GTSPEC 6 Point Ladder Brace
 

I just got the very first GTSPEC 6 Point Ladder Brace for the 370z installed last night and i figured i'd right a short review of it. I have not had a chance to do any canyon carving or mountain runs, just some some fast turns and spirited driving.

My first impressions are that the car feels much more planted and rigid up front without any more harsh of a ride. In normal driving, there seems to be less chatter in the steering wheel. In terms of steering, while just as responsive, it seems to filter out the 'noise' and is less twitchy when turning. When i exit the highway at a 30-40mph and turn the wheel, the nose of the car goes where i want it to and there is no wavering whatsoever. There is less body roll up front when taking a sharp turn or U Turn.

I will post more when i have an opportunity to do some more spirited driving up in the mountains.

Here are the pics:
Up on the Lift:
http://www.the370z.com/members/jeffb...dder-brace.jpg

Clearance:
http://www.the370z.com/members/jeffb...-clearance.jpg

looks sweet!

:tup:

Looks very nice.

thanks guys

nice...

when is that coming out?

and, does it work with the 4 point brace?

Nice! I've been thinking about getting one for my 350Z. I didn't know that the 370Z brace was out yet.

I think its a replacement for the 4 point brace, but i'm not 100% sure

Its going to be released very soon. The one on my car was the final test fit version so i imagine it is being produced right now, but i'll let GTSPEC come on and provide that info.

this looks like it could be a problem fitting it around say FI's long tube headers

not sure how much more room those LTH's require, but there seems to be about an inch of clearance there. see attached thumbnail

That is similar to what I had on my 1996 Saab 900 and it made a monster difference on that car (stiffened the subframe, steering more direct, decreased body roll). I still cannot get over how solid and rigid the Z platform is in comparison, but there is always room for improvement. This is a completely bolt on brace?

It looks nice. I have a hard time believing anyone could notice a difference with this unless you're going 10/10ths on a track though. I'm always impressed when people make a small mod and then claim the whole car is different and better. There shouldn't be any change in body roll or steering feel with this brace. You just get less chassis flex when you're really pushing the car hard. It's like claiming an oil cooler gave an increase in butt dyno sensation because the engine is a bit cooler. Let's be realistic with the things we add to our cars.

yes it bolts on to the factory brace location (outer most, and front most bolts), and then uses a rivet system for the bolts that are closer to the rear of the car.

Unfortunately, I have never tracked my car either before or after having this brace installed. I'm honestly just posting how i think it feels. obviously we have a pretty rigid car right out of the box, so chassis rigidity mods are not going to have as much of an effect as if they were on a buick. I openly said what i had a chance to do with it installed. If someone local who tracks their Z wanted to try my car to see how it felt i'd gladly let them because they could probably give a better opinion. All i know, this is what i felt, or what i think i felt. Its tough to say because before having it installed, i didn't drive around analyzing whether or not i felt any chassis flex or anything else. This is my first sports car, and compared to anything else i drive or have driven, its still the tightest, most solid ride, even stock. but I have no reason to make up false impressions about how this made my car handle. Its not like i just bought a $3000 JDM exhaust and i'm trying to justify the cost by saying it added 40hp and makes my car sound like a Ferrari.

Spearfish, if you had this installed on your car, what would you be feeling for. i know that you have track experience so maybe you could shed some light. and i understand what you're saying about being realistic, bc i notice outlandish claims all the time and i have a laugh too, but Its not like i just bought a $3000 JDM exhaust and i'm trying to justify the cost by saying it added 40hp and makes my car sound like a Ferrari.

I'm not attacking you Jeff. There's just no way the car's turn-in at 30mph is any more crisp with or without that additional brace. I'm far from a track expert and I doubt I'd notice the difference of that support even driving as quick as I could on a track. If anyone would notice an improvement, I'd put money on the roadster owners. Convertibles in general are notorious for being less rigid, and you can feel chassis flex when you drive over uneven road surfaces (the car shudders, dash creaks, and you can feel twisting as the front tires go over a bump before the rear).

My post was more a general 'we give to much credence to mods' shout out. I have the mods listed in my signature while two good friends of mine have more stock 370Zs. When we autoX, our times are much more dependent on how we navigated the course as a driver than what small at best advantage I have over them with HFCs, CBE, spacers, and sways.

That being said...How much was the brace? I likey :)

I could see this making a difference in a bumpy parking lot. ;)

I agree and disagree with the points being discussed. From experience I can tell you that chassis stiffening mods can be actually quite dramatic even at low speed slalom style turns. For example, swaybars are something you can immediately notice after installing them even if you aren't doing time attack laps in a suburban neighborhood. Hell, I tripod going up driveways and gas stations. On the other hand, things like strutbars you can't really notice much, if at all, on the street because that requires a bit more stress to make a difference. I wouldn't doubt it though, if someone who tracks their car told me they feel a difference when taking offramps with their new strut bars.

Now... I've heard plenty of of people with GT spec ladder braces (on different cars) say that they do feel the car is more planted, predictable and consistent after than before. I've never installed a set myself so I can't comment on those specifically, but I wouldn't put it past someone with a good feel of their car to notice a difference with a chassis stiffening mod.

This is a mod I would definitely do, but I can't because of clearance. I like it though.

Jeff, if you can ask them if they wanna send one over to florida for some flogging :)

If you want to experiment with chassis stiffening feel, just unbolt your strut bar and drive around town. You WILL feel a difference!

or drive a 5.0 around for a day.:stirthepot:

That's funny because its a lot stiffer than the Z. :icon17:

Its all good i know you weren't trying to be hostile, and i understand what you meant. sent you a PM

Thanks for the input RC. How much lower are you than stock?

thats what she said:ugh2:

That is what she said.

wait do you mean she said 'thats what she said' or that is indeed what she said?

That is what she verbally communicated.

is making our cars as stiff as possible even a benifit?

You want the chassis to be rigid, especially if you are subjecting it to racing forces.

But making the suspension as stiff as possible does not always mean better performance. There's such a thing as too stiff and too soft. Go too stiff and you'll lose all your mechanical grip.

yea, there is a happy medium between too stiff/rigid and not stiff/rigid enough, and although that depends on the circumstances (track/DD) it is usually somewhat firmer than stock.

http://www.the370z.com/members/jeffb...dder-brace.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...3_859637_n.jpg

Looks like they would not interfere with one another.

yea you're right, it looks like it would not interfere

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1285345124

The LTH's don't drop very low either, so I think clearance would be fine.

So it looks like the 4-point brace blocks the front jack point. Oops...

Vipor is on it today.

I have about a finger gap all around. If I spin my exhaust bolts so that the bolt is sticking towards the ground I scrape on everything...and thats like maybe an inch to 1.5inch lower than the rest of the car. If I drive around with tires on trackday pressure settings, I scrape going into my garage, at 35psi, no scrape.

1 finger wheel gap? do you know in inches how much lower you are? i am going to get coilovers and drop an inch, so i'm just curious, will i have clearance issues with this brace?

have fun on speed bumps :tup:

with the brace or in general? I hate how they made this car so low, but with so much wheel gap. they make it such a dilemma to lower the car.

20" rims?

what about them? Mine are 19"

It does :shakes head:

I'm gonna build some 2x10 ramps before my next oil change so I can get my floor jack under my car more easily..

I recommend 2x12's. I have a pair of 3' segments with 45 degree mitre cuts at the end I wedge under the front tires before pulling forward and jacking up my front end. The true size of a 2x10 is 9 1/4", which isn't wide enough to fully span a 245mm (9.65 inches) tire. I pushed my compound mitre saw (dual sliding 10") to the limit though doing a cut like that on a 2x12 (11 1/4").

:iagree:

They were so helpful with my Z. Saved me a few hundred bucks on buying a long-neck, low profile jack. :tup: