Front Strut Tower Brace

QuickClipse2 · 06-13-2004, 06:47 PM

I read in the FAQ index about wheel hop and how to prevent it. It says one way to prevent wheel hop in FWD dsms is to not include a front strut tower brace on the car. But they fail to explain why and how it is negative for my launches. Can someone clear this up for me? Should i scrap my front strut tower brace or leave it on?

P.S: I have been suffering from tremendous wheel hop

DSMSpyder99 · 06-13-2004, 06:59 PM

i dont know why but to help with your wheel hop poly-urathane engine mounts will greatly reduce wheel hop. Also, STOP LAUNCHING BY JUST DROPPING THE CLUTCH! Instead slip it out and wheel hop will practially be 100% gone.

QuickClipse2 · 06-13-2004, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSMSpyder99

i dont know why but to help with your wheel hop poly-urathane engine mounts will greatly reduce wheel hop. Also, STOP LAUNCHING BY JUST DROPPING THE CLUTCH! Instead slip it out and wheel hop will practially be 100% gone.

i did the front poly-urathane engine mount today and i noticed a great improvement. When you say slip the clutch out, do you mean let it out slowly while adding gas? Wouldnt that burn out my clutch?

Talek · 06-13-2004, 07:32 PM

It'll put more wear on your clutch, sure, but a lot less wear on the rest of your car. It really isn't good for it to bounce it around like that.

JRichter · 06-13-2004, 07:54 PM

I had hop before and after I installed a Tenzo upper strut bar. What size wheels/tires are you rollin?

QuickClipse2 · 06-13-2004, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRichter

I had hop before and after I installed a Tenzo upper strut bar. What size wheels/tires are you rollin?

im running stock 16" wheels right now. about to be replaced by 17"s

talontsi01 · 06-13-2004, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuickClipse2

I read in the FAQ index about wheel hop and how to prevent it. It says one way to prevent wheel hop in FWD dsms is to not include a front strut tower brace on the car. But they fail to explain why and how it is negative for my launches. Can someone clear this up for me? Should i scrap my front strut tower brace or leave it on?

P.S: I have been suffering from tremendous wheel hop

Definately a cheap, worthwhile suspension mod. I can't see a downside. What did the FAQ say about it?>

sonicnofadz · 06-13-2004, 09:49 PM

When you install the poly-urathane bushings, what you are doing is just changing the stiffness of the motormounts. Why does this prevent wheel hop? Think of the motor mounts as vertical springs. So you have the springs for your suspension and the springs that are your motor mounts. It requires some physics to understand this but when your wheel begins to slip during a burnout, the rotation of the tire against the asphalt create a natural frequency. If a certain frequency is reached the front strut/spring assemblies will start to oscillate higher and higher with greater amplitude every oscillation (this frequency is called the resonant frequency and is dependent on the springs stiffness). This is what is called wheel hop. By changing to stiffer springs (and harder dampening struts) and or stiffer motor mounts you are changing the frequency at which this wild oscillation (wheel hop) will occur at.

QuickClipse2 · 06-13-2004, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by talontsi01

Definately a cheap, worthwhile suspension mod. I can't see a downside. What did the FAQ say about it?>

"Other FWD solutions include: equal tire pressures (left to right), lower tire pressures, softer suspension, a front sway bar (not strut tower brace) and less drastic launch techniques. " says http://ca.dsm.org/

QuickClipse2 · 06-13-2004, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonicnofadz

When you install the poly-urathane bushings, what you are doing is just changing the stiffness of the motormounts. Why does this prevent wheel hop? Think of the motor mounts as vertical springs. So you have the springs for your suspension and the springs that are your motor mounts. It requires some physics to understand this but when your wheel begins to slip during a burnout, the rotation of the tire against the asphalt create a natural frequency. If a certain frequency is reached the front strut/spring assemblies will start to oscillate higher and higher with greater amplitude every oscillation (this frequency is called the resonant frequency and is dependent on the springs stiffness). This is what is called wheel hop. By changing to stiffer springs (and harder dampening struts) and or stiffer motor mounts you are changing the frequency at which this wild oscillation (wheel hop) will occur at.

So is that a yay or nay on the front strut tower bar?

talontsi01 · 06-13-2004, 10:20 PM

I was asking about what it said about the negative affects of having a front strut bar, but I guess that is kinda of the point of this thread.

sonicnofadz · 06-13-2004, 11:30 PM

I'm not too sure about how the strut tower brace helps anything. From what I understand the only thing the brace does is stiffen up the front part of the car's chassis. I dont think it really has anything to do with the car's vertical suspension at all. So in theory (not sure if this is true or not) the strut tower brace should not affect wheel hop, or if it does it should only have a small affect (due to the twisting of the chassis that takes place WITHOUT the brace). This might be what some people experience, or it might not be...not sure. Hopefully more people with strut tower braces will put in their input.