Snap goes the Chassis Brace - thoughts?

[WheelmanSS]

Hey yo,

After hearing some odd creaking noises coming from my car after going over speed bumps or quick and steep inclines, I crawled underneath my car.

I was surprised to see that my Hotchkis max chassis brace snapped at the weld at the front passenger side connection point in my car.

I'm not terribly upset about it, but I figured this would be a durable upgrade suspension piece. Oh well.

Before I make any changes/replacements, I wanted to pose the question: Do I really need the chassis brace?

My suspension setup is already pretty solid. In addition to the Hotchkis max chassis brace, I have a slew of Pfadt parts:

- Pfadt solid subframe mounts
- Pfadt trailing arms
- Pfadt tie rods
- Pfadt ZL1 front and rear sway bar conversion
- Pfadt adjustable coilovers

I'm thinking of just ditching the chassis brace, and replacing the tunnel brace (since the stock one was removed when i installed the chassis brace).

Thoughts?

[White_SS/RS]

Makes you question whats going on if the brace is breaking?

[WheelmanSS]

Originally Posted by White_SS/RS

Makes you question whats going on if the brace is breaking?

Anyways, let's get technical!

[2012LS3VERT]

The max chassis brace was primarily designed for keeping the rear cradle stable. The Pfadt subframe mounts you have are already doing that. I'd ditch it. (Not literally, it is still an expensive piece that could be easily repaired and resold). Pass it on to the next guy who doesn't want to run solid rear mounts. The weld probably just received a shock load it couldn't handle due to the subframe already being solid mounted.

[BMR Sales]

If you're not racing the car on a track, then the benefits of a chassis brace (or subframe connectors) on a street-driven car would be fairly minimal. However, if you bought the brace new, then I would definitely contact whoever you bought it from and inquire about a warranty replacement.....depending on how old it is. Just my .02 cents!!!

[WheelmanSS]

Bumping this up. I have been out of the game for awhile and haven't really touched my car in over a year.

I think when I bought the Hotchkis max chassis brace, I ditched the stock tunnel brace as part of the kit.

If I remove the Hotchkis setup, what do I need to replace, if anything?

[Avalnch]

Either get a new OEM tunnel brace or there are some vendors on this site who offer billet aluminum.

[Dan@Hotchkis]

I'd love to talk to you about the brace and possibly getting it back so we can see if we can determine what happened for a possible warranty. Just as a quick question could you clarify whether the weld failed or the material surrounding the weld? Please PM me or e-mail me at dan@dtmracing.us at your earliest convenience please.

[revived]

Durable for tracks not everyday driving and speed bumps...

[L99CAMA2011]

Z28 doesn't have a brace and it kicks a $$ go figure.

[The_Blur]

I think Hotchkis could really use some pics.

[1KillerSS]

Originally Posted by WheelmanSS

I was surprised to see that my Hotchkis max chassis brace snapped at the weld at the front passenger side connection point in my car.


Thoughts?

Sounds to me like a bad weld, not the brace.

[ZWA SS]

Originally Posted by 1KillerSS

Sounds to me like a bad weld, not the brace.

I would think so too.
At least it would be an east fix, or check warranty with the rep above.
OP, if you need an OE tunnel brace I have a couple.

[Avalnch]

The Hotchkis Max Chassis brace makes a real world difference on the Camaro. It does tie the left and right sides together and makes the chassis a lot stiffer.

Prior to installing my chassis brace, when I back out of my (slightly elevated) drive way at an angle, you can feel the car flexing as each tire goes from the driveway to the roadway. After the brace, when backing out, the car definitely has less flex when backing out at an angle. I can feel the car almost tipping as it balances on the front and rear opposite tires. Much like if you take a rectangular board and place it diagonally across two uneven surfaces.