Cusco chassis braces

Anyone splashed out on any of the available Cusco power braces available i see various brace sections available from vendors on here, and im just curious do they actually improve handing of the car or are the more of a cosmetic handling upgrade like strut braces? I know there is probably other stuff that can be improved first but i could always add these to the list of they would be an improvement. Or are they OTT and only necessary when going for the go-cart type handling setup!

I know a guy (Warbaby) that has them installed.. I'll see if I can get him to chime in.

For the street, chassis braces are cosmetic. For the track - and I don't mean drag strip - chassis braces can improve cornering if installed along with other common sense mods like tires, appropriate sway bars, upgraded bushings, and spring/shock combos.

For the street, chassis braces are cosmetic. For the track - and I don't mean drag strip - chassis braces can improve cornering if installed along with other common sense mods like tires, appropriate sway bars, upgraded bushings, and spring/shock combos.

 

This. They'd be the finishing touches along with the strut tower braces suspension-wise on the track/auto-x. They would just be expensive and useless bling otherwise.

I have the Cusco strut tower bar and front and rear chassis braces. I agree with the comments above that they do make a difference when used in conjunction with other suspension upgrades. I'm running front and rear Whiteline sway bars, STI pinks, Bilstein HDs, and Group N front lower control arm bushings. All of that combined with the Cusco braces has made a handling package I'm very happy with.

I have every chassis brace that AVO makes installed on my car right now along with AVO bushings and the Hotchkis sways. The car is very tight now and there is very little flex. When pulling into driveways now that have a large bump/incline at the end, you can feel it, where-as in my other car with stock suspension, it rolls through the bump.

I kind of went backwards though and am doing the shocks/springs last. You can now tell the shocks/springs are the weak point. If I were to do it again, I would have done the braces last.

thanks for the advice guys, i might push these to the bottom of the list. Anyone who has these installed have any pictures of the car from behind. How visible are the braces say from the car sitting behind you in traffic?

Dan, I have installed and tested just about every brace out there. Unless you are on the track, they do very little. I am very familiar witeh the Cusco braces (we did build the Cusco car for SEMA in 2011).

Sorry to bring this thread back, but I'm interested in improving the handling at the Track, and I thought some Chassis Braces would be the next step as I have pretty much everything else. I was looking at maybe picking up a couple of the Cusco braces, but not sure exactly which ones I should get as they are so many parts listed. If I wanted to spend about $400 on braces which specific Cusco Part Numbers should I pick up?

 

I have a 2008 Outback XT Wagon.

 

Thanks!

 

For Reference here are my current handling mods:

 

Cusco Steering Rack Brace

Fortune 510 Coilovers with Swift Spring Upgrade

GT Spec Front Strut Bar

Mach V Awesome 17x9 +42 Wheels

Maxxis Victra RC-1 255/40ZR17 Tires

MOOG Front and Rear End Links

MOOG Wheel Hub Assemblies

RalliTek Front and Rear Sway Bars

Subaru Legacy GT Rear Bump Stops

Subaru Legacy GT Rear Upper Control Arms

Subaru STI 13:1 Steering Rack

Whiteline Adjustable Rear Lower Control Arms

Whiteline LCA and RCA Bushings

Whiteline Roll Center Adjustment Kit

Whiteline Steering Rack Bushings

Some of the previously available braces have been discontinued. You can PM, email me if interested in Cusco.

Some of the previously available braces have been discontinued. You can PM, email me if interested in Cusco.

 

Email and PM sent.

Replied to both.

 

For reference:

What is currently available (some is in stock, some is not and would have to be brought in from Cusco Japan):

 

692 026 ALHD

Cusco Power Steering Rack Brace 08+ Impeza GRB/GVB/GH/GE/Forester SH5/9 / 03-09 Legacy BP5/BL5

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-power-braces/692-026-alhd/i-514013.aspx

 

692 492 M

Cusco Power Brace Front Cross Member 08+ Impeza GRB/GVB/GH/GE/Forester SH5/9 / 03-09 Legacy BP5/BL5

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-power-braces/692-492-m/i-513814.aspx

 

684 536 A

Cusco Type-ALC OS Strut Bar

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-strut-bar-type-alc-os/684-536-a/i-306962.aspx

 

684 003 AL

Cusco Radiator Cooling Plate BP9 Legacy-GT Blue

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-radiator-cooling-plate/684-003-al/i-306577.aspx

 

684 410 A

Cusco Pillowball Front BP9 Legacy-GT

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-pillowball-upper-mounts/684-410-a/i-307127.aspx

 

684 492 RS

Cusco Power Brace Rear Side BP5/9 Legacy GT

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-power-braces/684-492-rs/i-307569.aspx

 

684 492 FS

Cusco Power Brace Front Side BP5/9 Legacy GT **ONLY FITS AUTOMATIC WAGON**

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-power-braces/684-492-fs/i-307567.aspx

 

684 478 A

Cusco Lower arm Bar ver.II Rear BP9 Legacy-GT

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-lower-bar/684-478-a/i-306722.aspx

 

684 492 FM

Cusco Power Brace Front Member BP5/9 Legacy GT **DOES NOT FIT US MODELS**

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-power-braces/684-492-fm/i-307566.aspx

 

684 492 R

Cusco Power Brace Rear BP5/9 Legacy GT

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-power-braces/684-492-r/i-307568.aspx

 

684 540 A

Cusco Strut Bar OS Front BP9 Legacy-GT (will fit V6 n/a models)

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-strut-bar-type-os/684-540-a/i-306828.aspx

 

684 541 AN

Cusco Strut Bar OS Rear BP9 Legacy-GT

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-strut-bar-type-os/684-541-an/i-306829.aspx

 

684 477 A

Cusco Lower arm Bar ver.II Front BP9 Legacy-GT

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-lower-bar/684-477-a/i-306721.aspx

 

684 492 C

Cusco Power Brace Center BP5/9 Legacy GT **ONLY FITS AUTOMATIC WAGON**

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-power-braces/684-492-c/i-307565.aspx

 

684 421 A60

Cusco Subaru Legacy BP5 Non-Adj Rear Pillowball Upper Mount (For Use ONLY w/ ID60 Springs)

http://www.infamousperformance.net/cusco/cusco-pillowball-upper-mounts/684-421-a60/i-307129.aspx

 

684 475 A

Cusco Lower ARM Bar F BP5 VER1 Legacy WAGON

not listed on my site, but available. $90.

Any idea if they actually make this for a LHD USDM vehicle?

 

684 540 A

Cusco Strut Bar OS Front BP9 Legacy-GT (will fit V6 n/a models)

http://www.infamousperformance.net/c.../i-306828.aspx

That is a misprint from Cusco. If it were the brace with a brake stopper integrated it would not fit a USDM car. But the actual part number is for the standard aluminum strut tower brace. I have one hanging on the wall in my showroom.

Ok. So they actually do not make a front strut brace with a brake cylinder bracket for a USDM vehicle? I've been trying to find a master cylinder brace for my '05 Outback with VDC. No luck.

You will have to modify an existing brace. I did on my wifes 08 LGT 5EAT with VDC.

Ok. So they actually do not make a front strut brace with a brake cylinder bracket for a USDM vehicle? I've been trying to find a master cylinder brace for my '05 Outback with VDC. No luck.

 

I have a Grimmspeed MC brace on my 09 Legacy with VDC.

 

http://www.grimmspeed.com/master-cylinder-brace-08-14-wrx-sti-07-09-legacy-vdc-09-12-forester/

I have a Grimmspeed MC brace on my 09 Legacy with VDC.

 

http://www.grimmspeed.com/master-cylinder-brace-08-14-wrx-sti-07-09-legacy-vdc-09-12-forester/

 

Yeah, that's been suggested a few times, but Grimmspeed can't confirm that it will fit. I think they just say that, because they've never actually confirmed it on a vehicle. Fortunately for me, Grimmspeed is a 20 minute drive from my house, so I'll probably stop in, and see what we can sort out.

Sorry to bring this thread back, but I'm interested in improving the handling at the Track, and I thought some Chassis Braces would be the next step as I have pretty much everything else. I was looking at maybe picking up a couple of the Cusco braces, but not sure exactly which ones I should get as they are so many parts listed. If I wanted to spend about $400 on braces which specific Cusco Part Numbers should I pick up?

 

I have a 2008 Outback XT Wagon.

 

Thanks!

 

For Reference here are my current handling mods:

 

Cusco Steering Rack Brace

Fortune 510 Coilovers with Swift Spring Upgrade

GT Spec Front Strut Bar

Mach V Awesome 17x9 +42 Wheels

Maxxis Victra RC-1 255/40ZR17 Tires

MOOG Front and Rear End Links

MOOG Wheel Hub Assemblies

RalliTek Front and Rear Sway Bars

Subaru Legacy GT Rear Bump Stops

Subaru Legacy GT Rear Upper Control Arms

Subaru STI 13:1 Steering Rack

Whiteline Adjustable Rear Lower Control Arms

Whiteline LCA and RCA Bushings

Whiteline Roll Center Adjustment Kit

Whiteline Steering Rack Bushings

 

Judging by the type of detail oriented mods you have for your suspension, I would suspect that the Cusco Front Lower arm bar (type II) would be a good bet. I had the same part installed (on a WRX though, not the Legacy) along with essentially as the same mods you have and I found that it tighted up the steering feel when cornerning hard (this was on a daily driven car that was not tracked). As far as most of the other chassis braces, I would skip them unless you are road racing, with things like strut tower bars making too little difference to be worth it on these cars.