Strut Brace, Coilovers and sunroof

[Boydie]

Over the past couple of years ive heard the rumours of clio's getting kinked roofs when the combination of a strut brace, sun roof and lowered are put together

ive been offered a k-tec carbon brace for good money and im considering it but i dont want a kinked roof!!

wheres the truth in this?

any experience?

a friend of mine had her car lowered 60mm on standard shocks and 17" rims and she had problems with her roof - no strut brace tho.

all help appreciated

thanks

 

[Englebert]

Well think about it, if you take all of the flex out of the suspension and chassis it has to go somewhere, the bodyshell!!

The way of getting round it would be to get a full roll cage so the bodyshell is basically doing nothing.

 

[Ali]

Happened to R3OBC and he didn't even have a strut brace.

Clio's are soft period.

 

[Englebert]

I had so much trouble with the sunroof, if i kept the car much longer i would of had it taken out and welded over.

 

[Ali]

^How very ghetto.

 

[Boydie]

ok decision made lol no strut

thanks

 

[Andy_J]

surely the strut should prevent this problem more than create it!!???

there should be less flex at the roof area if the chassis is being held firmly together by strut braces!

 

[Boydie]

i dont know its just the rumour ive been hearing for a couple of years about clios with a lowered and strut bar set up with a sunroof :S

the only way to find out is to fit it and hope for the best but my car is heavily modified so it wouldnt suit a dented roof lol

plus im from northern ireland so there is a lot of back road travelling!

 

[TheCake]

Unless you crash the car then I honestly can't see any of the modifications you list affecting the car.

If you lower and fit strut braces (like I did to my Cup) then it won't bend the roof. All you are doing is lowering the car closer to the ground.

Fair enough it might make it stiffer but I'd be hard pushed to see it bend a roof.

As for strut braces, they brace the struts, i.e join them together to reuce flex.

Again - can't see this bending the roof either..

Unless of course you stack it.

 

[Boydie]

but in the cup you do not have a sunroof :S

i too think it would be odd but still a very reasonable incident - stiff front flexy rear which may lead to bends/dents in the metal :S

better to be safe than sorry and never worry about it

thanks anyways

 

[Englebert]

Its going to be dependent on how stiff the suspension is, if its rock solid then the energy has to be dissipated somewhere. Every time you go round a corner the car is flexing by fractions.

Thats why you can do a bodyshell refresh on older cars in Gran Turismo

 

[Dan@SJM]

Ive seen a kink in a clio's roof from just lowering, its the harder damper set up that causes it.

 

[Tigger]

What if the front & rear strut braces were fitted?

The damping on my coilovers is ok, not rock solid and my roof is fine
The car has taken quite a few bumps & pot-holes since it was lowered, even bottoms-out sometimes on the backroads

 

[Martin_172]

mine has a little kink in it at the passengers side of the sunroof, my sunroof now creeks as the chassis flex's going round corners, it used to just rattle when you went over bumps but now you hear it when going round bends hard

 

[Tigger]

Is your car lowered or have strut braces fitted?

 

[jonnyjogpants]

can anyone prove this with pics of the chassis twisting and kinks in the roof.

:dapprove:

 

[Jackk]

is this just a mk2 thing?

 

[jonnyjogpants]

but how many people have had this problem...

 

[edde]

but how many people have had this problem...

Not many. Many of the cars which are kinkedd around the sunroof had it beofre hand anyay ie Freds car is used as an example but it was kinked from new.

is this just a mk2 thing?

Mk1's can suffer from it but the shells seems more resistant.Wee not talking hung numbers anyway

What if the front & rear strut braces were fitted?

Rear ones do nothing so no worry there.

i dont know its just the rumour ive been hearing for a couple of years about clios with a lowered and strut bar set up with a sunroof :S

the only way to find out is to fit it and hope for the best but my car is heavily modified so it wouldnt suit a dented roof lol

plus im from northern ireland so there is a lot of back road travelling!

I had my coilovers for a while and it never caused any throughe IMo its just down to the cars some will some won't.

surely the strut should prevent this problem more than create it!!???

there should be less flex at the roof area if the chassis is being held firmly together by strut braces!

Nope stress is being put elsewhere in the shelel front ends stiffer maybe but the front end lengthways takes the force.

 

[jonnyjogpants]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy_J
surely the strut should prevent this problem more than create it!!???

there should be less flex at the roof area if the chassis is being held firmly together by strut braces!

Nope stress is being put elsewhere in the shelel front ends stiffer maybe but the front end lengthways takes the force.


sorry mate did not really understand what you mean

 

[edde]

well i still dont know what to do.....

arhh this is stressing me out

Just put it on IMO if its going to crease it will do it ater time anyway your just possibly speeding it up.

 

[jonnyjogpants]

fred do you have a pic of the crease