[Mk2] [Generic] Ebay strut braces

[SonicSW20]

Hi guys,

Im after front and rear strut braces for the MR2, and I, like everyone im sure, would love to splash out on some TRD strut braces, but I dont have £500 to spend on them

So, I have been looking at these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TOYOTA-MR2-SW20-F ... 395wt_1025

Are they any good? Or would I be wasting my money with these?

It also says fittings not included, which I assume means the nuts and bolts to put it together - what exactly do I need for these?

[Jaspa]

It also says fittings not included, which I assume means the nuts and bolts to put it together - what exactly do I need for these?

I'd assume looking at the pic that the only fittings would be the nuts on top of your suspension so should actually need anything extra anyway.

Stuart

[SonicSW20]

Should be pretty straight forward then. Any thoughts on the braces themselves?

[djpkins]

how much money have they spent on development costs to ensure they're up tp the job....£0....why buy cheap...not actually that cheap...copies from rip bay??? there are always second hand struts on here.

http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=144913

[SonicSW20]

As you can see, I was interested in those, Pidgin got there first and I am looking for a full set.

Seen some on ebay, they say for Turbo, surely it doesnt matter if its an NA or Turbo?

[pnicho]

Depends on how quickly you're wanting them? Can't imagine you'd be hammering it around in this weather.

Mine will be coming off soon as I'm hoping to replace them with some TRD ones, I have a Cusco front and rear (rear has been chromed) and the rear cross members chromed.

Sometimes it's better to wait around on the forum than buy something cheap off ebay that hasn't had any r&d put into it.

[djpkins]

Thats right mate...cusco ae the nuts...those e-bay ones arn't worth a bag of nuts...superlightweight alluminium is another way of spelling $hit.

[ancient mariner]

Thats right mate...cusco ae the nuts...those e-bay ones arn't worth a bag of nuts...superlightweight alluminium is another way of spelling $hit.

from your comments, i can only assume that you have personal experience of the ebay strutbraces.
i brought some appx 3 years ago for a previous mr2.
this was after asking for advice on this forum.
at the time the ones in question were believed to be produced by motoria,and cost i think £89 for the pair.
the front one made a massive difference,at the time i was using the cat and fiddle on most weekends,and it was a welcome addition.
as to the rear i can't really say if their was any difference,
in short and in my own opinion i would say,they are well worth buying.
the front one does make a difference,and as for the quality of the material
surely anything has to be an improvement on the originals. paul.

[SonicSW20]

Depends on how quickly you're wanting them? Can't imagine you'd be hammering it around in this weather.

Mine will be coming off soon as I'm hoping to replace them with some TRD ones, I have a Cusco front and rear (rear has been chromed) and the rear cross members chromed.

Sometimes it's better to wait around on the forum than buy something cheap off ebay that hasn't had any r&d put into it.

Any images? When would you be selling these?

I have seen the Cusco strut braces as cheap as £90 each, but this was from a japanese site, so shipping and import tax would kill it. From a UK seller, it seems I would be looking at £250-£300 a set for Tein or Cusco.

ancient mariner, have you had any experience with Tein, Cusco, TRD, etc braces for comparison?

[djpkins]

Sweet...buy them

[djpkins]

lolol...and just to add...these lot on e-bay can't even spell correctly...would you feel confident about giving them your hard earned.

[SonicSW20]

The ones on EBay look exactly the same as these from Japspeed:

http://japspeed.co.uk/Toyota-MR2/Toyota ... -26-1-482/

[ancient mariner]

Ok...in my opinion...they're just not worth the same amount of money as a second hand pair of ...Cusco or similar name brands that have had more input than just been knocked up from a list of measurements.
Wearing a pair of no-mark £5 trainers from the market is an improvement over walking around barefoot but your not going to run a marathon with them and they will fall apart much quicker than a propper set Nike , Addidas etc.
If you have had a good experience with your Motoria jobbies then great...Motoria aren't exactly "no-mark"... I don't think the word "lightweight" would fill me full of confidence on a part that is supposed to improve ridgidity and stiffness...you don't see "lightweight" TRD strut braces...they're made from steel, and deffo regarded as one of the best you can get.
I'm just offering up my opinion based on what I know to be true from my own experience of substandard workmanship and materials...and if I can prevent another member from making the same mistake as I have in the past...then I've been a good forum boy.

not going to get in an argument mate
gave my honest opinion.
your above statement is however full of holes.
nearly all of the big brand trainers are made in poverty stricken workshops,for peanuts,and sold on with a massive markup.
the best marathon runners in the world,have nearly all ran in barefeet.
come the end of the day,if the poster is going to be tracking his car on a regular basis,it may be worthwhile spending more money.
if he is just looking for improvement and looks,the ebay ones should suffice,afterall not all mr2's were even fitted with a rear strutbrace
from the factory.
to sum up would i like a set of trd strutbraces ?
you bet i would
could i justify the cost of £600 appx ?
not this week

[Moo]

afterall not all mr2's were even fitted with a rear strutbrace
from the factory.

Never knew this, thought they all had them as standard. You learn something new every day

I assume they all had the front brace as standard?

[ancient mariner]

afterall not all mr2's were even fitted with a rear strutbrace
from the factory.

Never knew this, thought they all had them as standard. You learn something new every day

I assume they all had the front brace as standard?

yes mate,they all had the front one.
as far as i am aware,only the tubbys and t.bars had the rear's. paul.

[BLZ-8027]

afterall not all mr2's were even fitted with a rear strutbrace
from the factory.

Never knew this, thought they all had them as standard. You learn something new every day

I assume they all had the front brace as standard?

yes mate,they all had the front one.
as far as i am aware,only the tubbys and t.bars had the rear's. paul.

From info ive researched ,and cars ive had
Coupes didnt have one
Moonroof ones had a single bar
T-bars had the X brace

[jasongtr]

my old v6 was a moonroof and that had nothing on the rear, and the person i bought it off would of def had one had it supposed to of been there

[S A Watt]

Thats very interesting then as i have NA with sunroof and that does not have a rear bar.

I thought it unusual judging by the previous owner but it may never have had one in the first place

[Shmed]

My T-Bar HAD the rear X brace - took it off when I fitted the radtec as it was in the way of the boost pipes..

Don't think mine has a front one though, and my old NA didn't have a front one either

[SonicSW20]

Yeah, I have the X-brace, but if I was to get a front one I would want a matching rear as well