Engine Cross Brace?

[72hemi]

So after watching the Gen V reveal and listening about how the engine cross brace really helped stiffen the frame it got me thinking I know the GTS-R race cars had a cross brace over the engine but does anyone offer a cross brace for the Gen 2 coupes?

 

[MTGTS]

So after watching the Gen V reveal and listening about how the engine cross brace really helped stiffen the frame it got me thinking I know the GTS-R race cars had a cross brace over the engine but does anyone offer a cross brace for the Gen 2 coupes?

I have seen them I just don't know who makes them

 

[SingleMalt]

I believe they were built as part of the ALMS racing cage setup (circa 1998). I'll see if I can find a pic. It's awesome -- and if I didn't have to cut the heck out of the firewall to do it, I would!

 

[Dom426h]

I thought the frame of the GTS-R was a bit dif than our production Gen2. Looking under the hood of the R you see quite a bit of tubular steel up higher around the motor as where our Gen2 is a simple body-on-frame setup with the frame sitting too low to do any sort of upper cross brace.

I did always wander exactly what the diff was. Is the GTS-R frame a modified Gen2 frame or a completely diff design?

 

[DrumrBoy]

I believe Dom is right. GTS-Rs and GTS's cut-and-welded to look like GTS-Rs had big tubes that helped form the box (which the X-brace strengthened). If I can find a decent pic I'll post to show.

 

[DrumrBoy]

Found one that shows some of the tubes to which the X-brace connects on a GTS-R. Not impossible to do to a regular GTS but definitely involves a bunch of cutting and welding. There're probably easier ways to do a cross-brace even at the expense of less-stiffness.

 

[georgethedog]

The new cross brace almost looks like it would act as a spring. Take a look sometime. Even the one in the pic above looks that way to some extent. Are they engineered to act that way because the structure of them looks like they would give in the middle and then expand back out--espeically the Gen V version.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

So after watching the Gen V reveal and listening about how the engine cross brace really helped stiffen the frame it got me thinking I know the GTS-R race cars had a cross brace over the engine but does anyone offer a cross brace for the Gen 2 coupes?

The cross brace is not a simple bolt on for the Gen 2. It is a part or extension of the tubes from the roll cage and bolted to these tubes for more rigidity.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Early Gens had a cross brace. It is a steel bar that runs just in front of the engine and ties the two sides together. Really strong, and efficient way to add structural stiffness to the engine compartment.

On the Gen V, I believe the cross brace actually ties together the magnesium bulkhead casting to the rest of the car. Taking that extremely strong center section, and using it as a structural member.

 

[DrumrBoy]

The new cross brace almost looks like it would act as a spring. Take a look sometime. Even the one in the pic above looks that way to some extent. Are they engineered to act that way because the structure of them looks like they would give in the middle and then expand back out--espeically the Gen V version.

I bet you're right that they do flex, probably not much but like a really stiff spring. Don't know if they were designed that way or just a consequence of the mounting points being lower than the center (which has to clear the intake).

 

[Fatboy 18]

Now if you really want to put a X brace on your GTS or RT/10 you need to look at this link, its a great story too

http://www.sportauto.ee/events/110723palanga1000/index.html

 

[eucharistos]

Now if you really want to put a X brace on your GTS or RT/10 you need to look at this link, its a great story too

http://www.sportauto.ee/events/110723palanga1000/index.html

what a cool link, thanks for posting it fb18

 

[72hemi]

Thanks for all the input, looks like it would be quite a bit of work to make it happen.

 

[Detlef]

Wow, that's quite the engine brace !!!

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