hurricaine

Hi currently in a spot of bother! bought myself a seat strut brace for me fabia vrs just been and bought myself a set of sockets and a torque wrentch to do the job. Lifted the solenoide thing out the way taken the suspension bolts out offered up the bar and the dam thing does not fit seems to be about seems to be around a 0.5-1cm short and twisted. car is parked on a mildly downward sloping drive at the moment.

Is it something I am doing wrong? Is the bar naff? Or more worring is it my car that is twisted?

Any ideas, thoughts would be greatly appreciated?

Thanks peeps.

Jimb0

Pics :-)

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hurricaine

Sorry no digi camera at the moment :-( I wonder if there are any chassis and/or bar measurements I could make to see if it is my car or the bar?

surely the chassis is not so floppy that trying to fit the bar on a mildly uneven drive on a gradual slope would cause a problem?

ap0gee

Should be a perfect fit AFAIK. Take a look down the long axis of the brace - that should tell you if it's twisted. Otherwise, put the car up on stands (on the jacking points) just in case it's something to do with the weight on the wheels??? Clutching at straws a bit there, though...

And, yeah:

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Johnny50

Bolt it back together and get it somewhere flat just to rule that out.

Bigw2069

Mine wasnt quite a perfect fit, Solved it by undoing all the top mount bolts (2 on each) and drawing the bar down level. Almost a bit of brute force and ignorance to get ti on but it got there.

The arms that come off the main beam are not that rigid and could possibly be a little bent, persuade them otherwise

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ap0gee

If they're flimsy enough that a little leverage is all that's required to jig them, I don't rate their contribution to stiffening the chassis...

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Johnny50

There's a thought.

Bigw2069

They have always been little more than a bit to tart up your engine bay IMHO, but where the rigidity comes in is when it is fixed at the four points, when its off the car then its a slightly different matter.


Not really the right thread but to sort the front of the car properly using strut bracing you also need the lower one done, otherwise you have a three sided 'square', and a 3 sided square has little strength until it becomes a triangle!, by that time your wheels wont be turning thats for sure

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hurricaine

Well parked the car on the flat and no difference still does not fit! It worries me the front bumper on my car has never been a perfect fit from the showroom could my car have been front ended intransit? Or am I being overly paranoid? Should I just get on with it and bend the bar?

ap0gee

If the suspension's that far out, I imagine there'd be a noticeable effect on the steering so you're probably OK. The bumpers are quite prone to sagging, being supported only along the back (and being extended on the vRS, of course...)

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ultra_joel88

Mine didnt fit either, when I bolted it down on one side it was about 0.5cm too short to reach the bolts on the other side.

In the end what I did was remove all four bolts, bolt it down loosely on one side then I could pull it just about enough to cover the bolt holes on the other side and get the bolts in, they were at a slight angle though... but then as you tigthen the bolts the strut brace seems to "stretch" / "pull" over so the bolts go in straight

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'04 Fabia VRS - P-Torque STG1, 312mm Brakes, Whiteline RARB, SEAT Sport Strut Brace, Pipercross Panel Filter & PD160 Intake, Pioneer and Infinity ICE, Custom exhaust system w/ de-cat, CCV Bypass w/ Catch Can, Swoosh Gauges, Window Tints

ap0gee

Sounds as though it needs to be under tension to work then, perhaps? Would explain how it could be capable of being bent, yet still improve the rigidity of the chassis...

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ultra_joel88

I would say that when bolted in properly it is VERY rigid...

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'04 Fabia VRS - P-Torque STG1, 312mm Brakes, Whiteline RARB, SEAT Sport Strut Brace, Pipercross Panel Filter & PD160 Intake, Pioneer and Infinity ICE, Custom exhaust system w/ de-cat, CCV Bypass w/ Catch Can, Swoosh Gauges, Window Tints

fletch555

Mine also wasn't a perfect fit.....I tried everything, jacking the car up, pulling, pushing, squeezing, bending etc etc. In the end it went in but one of the nuts is on the wrong thread .

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Johnny50

Ah well, at least you're not alone with the problem.

Mort

Hmmm, mine's adjustable, and when fitted I tightened it 'outwards' (ie pushing out) if these are all bent like this should I be tightening it 'inwards' to mimick this? Or should it not matter as it doesn't really do anything much anyway?

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Fabia v/RS, in Red.
Green filter & Cupra Intake, TT brakes, Josh's Sumpguard, Jabba ARB, MOMO strut brace, Powdercoated alloys. KW v1's next...

hurricaine

Hello just a little update!

I took the brace back to the seat garage where it came from and tried it on an ibiza which it was also miles out on. One of the mechanics had a go at putting on my car and came to the conclusion that this brace was so far out the amount of bending needed might cause the weld to crack. The garage has been very helpful and are going to order another one to see if it is any better.

It is a good 1cm plus too short i'm not impressed you'd think they'd make them all to a jig and then check the completed product! I reckon there is some guy who makes them in his shed in the back garden!!

Oh well such is life. Here's to hoping the next one fits! :-)

ultra_joel88

if not, get a forge

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'04 Fabia VRS - P-Torque STG1, 312mm Brakes, Whiteline RARB, SEAT Sport Strut Brace, Pipercross Panel Filter & PD160 Intake, Pioneer and Infinity ICE, Custom exhaust system w/ de-cat, CCV Bypass w/ Catch Can, Swoosh Gauges, Window Tints

jasc1988

Mines was also a tight fit. slacken them off and torque them up equally

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Star Remap, BMC, Helix, 312's, Magnex, Vibratechniks mount, Allard Power Pipe, VMaxx Coilies, CCV mod, Pikey Short Shifter, Stainless Boost pipes, Pikey arch mod, HID's, 17's, Heated Seats, Cruise + many more

VeeKar

I fitted one side (driver's side) and then pulled like mad at the other end while spinning the bolts in. Big difference felt straight away cant understand people who say it matters not?