Any reviews on DS WORKS braces, any experiences or issues

[dukeofchen]

I think the reason the 6 point brace works is because the stresses that cause RACP failure are distributed through the floor and the whole brace, instead of just into the RACP as it would be if there was no brace in place. So the 4 points being bolted into the subframe mounting points and 2 points on the shock towers should be sufficient for most builds. Having a gusset cup type of pocket reinforcement in addition to the brace is a nice addition, but I don't think there's a single conclusive answer to say "yes" that's needed or "no" it's not. The harder your car is used, the more reinforcement is advisable, right? That's part of the reason why most cars that have full cages have the subframe points incorporated and welded into the cage design, in addition to of course rigidity.

Makes sense, thanks! I suppose at the end of the day there will never be a true 1:1 comparison on the same chassis, but based on that reasoning all of these solutions should provide more than enough reinforcement for my street car. If I'm going to get all the way in there then why not go for the theoretical rigidity and racecar aesthetic 😏. The 6pt install also seems to require quite a bit less hacking in the trunk compared to the vincebar which I like.

[karter16]

The 6pt install also seems to require quite a bit less hacking in the trunk compared to the vincebar which I like.

That's exactly why I've recently decided to go with a 6 point brace solution.


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[Patman]

Hi guys,

can anyone report if the Practical Performance RnD gusset Cups installation can be combined with a 6point brace that keeps the rear seats (yurkan e.g.)? I'd like to go with the following setup to reinforce my M3's RACP:

- Vince Skins
- Vince gusset Cups
- 6point brace that keeps the rear seats
- solid fully aluminium bushes for the subframe

IMHO this should make my non track M3 Coupe street bullet proof.


Can anyone help me out?

Thanks in advance
Patrick

[karter16]

Hi guys,

can anyone report if the Practical Performance RnD gusset Cups installation can be combined with a 6point brace that keeps the rear seats (yurkan e.g.)? I'd like to go with the following setup to reinforce my M3's RACP:

- Vince Skins
- Vince gusset Cups
- 6point brace that keeps the rear seats
- solid fully aluminium bushes for the subframe

IMHO this should make my non track M3 Coupe street bullet proof.


Can anyone help me out?

Thanks in advance
Patrick

Disclaimer - I do not have Vince gusset cups to measure.

I do have the Yurkan 6 point RACP brace that allows use of rear seats.

There's two things I can see that would be a problem.

1: and I think this is probably the bigger problem. Looking at pictures of the gusset cup it doesn't appear that the cylindrical section would be large enough for the front points of the brace to sit inside. You would need to get measurements to be sure.

2: the gusset cup adds vertical height to the front mounts and the brace would have to sit above this. It's been designed and manufactured to sit directly on the top of the front point.

My gut is that these wouldn't be compatible with each other.


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[Patman]

Thanks for your thoughts karter16,

my main problem is, that the right upper front mount (cavity underneath the rear seats) of the RACP has already cracks and I want to avoid any welding in this inside area of the car.

Did you have any cracks before installing the 6point yurkan brace? If so, how did you fix them? Just stop drilling them at the end point to prevent further enlarging or did you just install the brace over existing cracks?

Thanks for your information
Patrick

[karter16]

Thanks for your thoughts karter16,

my main problem is, that the right upper front mount (cavity underneath the rear seats) of the RACP has already cracks and I want to avoid any welding in this inside area of the car.

Did you have any cracks before installing the 6point yurkan brace? If so, how did you fix them? Just stop drilling them at the end point to prevent further enlarging or did you just install the brace over existing cracks?

Thanks for your information
Patrick

Yup I had some cracks around the factory weld. Cleaned out, stop drilled and welded. Then cleaned up with a carbide burr and painted.

See here: https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...676#post285676


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[Patman]

That thread is super nice to to read and gives a lot of very helpful information. Thank you for sharing!

Since I cannot weld and want to avoid it in any kind of way in the car's interior, is it possible after stop drilling the cracks to fill it up with a specific kind of glue/epoxy?

[karter16]

That thread is super nice to to read and gives a lot of very helpful information. Thank you for sharing!

Since I cannot weld and want to avoid it in any kind of way in the car's interior, is it possible after stop drilling the cracks to fill it up with a specific kind of glue/epoxy?

Others might know of a way but this is one of those cases where, imho, you really need to weld to get the integrity back in the piece as much as possible (I'm certainly not one of those people that thinks welding is the solution to everything, but I do believe it's the right way to address this problem). It would be worth seeing what others suggest as well (I'm just one random person on the internet), but if it was me I wouldn't look to just drill it out or epoxy it, I'd be looking to get someone in to weld it (even though it's a hassle). In terms of welding inside the car I think those concerns can be mitigated the same way I did by using blankets and matting to build an enclosure inside the car, and with some good extraction for ventilation.

[Nate047]

Hi guys,

can anyone report if the Practical Performance RnD gusset Cups installation can be combined with a 6point brace that keeps the rear seats (yurkan e.g.)? I'd like to go with the following setup to reinforce my M3's RACP:

- Vince Skins
- Vince gusset Cups
- 6point brace that keeps the rear seats
- solid fully aluminium bushes for the subframe

IMHO this should make my non track M3 Coupe street bullet proof.


Can anyone help me out?

Thanks in advance
Patrick

What I would do is just get the DS Works brace, and he makes a "gusset cup" kind of extra brace thing that is the exact right size to work with his brace. Just do that to save yourself the pains of mixing brands where size might not match up (ask me how I know)

[Nate047]

That thread is super nice to to read and gives a lot of very helpful information. Thank you for sharing!

Since I cannot weld and want to avoid it in any kind of way in the car's interior, is it possible after stop drilling the cracks to fill it up with a specific kind of glue/epoxy?

I also don't weld, so I hired a mobile welder to come to my place and do it. Cost me about $500 for him to do the RACP plates, some minor crack repairs, and stitch weld the wheel arch on the left side. I did all the removal and prep myself beforehand, and the finishing coats and reassembly as well.

I wouldn't worry about welding something in the interior of your car on principle alone. Just get a good welder who isn't reckless, and cover your interior with something if you can't or don't want to remove certain pieces. Do you have visible cracks inside the cabin of the car?

[Patman]

I also don't weld, so I hired a mobile welder to come to my place and do it. Cost me about $500 for him to do the RACP plates, some minor crack repairs, and stitch weld the wheel arch on the left side. I did all the removal and prep myself beforehand, and the finishing coats and reassembly as well.

I wouldn't worry about welding something in the interior of your car on principle alone. Just get a good welder who isn't reckless, and cover your interior with something if you can't or don't want to remove certain pieces. Do you have visible cracks inside the cabin of the car?

My cracks look pretty similar to those karter's had on the right front up cavity underneath the rear seats. Maybe a little minor then his ones. On the underfloor there are two cracks visible (haven't removed the subframe yet). Front right and left rear mounting point, so I definitely want to go with installing the epoxy+rivet Vince skins here

[bmw m3 s50]

What I would do is just get the DS Works brace, and he makes a "gusset cup" kind of extra brace thing that is the exact right size to work with his brace. Just do that to save yourself the pains of mixing brands where size might not match up (ask me how I know)

This ^^^^^^

Only thing is you have to get the rear seat delete version, the 6 point brace that works with rear seats will not work with the gusset cups.

[Patman]

This ^^^^^^

Only thing is you have to get the rear seat delete version, the 6 point brace that works with rear seats will not work with the gusset cups.

Rear seats delete is not really an option. The car should stay as stock as possible with avoiding welding

[bmw m3 s50]

Rear seats delete is not really an option. The car should stay as stock as possible with avoiding welding

If you can't delete the rear seats then you will not be able to use the 6 point brace with the front gusset cups. You would be limited to the 4 point brace. The 6 point brace that works with the rear seats has a difference mounting design then the 6 point brace used for the deleted rear seats as it was already mentioned.

[Patman]

I just discovered one popped spot-weld on the left rear panel next to the shock absorber. It is known that you stich-weld this area between the three spot welds. Has anyone made experiences with glueing the two panels together rather than welding in this area?