DCP

Well, before I installed my R-D Camber Brace I did alot of reading on this forum to see what everyone elses opinion was on this mod. As with most topics I saw plenty of people that said it made a difference in handling, etc. I also saw some who said this is a "feel good" mod that does not improve handling, but rather, just adds a substantial bit of extra weight to the car. Most people seemed to agree that it does stiffen the chassis in the front, but not everyone agreed that this is automatically a good thing.

Well I installed mine this passed weekend and have now put a few miles on it so that I have formed an opinion. And that opinion is that this thing is awesome! I saw a significant improvement in the feel of my car's steering.

First let me specify that my car is a '96 with 68K miles on the original FE1 suspension. I drive it pretty hard on the road, but have never taken it to a track. I realize that my car has one of the softest (if not the softest) suspensions ever put on a C4, so that may make a difference, but my car had a ton of what I guess you'd call bump steer. The roads here in Central VA are not bad, but it isn't hard to find a rough one if you look, and when I would take curves moderately that had bumps in them, the steering wheel would wiggle all over the place in my hand and, while the car would grip the curve well enough, it would feel less than confidence-inspiring. The camber brace eliminated this feeling completely!

Maybe this was a feel-good mod, but it does feel damn good! And that alone was worth the $$$. I would not dispute that this may not do anything to improve track times, especially on tracks that are smooth, but if the car was really anywhere near as unstable cornering over rough surfaces as it felt to this amature driver, then this mod has to have improved the situation.

Just wanted to add my opinion to the pile for anyone considering this mod in the future.


David

Ruby6spd

I agree, i have it on my car with Vette Brakes extreme valved shocks and larger sway bars and it definitly takes a lot of what I would call shimmy out of the front end.

Like you I have not tracked the car but I will say it improved the "feel" of the car in a significant manner

Good addition in my book

STL94LT1

tequilaboy

I was also very skeptical of the Camber Brace at first, but for me it significantly improved the feel of the car on rough or uneven road surfaces. I'm a believer now.

I picked one up used for about 1/2 price and am very happy with it. Turn-in feels crisp, and the car seems to track better in the rough stuff.

I also had a fair amount of driveline vibration in the car above 3000 rpm. After adding the camber brace, the perceived driveline vibration that I had has all but disappeared.

As far as weight goes: my early L98 brace only weighs 7-8 pounds which to me is rather insignificant on a 3000+ lb car.

john3154

I agree that the brace does stiffen up the front end but does it cause an over-steer condition? I'm wondering if maybe I was overly agressive in a turn with it on that would cause my rear-end to swing out. I currently have mine off now due to some engine repair and will take it out this weekend to see how it feels.

Slalom4me

No.

What is the rear toe set to?

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DSchaefe

This is good stuff - I just bought one used from a forum member to install on my LT4 Vert.

Any tricks to know on the install?

Strick

I'm a Dave Cooper fan, the original owner of R&D Racing Products. I have a 92 vert and installed both the camber brace and cross bar. What a difference! I'd say my vert is stiffer than any coupe. BTW, I also boxed the X-frame. In a hard turn, the foot print stays constant which makes it so predictable. No more "wobble" on bad roads or railroad crossings.

ToniH

Stiffening front end causes under-steer not over-steer so no to your question.

I too have the camber brace and the cross bar and like them both. Most of frame flex associated interior squeaks dissappeared so they really seem to stiffen the car up.

BerniesVette

I made a camber brace for my C3 and it made a huge difference;but have not seen them for the C4. Any pics of them, how they mount, as well as, the cross bar? I would love to stiffen my 92!
Bernie

cicch95

Sadly, I am one of the minority that really didn't feel any difference when I installed it on my 92 vert.

Strick

Drive it harder.

conv90

So we need to understand why Strick had no improvement..
Have you hard shocks and springs?

Slalom4me

Beppe, perhaps you meant cicch95?

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cicch95

I have the original bilstein adjustables in there, original springs. The only thing I can think of is that when I put it in, the car had very low miles and was NEVER driven hard. It had no squeaks and rattles, etc. Was very tight already. So, maybe that's it?!?!!??!

As for driving hard strick, I drive as hard as you can on the street! Never took it to the track............

Anyway...i don't want to hijack this thread!

DSchaefe

Anything I need to know for the install? easy / difficult ??

BerniesVette

What are the sources for the camber brace and bar?
Bernie

STL94LT1

I miss Dave in the C4 world. Dave used my car to develope the e. water pump Camber-Brace and the templates to install the S/T Frame Support.

cicch95

It's not that hard. The directions with it are good. Putting the serp belt on was a PIA!!!

cicch95

http://www.r-dracing.com/Camber-brace.htm

Dave is awesome!!!!!!!