Strut Brace

[TieNN89]

Bit of a n00b so i got questions I'd like to ask

I notice not very many people I've seen with strut braces in there mx5

Is it worth getting?
Or should I be looking at something else?

I found a whiteline on ebay seller N*Power
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/WHITELINE-ALLOY- ... p1638.m118



I'm looking at doing a bit of modding but don't wanna go spending lots of $$

[StanTheMan]

this one is a bit of a C.O.W.

I have the same one fitted in my NA6
I personally did not notice a lot of difference in my NA6.
But I put the lower brace in first. The early NA's did not come with a lower brace. Your NB8A did come with a lower brace as standard.
In My opinion the difference was negilable......if any at all. I left it in for bling.

If you had a NA6 without the lower brace. I'd say you'd notice a minor difference.

You will get different opinions here.


Over to Okibi.



PS C.O.W. stands for can of worms. Mooooooooooooo........

[FoxForceFive]

ive got a NA6 and an NA8 with a strut brace, and i can honestly say i can tell no difference what so ever....maybe its just me. I have a cheapo one on the NA6 and a whiteline on the NA8.....Ive got to say, the whiteline looks the goods on the car, so like STM, i left it on.

[TieNN89]

well my mate was recommending me getting one if i was to take corners hard ......

so yeah just though i'd ask if it does anything in an mx5 first


I've read on the net that some strut brace that goes on mx5 can block access to removing the spark plugs

is that right or does the bar go thru between the 2 sparks
(hopefully you get what i mean)

[Okibi]

Thank you Stanley,

Yes this is a bit of a moo'er.

The strut brace was one of the first mods we did to our NB8A, we had to wait for Whiteline to find an NB in Victoria to test fit one to before they could create one for us.

There's one particular corner near our house I could always notice the difference on. The front seemed to sit \"flatter\" than roll with the surface of the road.

They're not a \"must have\" mod, but every little piece may help.

I think the ol Autoexe front strut brace for the NB would be an even greater improvement.

[StanTheMan]

well my mate was recommending me getting one if i was to take corners hard ......

I've read on the net that some strut brace that goes on mx5 can block access to removing the spark plugs

is that right or does the bar go thru between the 2 sparks
(hopefully you get what i mean)

The whiteline does get in the way of the sparks a little. But its no big deal.
With different cars your friend probably has a good point.
Theoretically. any bracing will help. No matter how little. But like I said. Some people can feel a difference. Others can't. There was a massive debate on this a few years back. So opinions are divided.
I would have offered mine for a few days. But you are not in Sydney.

[Steampunk]

Yes, I was disappointed to not notice a big difference 95% of the time, but I agree in that it does help with high-speed and sharp cornering.

One thing I definitely noticed was a reduction in scuttle-shake. In my opinion, that in itself is reason enough to install one.

The brace to get is one with beefy end brackets and cross-bar. I'm sure you would have noticed the two black ones sitting in the front room of MX5-Plus? Get something like that.

or like this:

[Andrew]

i could feel the difference on certain corners when i installed mine -

[Steampunk]

I almost bought one Andrew, but I stumbled across a Cusco one on eBay.

The Whiteline's end brackets look very strong indeed, but they should have done something better for the cross-bar to complement it.

[TieNN89]

The brace to get is one with beefy end brackets and cross-bar. I'm sure you would have noticed the two black ones sitting in the front room of MX5-Plus? Get something like that.

or like this:

didn't really pay attention but all i saw was seats seats seats wheels wheels wheels

so it does make a little difference

is there something you would recommend me getting which would make bigger differences at the same time not costing me a lot?

[Alfadog]

When did the NB get a front strut bar from factory?

[marcusus]

When did the NB get a front strut bar from factory?

I think the 10AE's had them from memory?

Speaking of, that (the factory strut) is the type of front strut I have and I thought it made a world of difference. Most any corner I took felt like the car was stiffer and not flexing out so much, which meant more precise steering. I personally reckon it's a great mod and worth the money.

There's quite a sharp left hook that goes up a hill towards my place and I could take it 10km/h faster with the strut brace on, but that may all be seat of the pants.

Keep in mind though that I'm talking about the factory strut rather than the cusco/whiteline/etc ones that are being discussed. I'm not sure whether or not there would be a significant difference between the brands.

[Steampunk]

Yup, 10AE's and, as usual, on better equipped JDM, US, and UK NB8B's.

Tien: last I saw, they were sitting beside all the wheels & tyres near the doors that take you to the workshop (unless they've been sold of course). They are ones that came out of NB's.

You are better off getting a bigger/stiffer front anti-sway bar as they DEFINITELY make a noticeable difference.

[TieNN89]

Keep in mind though that I'm talking about the factory strut rather than the cusco/whiteline/etc ones that are being discussed. I'm not sure whether or not there would be a significant difference between the brands.

I notice corksport sells Mazdaspeed ones for the mx5 would that be the ones that came as factory

[Okibi]

SP and SE had them as well didn't they?