Raceland rear upper stress brace

[drewr]

Just stumbled accross this: Raceland Rear Upper Stress Brace for Golf IV Mk4 R32 Slvr.

Does anyone know much about them? Looks very similar to the TST brace but a lot lot cheaper, just wondering if there can be much of a flaw in them that makes them that cheap??? /would anyone be interested in buying one as well?

[Treza360]

The whole spider web thing looks tacky. Materials and fitting methods would be worth investigating. The TST was all aerospace grade gear from what I remember.
Cheers,
Trent

[drewr]

The whole spider web thing looks tacky. Materials and fitting methods would be worth investigating. The TST was all aerospace grade gear from what I remember.
Cheers,
Trent

Yeah, i'd snap up the TST one in a second! It's just that it never seems to be in stock/available!!
I agree though, i DESPISE the spider web, looks like it should be in the boot of some ****ty ricer.
Might see If i can explore options with the HPA brace, just needs to work with my boot setup i'll be making.

[Speed]

Hate the spider thingy but those downpipes are also cheap!

[Manaz]

Yah, I saw these, went with the UNIbrace because I thought the spiderweb thing looked poxy. UNIbrace is done by the guy who designed the TST brace.

http://www.unibrace.com

[Treza360]

Yah, I saw these, went with the UNIbrace because I thought the spiderweb thing looked poxy. UNIbrace is done by the guy who designed the TST brace.
Unibrace

Yep. TST no longer manufacture the brace so the guy/s who designed it got the rights to it and started up their own company. I'd go with the Unibrace. At the end of the day it isn't that expensive really.
Cheers,
Trent

[drewr]

Sweet I'm going to order the unibrace. Does anyone else want one? May be able to tee up a group buy.

[trickysimon]

Could they be fitted to a 4motion Bora?

[Manaz]

Could they be fitted to a 4motion Bora?

I have one, so yes.

You do need to specify though that you want the Jetta version - it's slightly different - just enough to matter - to the Golf version.

[Driven Threads]

Sweet I'm going to order the unibrace. Does anyone else want one? May be able to tee up a group buy.

Interested. PM sent.

[Manaz]

I may be able to help with this - I already have contact with Bruce Levin (the UNIbrace guy)...

[drewr]

I would very much appreciate some help in the department, Manaz.

[trickysimon]

Manaz did you notice a difference at all when you fitted it?
You could save me all these questions if you just swapped Boras with me

[Manaz]

Manaz did you notice a difference at all when you fitted it?
You could save me all these questions if you just swapped Boras with me

This is what I posted on another forum. I think I said something about it in the thread here about my car too:

Just to follow up on this for those of you wondering about this.

I can't speak highly enough of this item - of everything I've done to the Bora thus far, this would be the best bang-for-the-buck handling mod by far. Although I have a Bora which suffers less than the Golf from being a big box at the rear end, the difference this brace makes to the handling of the car is amazing - the rear end becomes much more progressive and controllable because rather than absorbing lateral forces for a while and then releasing them (like a spring winding up), the chassis is held together much more securely, and so the lateral forces don't build up and then surprise you.

If anything, you probably lose a little initial lateral grip - the rear starts to break away a little sooner - but it's much more progressive (and you feel it more accurately as well), so it's not a sudden surprise that you have to suddenly correct for, but rather a smooth transition that you can predict and account for more easily.

My experince is specific to the Bora V6 4Motion, and probably most accurately transfers to the R32 (Mk4 and 5) due to their similar AWD systems, but the FWD chassis will undoubtably benefit from a more predictable rear end, and the Golf even more so than the Bora due to the fact that the back end of the Golf is much more open and thus prone to deformation.

[WhO]

Well that's convinced me to add one of them to my shopping list for the near future! I would've thought the parcel shelf of the bora would've increased stiffness but clearly theres more room for improvement