I did not mean to make accusations without proof. So I'm going to shut up about this matter now.

bigigg

The smerc bar looks nicer, and is lighter.. But the mbarts bar is stronger. And serves its purpose.. The 1 piece system is way better.. I own the mbarts bar..

Peabody

You really can't make that assertion without a machine stress test. The combinations of the quality of joints, design materials, and engineering will all be factors and none of them can immediately be identified as better through a cursory glance. If you want to do a detailed analysis of the math/physics on the forces, angles, composition etc in play then by all means don't let me slow you down.


VS


If you want to make a hasty judgement of opinion from a glance then I would suggest the limited angular velocity of the struts against a vertical bar with interlocking tabs would be stronger than a tube welded to a horizontal plate.

The tubular design may have advantages when handling velocities of varying vectors, but the function of this piece should not be to handle force applied from various angles, but the force immediately between the two strut towers to maintain a proper camber during cornering.

Secondly, using non-interlocking welds on the MBarts brace mount could be a definite weakness in structure as over 95% of the force applied to this brace should be applied at the joint of the brace and the mount. The MBArts weld may break as soon as the force applied exceeds the max force of the weld. The SMerc weld however may engage the same amount of force, while the joined perpendicular mounting should prevent separation. This means the additional force may need to be able to bend the metals out of place before the weld breaks. This should allow the Smerc brace to wear more gradually over its lifetime than the MBarts brace.

Of course, I'm not an mechnanical engineer and I haven't tested either, so I'll leave assertions to the respective engineers of either company to present.

Sportstick

And I would venture no guess on the relative structural merits of either....but for those who want or have them, are the earlier comments of only a very subtle improvement under most aggressive driving true? Some cars have a noticeable benefit from strut tower braces, but they have less rigid platforms to start...can anyone quantify the benefit here...or is it just for underhood appearance on a C class?

BEEPbeepZIPtang

adjustable, thicker, lighter sways, front and rear will improve handling...night and day.
strut bars do VERY little to help with roll especially on already rigid frames. essentially you'll be paying for looks not performance.

lovew204

I love it. How much for the shipping cost to Vietnam? i'll pay via PayPal

albert101

Looks awesome but I noticed it goes on top of your air filter. Does this mean if you need to change your air filter, you need to remove the strut bar first?

AkaSigFreak

ALL strut bars will go on top of the airfilter in this car. There are 2 bolds on each side that allow you to remove it without undoing the strut mount bolts.
The SMERC piece is incredible.

Sportstick

Any updates from owners who have installed the bar? What are the differences noticed before/after?

I see the SMERC bar is currently selling on their web site for $279.99 with free shipping. I'm still trying to decide on the performance merits, without concern about underhood aesthetics.

tanktube67

Installing the sway bars first, is the best way to go.

Sportstick

Thanks, did that already...Eibach front and rear. That quote of mine is from about a year and a half ago on this thread!

tanktube67

Mixedfruits

was it any good? feel the difference?

Sportstick

Eibach bars made a huge difference, reducing body roll and making the steering response feel much quicker and crisper...probably my favorite mod...strongly recommend, with the proviso of the rear taking about 3 hours of labor...front was quick and easy.

Mixedfruits

so you obught the full set from eibatch?

Sportstick

Yes, set of front and rear, but actually from tirerack.com for $450.

fl0wmastr

wheres that strut bar review?