Brand new part - Rear suspension brace

SOFTFOCUS · Feb 21, 2004

I ordered this brace about three days ago and installed it this morning. Installation was fairly easy as previously stated the only trick is to prevent the rivnuts from spining until sufficient load is supplied to collapse and lock them in place then torque too 35flb and your done. I was only able to test drive for a short time today and was not able to really push the car to its extremes due to a rainy day here in LA. My first impressions are positive even though the changes are subtile, there is a slight bit of overstear and the rearend feels more solidly planted driving over uneven pavement. I know this brief review is subjective and I am by no means a suspension expert, but I do know my car and its handling characteristics. So far I would say this is a mild improvment in handling for a mere 60 bucks however I need more drive time to really test it. The bracket is noticable when standing a few feet behind the car and looks pretty cool of course looks and performance are two different things.

MichaelXi · Feb 21, 2004

Thanks for your Review!

Peloton25 · Feb 21, 2004

P51:
Clearly, you're the man here so why don't you send me your address and I'll send you a brace. You can check it out, mount it up to your rear suspension and report back here of what you think of it.

Jim

That's pretty funny, because when I started reading some of the early skepticism in this thread I was thinking "Why not just give one to Rob and let him evaluate it. If it proves to be useful, you'll have a valuable testimonial and will surely sell many more."

The other resident experts that Michael mentioned would also be able to offer valuable insight, but I wouldn't suggest giving away too many if you say that the profit margin isn't so high.

BTW: I'll crawl under my brother's Mazda 3 hatch this weekend and try to get more photos of that one to see if there is any evidence of what it might be doing. Posting that article would be a good idea as well.

>8^)
ER

Focus1_8T · Feb 21, 2004

Good point on giving one to Rob to test but it seems that he would be gun shy about giving product reviews but I'm all for it if he both wants one and will give a review.

I think this piece will sell itself soon and my hope is that it will be seen less as a product and more like a service we offer. I'm not aiming for the fence on this one pricewise. The price is about the same as if you have a CNC machine shop hookup and a willing fabricator and experience with rivnuts. I add Priority shipping to it and it becomes a very convenient and inexpensive way to stiffen the rear suspension to make it work as designed.

As far as the article goes, I launched a new version of dieselgeek.com ten days ago and I have only had an hour to search for that article--with no results, dammit. I kick myself for reading it and not saving it. I'm gonna look some more on Sunday evening and if I can't find it I'm going to Mazda itself. I'll get an Mazda engineer to confirm the function of the plate.

chrisstroud · Feb 21, 2004

So, when can we expect a Dieselgeek Focus short shift kit?
I've been pretty impressed with your VW stuff so far.

MichaelXi · Feb 21, 2004

I would also HIGHLY recommend sending one to TeamDFL. Just search for one of his posts in the Auto-X/Road-Racing/Rally Forum.
His car is otherwise unbraced, and it sees the track regularly. He DOES have the skills to give an assessment.
I won't ask for one for myself. If they are proven, I'll address it then, buying or making. (I DO happen to have a friend w/ the machinery and supplies, though I do NOT Dispute that your price is GREAT. If I had him make one, it would be for the purpose of a fun project.)
Otherwise, I'm looking forward to more info.

COSitsWORTHit · Feb 22, 2004

I've been pretty impressed with your VW stuff so far.

We have other Focus products under development and we will have more parts in the future. You will be able to expect the same Dieselgeek quality in our Focus products too.

Thanks for the compliment!

Focus1_8T · Feb 23, 2004

All I could find this evening article-wise:

"Underneath the car, body engineers added braces to the subfloor and used tailor-welded blanks for the inner side panels and gussets in the rear suspension to minimize flexing. Specific to the MAZDA3 5-Door are reinforcements throughout the hatch area linking the rear side members and the rear opening to improve torsional rigidity."

From this website.

Focus1_8T · Feb 24, 2004

TeamDFL is getting one by Friday and he'll post here what he thinks...

Jim

teamDFL · Feb 27, 2004

TeamDFL is getting one by Friday and he'll post here what he thinks...

Jim

Got the brace yesterday. Initial impression is a big

for Jim and his crew.

The unit was packaged well (being big and metal, I was not worried about it breaking, but tearing through the box could be a problem) and arrived before Jim said it would. Even got an email telling me it had been shipped.

Since we are covered in snow here in NC, installation will be delayed a bit. First impression is that it is truly a quality piece. The dieselgeek crew seem to put some extra touches in that make the difference between just another part and real product that you are glad you bought. Examples:
The edges of the plate have a slight chamfer. There is no sharpness to the plate and no burs, meaning safer handling.
All fasteners are placed in their correct holes before shipment. No chance to lose the a bag of bolts or put something in wrong.
Jim has already applied thread locker to the bolts. A nice touch, often found on OE flywheel fasteners.
The bolts are 10.9 grade. Super strong and just like the OE suspension bolts.

So far, the only shortcoming I have seen is one that is entirely subjective and may not be necessary. The washers included are plain, flat washers. I am a BIG proponent of lock washers, and while it is not a requirement, if I am not using a nylock nut, I will always try to use one. With the threadlocker on there, it is most likely overkill, but something for Jim to think about.

So, in summary, a great looking piece handled by a top notch company. Once the snow clears a little, we'll see if it works as well as it looks.

garyk · Feb 27, 2004

snow! saw the news rich. michael i no longer run dans rear brace-the new cage negated it. now its a dom 1 1/2 bar between the shock towers! so i dont know if this brace would do much for me. interesting though. btw-adams racing bar up for grabs.

essveetee · Mar 2, 2004

any progress with this? Just curious...might be ordering one myself...

S2Texas · Mar 8, 2004

You should get this brace, why....because it works....


I got one, and man, did it help the back end sway...My back end usta swing way out, or felt like it, everytime I did a corner faster than 35...I got a deal, he was in houston, and I got it for $60 INSTALLED, yeah, he put it in for me, fast too. 

So anyway, I feel that it really helps alot. My back end usta sway her ares worse than a drunk chick on the dance floor. Now, I would say it took about 85-95% of the sway out. I LIKE IT!! Feels like rails now, can't wait to finish putting in the poly bushings in the front....go for it..my $.02

edit: removed cuz its worth it becuase some people think this was propogated by cozitsworthit...it is not. He asked for a non bias review, and I gave him one. I said that because I thought it to be funny-cute, oh well, some folks have no sense of humar...PS, I REALLY THINK THIS IS WORTH SIXTY BUCKS!!!

Egz · Mar 8, 2004

I think Michael is going to snap when he sees all those 'usta's.

teamDFL · Mar 8, 2004

I installed the brace late yesterday. I have not driven the card even remotely hard, so I cannot say that I have noticed a performance difference, but I did notice one thing immediately: there was way less suspension creak when I backed out the driveway this morning. Hopefully I'll find an off-ramp all to myself in the near future.

Penguini66 · Mar 8, 2004

I installed the brace late yesterday. I have not driven the card even remotely hard, so I cannot say that I have noticed a performance difference, but I did notice one thing immediately: there was way less suspension creak when I backed out the driveway this morning. Hopefully I'll find an off-ramp all to myself in the near future.

Looking forward to a review.

And no, "You should get this brace, why...."CUZ ITS WORTH IT"!!! " is not a real review.

CTZX3 · Mar 8, 2004

looks like somthing for me to add to the car

S2Texas · Mar 9, 2004

bump o licious... Penguini66 pls read edit on previous post.

Just cuz you dont like the first senctence, doesn't mean it is not a real review....I am not a car tech, so, take it or leave it....

MichaelXi · Mar 9, 2004

I think Michael is going to snap when he sees all those 'usta's.

I just figured it rhymes with Busta... Like Busta Rhymes...

DirtyFocusZX3 · Mar 9, 2004

Less creaking noises is always a plus in my book

Brand new part - Rear suspension brace

SOFTFOCUS

MichaelXi

Peloton25

Focus1_8T

chrisstroud

MichaelXi

COSitsWORTHit

Focus1_8T

Focus1_8T

teamDFL

garyk

essveetee

S2Texas

Egz

teamDFL

Penguini66

CTZX3

S2Texas

MichaelXi

DirtyFocusZX3

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