034 x-brace review

[RyanJonS4]

I’ve had the new RHD x-brace on for roughly a week. I’ve had it fitted after reading all the hype on the US forums for years and everybody saying it’s a must have modification. I was a bit sceptical as I’ve done absolutely everything else possible on the front end so wasn’t sure how much of a difference it would make but thought surely 100’s of people with LHD cars can’t all be wrong?

All I can say is wow! It’s a beautifully engineered piece of kit and it’s a shame you can’t see it once fitted.

As soon as I set off from having it fitted at Awesome Gti the difference was clearly felt. The steering feels so much more direct and precise, there's more weight to the steering and the increase in front end feel is massive!

I would think that on a car with less modifications the difference would be even greater.

My main criticism with my B8.5 has always been the steering and front end feel, hence me having KW V3’s, CR15 brace, the front end fully Polly bushed etc. Of all things I’ve done though, the brace has changed the steering feel more than anything else.

 

[mercules]

Would love one of these and good to hear it's improving the handling. The front end certainly feels a bit disconnected stock which I think is down to the electric steering and Audi's common light feeling.

Shame 034 priced themselves out of business. If it's was around £300 I'd bite not paying £700 for a bit of aluminium frame regardless of what it does and tbh not many S4 drivers can make use of it.

More importantly enjoy it and thanks for sharing.

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

 

[desertstorm]

It is a shame it's so expensive but it is a large piece of billet aluminium and there must be a lot of maching , design work and materials in there. The OE item is actually quite flimsy, I took mine off my B8 A4 a few years ago and was surprised how much movement I could get in it just flexing it with my own strength.
So added a few extra bits and pieces of odds and ends I had in the garage and it was much improved. Cost nothing but some paint and a bit of wire and gas for the MIG. Not as pretty and won't be as stiff as the 034 item but it made a difference to the front end feel. It's unfortunate that something so nice is never seen by anybody.
Before

After

 

[MuPPeT_ON_TouR]

The DIY option has to offer 70% of the improvement for 10% of the costs.

I can see why it costs £700 as it is beautiful, but still cant justify that cost as I don't find the handling all that bad, guess I'm not pushing it hard enough.

Thinking I'll go DIY with a powder coat.

 

[RyanJonS4]

Would love one of these and good to hear it's improving the handling. The front end certainly feels a bit disconnected stock which I think is down to the electric steering and Audi's common light feeling.

Shame 034 priced themselves out of business. If it's was around £300 I'd bite not paying £700 for a bit of aluminium frame regardless of what it does and tbh not many S4 drivers can make use of it.

More importantly enjoy it and thanks for sharing.

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

Cheers pal, although it looks like just a bit of aluminium, it’s actually a piece of billet aluminium which they machine down and waste more than they actually save. Awesome Gti developed it with 034 using a 3D printed model which was sent back and forth to the USA a couple of times making changes until they got it perfect. I realise it’s not going to be for everyone but I just had to have it!

 

[Adamantium]

Really wanted one these but the price is madness. I know you could say the rhd market is smaller but these are cnc’d from billet like the lhd ones. It’s just a question of running a different programme.

I don’t believe the r and d costs are so high that it justifies over double the price of the lhd.

 

[jdp1962]

Out of interest, what's the weight difference between the two parts?

 

[RyanJonS4]

Out of interest, what's the weight difference between the two parts?

I’ve just had a look on 034s website. The aluminium x brace weighs in at 9.1lbs compared to 8.5lbs for the standard steel brace so it is just over 0.25kg heavier.

Really wanted one these but the price is madness. I know you could say the rhd market is smaller but these are cnc’d from billet like the lhd ones. It’s just a question of running a different programme.

I don’t believe the r and d costs are so high that it justifies over double the price of the lhd.

On the face of it, it may look that way but due too the layout of the steering setup on a RHD vehicle, it needed to be thicker than the LHD version so they have to start with a thicker more expensive piece of aluminium. On top of that it also has to be imported into the uk so shipping costs and import duty have to be factored into the price.

 

[youdame86]

Really wanted one these but the price is madness. I know you could say the rhd market is smaller but these are cnc’d from billet like the lhd ones. It’s just a question of running a different programme.

I don’t believe the r and d costs are so high that it justifies over double the price of the lhd.

Not sure if you are still checking this thread, but you might want to check the 034 website again. The price dropped to USD400, I snapped it up after seeing the stock drop by one.

USD400 is well worth a price I would pay for a nice of aluminum. ESP as my car is heavy and can do with the additional reinforcement. I have done pretty much what the original post owner did, strut brace, coil overs and replaced control arms, will be fitting this tomorrow, can’t wait.

 

[youdame86]

I’ve had the new RHD x-brace on for roughly a week. I’ve had it fitted after reading all the hype on the US forums for years and everybody saying it’s a must have modification. I was a bit sceptical as I’ve done absolutely everything else possible on the front end so wasn’t sure how much of a difference it would make but thought surely 100’s of people with LHD cars can’t all be wrong?

All I can say is wow! It’s a beautifully engineered piece of kit and it’s a shame you can’t see it once fitted.

As soon as I set off from having it fitted at Awesome Gti the difference was clearly felt. The steering feels so much more direct and precise, there's more weight to the steering and the increase in front end feel is massive!

I would think that on a car with less modifications the difference would be even greater.

My main criticism with my B8.5 has always been the steering and front end feel, hence me having KW V3’s, CR15 brace, the front end fully Polly bushed etc. Of all things I’ve done though, the brace has changed the steering feel more than anything else.

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Just installed mine today, and my oh my, I cannot agree with you more. I was equally excited as you to install this, and everything you mentioned, all the pros, I can attest to. The car feels nimble now, especially with a hulking V8 (B8.5 RS4). Think the difference is even bigger for me than you due to the extra weight.

On top of that I also installed CR-15, H&R front + rear sways, 034 rear subframe inserts and the Billet aluminum tunnel brace from ECS, the latter 2 firming up the rear furthermore, now you can feel the 4 car tyres glued to the ground and my Bilstein PSS10 nicely absorbing those potholes.

Strongly recommend anybody with a RHD RS4/S4 who is looking for serious steering improvements to pull the trigger now, since there are no other substitutes (no RHD Alu Kreuz); the price drop to USD400 makes it well worth it IMO. The heavier your car, the more noticeable the benefits. No added NVH for sure and no more understeer too (the car feels ALMOST oversteer-ish, tho that may also be due to my other mods)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[joedredd]

Shame not available for the B8

 

[jdp1962]

I was looking at the X-brace billet on 034's website today, and couldn't find an RHD version. Link, anyone?

 

[jdp1962]

I was looking at the X-brace billet on 034's website today, and couldn't find an RHD version. Link, anyone?

Ignore me; found it.