chassis re-enforcement v.101

[brett@netacc.net (Brett Van Sprewenburg)]

>I'm not so sure strut towers (ST) are problematic.  I think ST 
>braces are popular because they are relatively inexpensive, very 
>easy to install, and have a certain visual impact. Yes, STs 
>sometimes exhibit evidence of movement. (the key word is sometimes) 
>But, if the truth be known, if every ST brace were to vaporize, no 
>one would probably notice a great deal of difference, unless the STs 
>were already loose.  In which case they should get out the welder 
>and FIX the problem.
>My $.02, which is probably worth considerably less than that 
>to certain individuals.....:)
>
>Larry

I feel it sorta necessary to point out how wrong Larry probably is 
here.  Not only based
on mine and many others personal experience, but other more 
scientific observations.

I knew of some engineers (my memory says Nasa, or aerospace...) many years ago
that actually used flex measuring plotting devices connected to the 
four suspension top
pick up points of an 84 Rabbit.   First they instrumented the front 
strut towers, and went
for a normal street drive.  Their mechanism found deflections of a 
3/4-inch or greater
at the front. I doubt this was due to any serious deterioration of 
the car as it
wasn't that old at the time and they knew what they were trying to measure.
Then they did the rear in the same way and found very minimal 
deflections.  The A1
really is rather flexible; in the best of shape.

 From my own experience, I would have to say that adding that upper 
brace resulted
in a suprising amount of front end twist reduction.  I had no idea 
what to expect
after I installed one about 9 years ago, and I could feel the 
difference in turns and
over speed bumps before I pulled out of the parking lot of my apartment complex
(9 years ago, remember).  IMO, tying the upper strut towers in with 
more reinforcement
is a good idea with regard to reducing A1 chassis twist and results 
in more predictable
in-turn response / feel / performance.

==Brett

[massive load of other replies deleted - which is what should have 
been done earlier,
and only the relevant portion quoted and replied to.]
-- 
  \/  `87 Scirocco 2.0t project | "Hot VW's, take two home. They're small"
\/\/ '88 Scirocco 16v,  '84 Scirocco ITB racer project | - brett@netacc.net