Ultra Racing Strut Brace installed

[xpoweruk]

For those of you wanting to fit the S4 version I say Do It :)

I'm in the UK so no AK brace/034 brace available & I don't have the CR-15 either

Fitted & now wearing a beaming smile

Steering feel/response/turn in is now so much more precise,the difference is like night & day.

Well worth every penny IMO,


A couple of install notes.

as you can see (below) I have used a couple of cable ties to hold 1 hose out of the way to help prevent any rubbing.

Other than that it goes straight in

[LaCross]

Where did you order from?

[xpoweruk]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1819889928...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT is the place I used,because at the time I ordered it they had 10% off

[ChobeG]

did you have to drill any holes?... my S4 doesn't have any bolts or holes on either side of the shock tower... I looked at this bar last year but definitely no holes for the mounting bolts on my car..

[Danny2323]

I'm installing it this weekend. I'll have a review, but I already have the CR-15 and AK, so we'll see what kind of incremental change it makes.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ChobeG]

If you either of you could please take pictures of the mounting bolt points that would be great... I can see two bolts on the top part of the tower on the first picture that i don't have pre-drilled holes for... unless it's only supposed to mount on the two bolts on the lower section of the towers... but would be good to see a close up

[xpoweruk]

The side closest in the pic has 2 threaded studs already in place on my S4.The farthest one is the jump start post (negative terminal)
Edit
I pinched a pic on google to show the UK drivers side mounting points

[waxxonMTL]

very nice !! 1) what is that revo plate ? hold the tubing from moving ? or it's an engine damper ?

2) any plan on going with the 2 other brace under the car ?

[silverf0x]

Sorry for the off-topic, but is that heatwrap REALLY making a difference?

[4wheelpilot]

Did this brace come with adequate installation instructions including torque #s for the bolts?
Did you need longer bolts?
Install time?
What changes did you feel...over rough roads, while cornering, during hard acceleration?
OP, thanks for posting!

From ebay usa...http://www.ebay.com/itm/182034018390...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[silverf0x]

Did this brace come with adequate installation instructions including torque #s for the bolts?
Did you need longer bolts?
Install time?
What changes did you feel...over rough roads, while cornering, during hard acceleration?
OP, thanks for posting!

From ebay usa...http://www.ebay.com/itm/182034018390...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Would really like to know as well!

(ho and thanks for the link)

[silverf0x]

Also, would that fit a B8.5?

[blackfunk]

Sorry for the off-topic, but is that heatwrap REALLY making a difference?

Nope. Its not insulating its reflecting. In the case of an engine bay you'd need to insulate from heat to be truly effective.

[silverf0x]

Nope. Its not insulating its reflecting. In the case of an engine bay you'd need to insulate from heat to be truly effective.

Good to know thanks! And actually how much of a Real Life difference does that make?

[skiptowncat]

Good to know thanks! And actually how much of a Real Life difference does that make?

I would say virtually none. Think about how long an air molecule will be in the intake to be warmed up

[xpoweruk]

very nice !! 1) what is that revo plate ? hold the tubing from moving ? or it's an engine damper ?

2) any plan on going with the 2 other brace under the car ?

The revo plate is part of the revon intake,it holds the weight of the intake tube

i may do the other 2 in the future,but not immediately

Sorry for the off-topic, but is that heatwrap REALLY making a difference?

Actually it does,since fitting the IATs on the P3Cars gauge take longer to rise when in traffic etc

Did this brace come with adequate installation instructions including torque #s for the bolts?
Did you need longer bolts?
Install time?
What changes did you feel...over rough roads, while cornering, during hard acceleration?
OP, thanks for posting!

From ebay usa...http://www.ebay.com/itm/182034018390...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

No instructions where included,so no torque settings are provided.The 2 main anchor points are suspension bolts (1 each side) so torque for those points are as OE fittment
The other smaller nuts are just steadying the bar so I just nipped those up
No longer bolts where needed
Install time 10-20 mins
Turn in is much sharper & more precise,feedback from the road is much improved whilst cornering & inspires confidence.

[infinkc]

does the upper engine cover fit back on? or does the bar get in the way of it?

[xpoweruk]

does the upper engine cover fit back on? or does the bar get in the way of it?

It fits back on fine :)

[silverf0x]

Thanks for all the info @xpoweruk. Could you just confirm if it fits B8.5 ?

Just made a 150$ USD offer, we'll see!

[xpoweruk]

As far as I'm aware the 8.5 engine bay is identical

[4wheelpilot]

The revo plate is part of the revon intake,it holds the weight of the intake tube

i may do the other 2 in the future,but not immediately



Actually it does,since fitting the IATs on the P3Cars gauge take longer to rise when in traffic etc



No instructions where included,so no torque settings are provided.The 2 main anchor points are suspension bolts (1 each side) so torque for those points are as OE fittment
The other smaller nuts are just steadying the bar so I just nipped those up
No longer bolts where needed
Install time 10-20 mins
Turn in is much sharper & more precise,feedback from the road is much improved whilst cornering & inspires confidence.

Do you know the oem fitment torque values?
Thanks for sharing the benefits of this strut brace from your real world driving experience OP.

[xpoweruk]

It's 30 ft-lb + 90° I believe

[4wheelpilot]

Many thanks from this side of the pond.

[silverf0x]

As far as I'm aware the 8.5 engine bay is identical

Good to hear! My offer at 150$ was accepted :)

[Danny2323]

Also, would that fit a B8.5?

Bad news - I goofed up, and didn't check to see if I had the passenger-side upper studs. My 2014 S4 doesn't have them, but I went ahead and installed it without them. It's attached with only the lower two suspension bolts, and the VERY weak negative jumpstart post. I don't know how impactful it is that I'm missing the upper studs.





I took it for a short test drive. I have the CR-15 and Alu Kreuz, and otherwise stock suspension (for now, but I have PSS10, sways, and moog end links waiting to go). The UR brace did make a change, but it was very subtle. It might be because of the missing upper studs, and it might be because my front end was already stiffened up significantly, but the improvement was barely noticeable. The steering feels ever so slightly heavier, and just a hair sharper, but barely. With all the stiffening, I feel every little crack in the road. Not too harsh, because the stock suspension eats up bumps, but there's more noticeable "thuds." It almost seems like there's a slight harmonic after hitting cracks, like I can feel the suspension rebound more.

To be honest, I'm not sure it's worth it if you already have the CR-15 and the AK, but only if you're B8.5. I can't say how much better it'd get if the same combo was performed on a B8, with the proper passenger side upper studs. Maybe it helps, I just don't know.

[silverf0x]

I don't have any bracing so far..

[1975audi]

subscribed.

[ChobeG]

my car is the same... mine is a 2015 and it doesn't have the two bolts at the top of the tower... So considering it's only held by the two lower suspension bolts and the bracket or mounting plates have all those bends, it makes me wonder if that would still allow for some flex.. It would reduce some no doubt but it doesn't appear solid enough at the mounting plates.. I guess the other option since i know how to weld, it would be to weld extra metal supports at the bends to form a rectangle for added rigidity.... just a thought... I rather weld on the bar than go opening holes or touching the car.

[waxxonMTL]

wow that suck for b8.5 :( glad you guys did the research :) Like mentionne before, I don't think the fact theres only a lower point holding the bar really ''stop the flex''. A strut bar has to be well fixed to do its job. Maybe we could pin point this thread to UR and they could develop another one ?

[xpoweruk]

It is quite possible that the smaller studs are of no real consequence TBH.
It is sold as a 2 point brace afterall.
I would say that because you already have all the other stiffening mods done that flex has already been reduced considerably.

For instance I imagine if you fitted the UR brace before the CR-15 it may well have felt so good already that the CR-15 had only a small impact

I don't have any bracing so far..

[cspcrx]

so do the B8 cars have more bolts that allow attachment than the B8.5s? It looks like from the two photos the B8 had 3 bolts on one side and 1 bolt and the ground stud on the other. Is this not the same on the B8.5

[xpoweruk]

Also it wouldn't take long to drill a hole pop a bolt through.

[14S4GWM]

I don't have any bracing so far..

Just get the cr-15 and call it a day.

[silverf0x]

Just get the cr-15 and call it a day.

Hmm I already bought that strut bar thinking it was fitting B8.5.. Will have to sell it back I guess..

[Danny2323]

Agreed to everything above. I definitely think having everything stiffened up beforehand has made the impact of the UR minimal. If you have a B8.5, and no bracing, then definitely, positively, start with the CR-15. Best bang for the buck. Also, I'm sure missing the upper bolts affects its ability to work right. It results in a pretty significant "lever arm," with the only attachment point being offset from being inline with the bar. Maybe triangulating the bracket would help, but I'm not going to mess with it.

[ChobeG]

i think if this bar was a little bit more reinforced at the mounting plates it may or it could potentially introduce a fraction more rigidity than the CR-15 due to the fact that it mounts directly onto the shock towers, which is where any chassis movement will mainly be generated.. whilst the CR15 sit behind the shock towers... anyway this is all hypothetically speaking as without any measuring devices we will never know.. having both if you have the cash definitely wouldn't hurt or even having one or the other will still provide some much needed rigidity at the front for all of us RHD guys that have been disadvantaged with no RHD versions of the Alu Kreuz or the 034 x-brace...

[silverf0x]

How does the driver side fits where the negative pole is? Does the pole needs to be removed first? And if so, is there any precaution that needs to be taken before removing the pole (like disconnect the positive pole has well?)

[JeriQo]

Just get the cr-15 and call it a day.

i bet he already made at least 50k in strut sales. very smart and innovative guy!

[14S4GWM]

i bet he already made at least 50k in strut sales. very smart and innovative guy!

At one point a couple months ago he said he was a little over 300 pieces sold. So who knows now.

[silverf0x]

I did sent him a PM but didn't get an answer? Does his reply time normally long?