Ultra Racing 4-point lower brace (Update/new parts pg 3)
by Mr_Krispy1183 » Fri Feb 20, 2009 6:08 pm
Alright guys, I'll start a fresh thread for this. I, with the assistance of a buddy, installed the brace this morning.
After installation, going through some twisties and streets here in the Valley, I noticed the brace did indeed improve the car's behavior quite significantly on corners, helping keep the front tires from squealing/breaking loose as easily as stock. It also helps negate the wandering steering that results from Teins/Tokicos/18" WORKs w/low pro rubber. Lastly, I noticed the car is much more composed on uneven roads than before. I used to cringe when I'd get to crappily paved roads, now it's noticeably better. A TRD RSB and Whiteline FSB teamed up with this thing would likely make for quite the handling beast (for being a Camry).
First off, I must say, white is the absolute CRAPPIEST color for such a suspension piece. I'm contemplating taking it off in the future and getting it stripped and powdercoated gloss black in the future. Damn Malaysians....lol j/k. Forgive the blurry/not-so-great pics, I don't have the ends to get with the fancy DSLR crowd. Also, the bar went on dirty due to greasy mechanic gloves and being laid down on a dirty shop floor. Oh well, it's underneath the car anyhow.
Here's the pic from the old post of the bar still in its poly bag/plastic wrap:
And fast forward to earlier where me and the homie Johnny got to sticking the Solara on a lift to get underneath and test fit
Unfortunately, we discovered that this isn't quite as quick an install as we thought. The 2 outward-most mounting points are (in)conveniently shielded by part of the inner fender liner trim. After locating the bolts/mounting points that we needed to find, we undid (1) small bolt on each side of the car that's holding on the bottom part of the fender liner trim to access the larger bolt needed to mount the brace. We also cut a square opening into the liner trim large enough for the round lip of the brace to enter to be mounted
After the holes were cut, the fender trim was reinstalled and the bolting in of the brace was pretty straightforward
NOTE/WARNING! I knew going into this that this would reduce ground clearance. Not too much, but for those of you with coilovers or who encounter a lot of raised manholes/other raised road hazards should be careful with this brace installed.
If you're interested in purchasing one, contact Evan at http://www.nextgentuning.com, Ultra Racing part #UR-LA4-366. $149 + shipping, only downside is you must await arrival from overseas. Post if there are any other questions.
After installation, going through some twisties and streets here in the Valley, I noticed the brace did indeed improve the car's behavior quite significantly on corners, helping keep the front tires from squealing/breaking loose as easily as stock. It also helps negate the wandering steering that results from Teins/Tokicos/18" WORKs w/low pro rubber. Lastly, I noticed the car is much more composed on uneven roads than before. I used to cringe when I'd get to crappily paved roads, now it's noticeably better. A TRD RSB and Whiteline FSB teamed up with this thing would likely make for quite the handling beast (for being a Camry).
First off, I must say, white is the absolute CRAPPIEST color for such a suspension piece. I'm contemplating taking it off in the future and getting it stripped and powdercoated gloss black in the future. Damn Malaysians....lol j/k. Forgive the blurry/not-so-great pics, I don't have the ends to get with the fancy DSLR crowd. Also, the bar went on dirty due to greasy mechanic gloves and being laid down on a dirty shop floor. Oh well, it's underneath the car anyhow.
Here's the pic from the old post of the bar still in its poly bag/plastic wrap:
And fast forward to earlier where me and the homie Johnny got to sticking the Solara on a lift to get underneath and test fit
Unfortunately, we discovered that this isn't quite as quick an install as we thought. The 2 outward-most mounting points are (in)conveniently shielded by part of the inner fender liner trim. After locating the bolts/mounting points that we needed to find, we undid (1) small bolt on each side of the car that's holding on the bottom part of the fender liner trim to access the larger bolt needed to mount the brace. We also cut a square opening into the liner trim large enough for the round lip of the brace to enter to be mounted
After the holes were cut, the fender trim was reinstalled and the bolting in of the brace was pretty straightforward
NOTE/WARNING! I knew going into this that this would reduce ground clearance. Not too much, but for those of you with coilovers or who encounter a lot of raised manholes/other raised road hazards should be careful with this brace installed.
If you're interested in purchasing one, contact Evan at http://www.nextgentuning.com, Ultra Racing part #UR-LA4-366. $149 + shipping, only downside is you must await arrival from overseas. Post if there are any other questions.
Last edited by Mr_Krispy1183 on Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:56 pm, edited 5 times in total.
'01 zenki MCV20 Silverstream Opalescent
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Mr_Krispy1183 - SolaraGuy Moderator
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- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 9:23 am
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