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Im looking to buy a couple of the Ultra Racing chassis stiffening bars and I was just wondering, which bars are the best bang for the buck?
They have a couple options, and there’s been a lot of discussion in this forum about their effectiveness.
For the front of the car, they have:
- A 2-point strut bar that goes over the engine.
- A 4-point stiffener that connects the front subframe all the way to almost the middle of the body.
- Another 4-point stiffener that just connects the front subframe to the body points close to it.
For the middle, they have:
- A 2-point stiffener that goes behind the transmission.
- A 4-point stiffener that appears to be discontinued
For the rear they have:
- A 2-point rear subframe stiffener that runs across the width of the car.
- A 2-point rear strut bar that goes in the cabin.
Most of the discourse on this forum suggests that the rear, 2-point subframe stiffener is kind of useless, as it stiffens a part that is all steel and should be stiff enough itself.
Additionally, there have been a couple comments on the actual effectiveness of the front strut bar on our platform with many reporting that it’s not necessary.
So, which of these, or which combination are you all running and how has it worked out for you? If you were to choose just 2 or 3 of these, which would you put on your car? If you’re a coupe owner, have you noticed a difference in sunroof squeaking since you got your bars?
Any discussion is appreciated, as I’m sure nobody wants another thread about wheel specs.
2012 P31 C63 Coupe Trackrat, 2019 GLE63S Coupe Beast
I did all of them at once - which is the correct way to go as they all work together in concert. If I had to rank them in terms of effectiveness given experience and seeing what hardware these replace or reinforce, my best guess would be 1) the big 4 point under the front subframe, 2) the rear subframe bar, 3) the 2 front lower subframe 2 point bars, 4) front strut, 5) rear strut, 6) 4 point trans tunnel, 7) 2 point trans tunnel.
If you can find a set of the thicker Eibach sway bars, they would fall somewhere around #3.
I bought the front strut brace used on ebay and built my own lower chassis brace and rear strut brace.
I felt no difference with the front strut brace and lower chassis brace (my lower brace may not be stiff enough), but the car felt MUCH better after I added my custom rear strut brace. Like a totally different car. I don't know if it was the rear strut brace itself or the combination of the three. But adding that made one of the most significant changes of any suspension/chassis mod I've done on any car that I've owned.
Pics of my rigged-up custom parts below.
Last edited by AMGSIXTHREE; Jun 27, 2023 at 05:10 PM.
I bought the front strut brace used on ebay and built my own lower chassis brace and rear strut brace.
I felt no difference with the front strut brace and lower chassis brace (my lower brace may not be stiff enough), but the car felt MUCH better after I added my custom rear strut brace. Like a totally different car. I don't know if it was the rear strut brace itself or the combination of the three. But adding that made one of the most significant changes of any suspension/chassis mod I've done on any car that I've owned.
Gosh I wish I knew how to weld, those look great!
Thanks for all the input guys, I guess I'll bite the bullet and go with them all.
Thanks for all the input guys, I guess I'll bite the bullet and go with them all.
Great skill to learn. It comes in handy for a lot of car stuff.
To me the rear subframe brace seems useless 🤷🏽♂️. Maybe I'm missing something, but it appears to be tying one side of a beefy tubular steel structure to the other side, using a much smaller piece of tubular steel. I don't see what improvement that would make.
Last edited by AMGSIXTHREE; Jun 27, 2023 at 06:30 PM.
Most of my research seemed to echo Blkrokt's thoughts, but to be fair, he also provided a lot of the comments on prior threads too. So, at least over the ~years, feedback seems consistent.
I opted against the REAR STRUT (2 POINTS) because I use the fold down seats too much.
I opted against the FRONT STRUT (2 POINTS) because I'm waiting to see if the VRP supercharger is going to have an clearance issues and didn't want any hassle, but open to picking this up in the future...
I'm planning on putting this in when the KW DDC kit is comes in ~Aug/Sep, which I've read also makes a good difference to handling.
Do you have any suspension mods out of curiosity?
Most of my research seemed to echo Blkrokt's thoughts, but to be fair, he also provided a lot of the comments on prior threads too. So, at least over the ~years, feedback seems consistent.
I opted against the REAR STRUT (2 POINTS) because I use the fold down seats too much.
I opted against the FRONT STRUT (2 POINTS) because I'm waiting to see if the VRP supercharger is going to have an clearance issues and didn't want any hassle, but open to picking this up in the future...
I'm planning on putting this in when the KW DDC kit is comes in ~Aug/Sep, which I've read also makes a good difference to handling.
Do you have any suspension mods out of curiosity?
Those dampers should make a dramatic difference on their own. My only suspension mods are H&R springs and Synchro Design Works spherical thrust arm bushings.
I think most people do multiple braces at once. If I could get my hands on a used one of those rear braces for cheap I would try it for the hell of it. See if it makes any noticeable change on its own.
Im looking to buy a couple of the Ultra Racing chassis stiffening bars and I was just wondering, which bars are the best bang for the buck?
They have a couple options, and there’s been a lot of discussion in this forum about their effectiveness.
For the front of the car, they have:
- A 2-point strut bar that goes over the engine.
- A 4-point stiffener that connects the front subframe all the way to almost the middle of the body.
- Another 4-point stiffener that just connects the front subframe to the body points close to it.
For the middle, they have:
- A 2-point stiffener that goes behind the transmission.
- A 4-point stiffener that appears to be discontinued
For the rear they have:
- A 2-point rear subframe stiffener that runs across the width of the car.
- A 2-point rear strut bar that goes in the cabin.
Most of the discourse on this forum suggests that the rear, 2-point subframe stiffener is kind of useless, as it stiffens a part that is all steel and should be stiff enough itself.
Additionally, there have been a couple comments on the actual effectiveness of the front strut bar on our platform with many reporting that it’s not necessary.
So, which of these, or which combination are you all running and how has it worked out for you? If you were to choose just 2 or 3 of these, which would you put on your car? If you’re a coupe owner, have you noticed a difference in sunroof squeaking since you got your bars?
Any discussion is appreciated, as I’m sure nobody wants another thread about wheel specs.
Don't know about OP, but my use case is twisty Appalachian roads, which are in my back yard and which I drive at least weekly. But the changes that I made (at least the last one) are felt while driving to the grocery store. Zero interest in lap times for me. I'm after 'feel.'
2012 P31 C63 Coupe Trackrat, 2019 GLE63S Coupe Beast
Originally Posted by eashwar63
What do you guys think about ultra racing strut bars? They are on eBay and have a complete set…..
The Ultras are the only off-the-shelf strut bar on the market that actually works. Everything you see that’s made from aluminum or carbon, or has hinges or pins at the bar ends, don’t do jack except dress up the engine bay and impress people who don’t know anything. At the eBay price it’s a no brainer.
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