Front Strut Brace Does Work

Picked up a Schnell front strut brace this morning from Vertex. The bar portion has been revised and is now tapered at the ends and is substantially thicker. A few months ago I replaced the front suspension components (Bilsteins, strut mounts, controls arms, tie rod ends, links, bushings, etc.). In the end however I never got the firm but smooth steering wheel feeling I was expecting, but my car does have 97K miles. Thinking about strut braces, I found numerous threads stating that these braces were nothing more than a panacea for those wanting to spend money on the car. I kept reading the 996 body is solid, has factory strut braces up front, etc., but none of the opinions had ever installed one in their cars. At the advice of one of the Vertex guys I purchased it. Took the plunge and installed it in less than 10 minutes. Got the black one to match the other stuff going on in that compartment. Loosened the two strut mount nuts on each side and installed the brace. Torqued each of the nuts to 24lb. Took the car for a test drive and reality check. I drove through a route that I take daily and am very familiar with the noises my car makes over the terrain. I noticed a difference after a few moments of driving. The car felt more planted, less creaks were coming from the dashboard, and at higher speeds a stability and firmness was felt through the steering wheel that was not as prominent before. The change I’m describing was not “dramatic” but it was a noticeable improvement and made the car feel newer. I’m sure these improvements only worked on my car, but wanted to share with others interested in investigating whether a strut brace may be worth the investment.

hello folks i,m new here,and got an 07 v8v this summer, now the left front led turn signal is not working, the DRL'S and all other lights are working fine , is this led replaceable or the ballast ?? or does it mean a whole new headlight unit.. i would be gratefully thankfull for any info..ive read many posts on this and still not really sure

On some cars, yes, others, no. You will notice it more on a mk1 c2 model more than anything else. Some might notice it that have upgraded to a more aggressive suspension package as well. But like tires, everyone's perception and sensitivity may vary.

LED is not serviceable for the turn indicator. Unit replacement. Ballast is for the low beam HID only.

My car has one too, tucks nicely under all the f-runk plastic. Good to hear it worked for you

ok thanks for the reply, i noticed in the manual there is a DI resistor hooked up to the turn signal , if this was blown would it cause the turn signal not to work,??

Alpine003, I agree that it may be car dependent, but I have installed it and can speak first hand about its effects on my car. MK2 owners will have to report about their experiences. I also have no feedback to provide about other brands of "front" strut braces. Having driven the car over the weekend and this morning to work I can confirm that the body and steering continue to feel firmer. The driving dynamics have changed for the better. I installed a Racing Dynamics rear strut bar a few months back, then a four point roll bar. Noticeable improvements with both with the roll bar being the most significant improvement. I also installed Function First motor mounts. That upped the vibration factor especially at about 3000 RPMs, but also made the shifting more precise. The roll bar attenuated that. Cheers

Did you ever find out what the problem was? Mine stopped working too.

The reason why I said mk1 c2 owners will notice it the most is because that is the chassis that is the least reinforced up front and the least stiffest chassis from the factory with room for improvement. Is yours a c2 or c4?

hi troyboy yes i did find out,, in my case with the car not being a daily driver i had time to investigate, i took the headlight unit out. i opened it up removing the lens cover carefully.it is a permenant seal but it will come apart,this is the only way to get at the inner workings, most times it is the circuit board underneath the led light strip that fails,due to condesation,i am not in any way an electronic expert,just looking for any visible broken parts, i did bench tested the leds first,they were all ok.i found on the circuit board that one of the components had come loose from its base,probably due to vibration, (see pic of the new part inplace), with a little search and the number off the loose part (102) , i bought two just incase it happens again on the right turn signal,i also bought two of part (221) as they are the same type of part,just a different value..the 4 components cost $10 thats including shipping..i had no clue what would happen when i put it all back together,but figured it was worth the effort,because of the cost of a new or used unit. (big bucks). to my delight it worked,and i have had no problem since, call it luck if you will..ive added some pics lens cover removed -inner workings board location-new component soldered on board

Sorry for sounding defensive in the first place. 6Speedonline has but mostly the “other” forum has a loud minority voice that seem to react derisively to potential improvements solely on the basis of emotion, opinion, and bias without having first-hand knowledge, authority, experience, logic, science or even common sense about the subject. The effect of this is that it misleads earnest 996 owners who are interested in improving their cars for performance, safety or reliability. We all know that the 996 along with other 911s have design and engineering flaws. How many threads have you read presenting sound ideas about improving the motor, cooling or suspension only to get trashed by those who claim the car’s engineering is perfect. However, if you were to visit your local indie dealer you’d see those very upgrades or additives being sold and recommended in person. Dan189, thank you for sharing your experiences with the strut brace. I too would like to know if it is a C2 or C4 or MK1 or MK2. Cheers

Excellent, great job!

Hey all, Car is a 2004 MK2 C2. I dont have a lot to input to this as my car came with a front strut brace installed so I dont have much to compart it to.

Great! So splitting the headlight open. You use a heat gun to soften up the glue?

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Quote: No Man, I'm asking YOU if your car is a c2 or c4?

Wow, fantastic job

Mine is a 1999 MK1 narrow-body C2 manufactured on 3-1998

Very interested in finding out how you got it open... using an oven or heatgun or something else... Thanks

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Quote: I rest my case. Mk1 C4 owners won't notice it as much as the front tub is reinforced and uses the same chassis as the mk1 gt3 which is stiffer.

There is a guy in California that has done a ton of custom work including an Aston Martin's and sealed headlights and taillights are in the special effects with LED lighting. I'm traveling now so I don't have access to his name but he's on my previous post I'm fixing clear taillights.

I think what will close the case is hearing from C4 owners who actually installed a front brace for their empirical reactions. We also need to pressure dan189 to remove his brace drive it and then drive it again with the brace installed. You up for that?

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Quote: Take a cardboard packing box and place the headlight inside. make a round hole and put a hairdryer (no paintstripper gun!) in there and run it for around 10mins. That will loosen up the perma-seal and you'll be able to pull the headlamp apart. Done this on many cars and works like a charm.

Had I read this a few months ago I might have been more skeptical. I installed a very beefy OEM tow hitch on my daily driver. (Acura MDX) and it made a noticeable difference in reduction of chassis twist. It makes sense too. You are tying two large frame members together with a very stiff piece of steel and several large bolts. You notice it more when you hit a bump on one side while the other is on smooth pavement. This is one scenario when you would induce chassis twist. In this case I didn't even think about it strengthening the rear frame area but was really pleased to experience the result. Just in driving my 996 I do sometimes feel like the front end has a bit of twist or cowl shake. You figure hitting a bump on any one side is creating that flex that is passed along through the steering column to you. It certainly can't hurt to tie up the shock towers with a strong strut brace on a car that does exhibit this twist. Interesting to hear more from others on this. I would add this to my car if I knew it would tighten things up a bit.

in my case ,i didnt have to use heat at all to separate the lens from the unit, after carefully prying the tabs on the lens i was able to pull it apart by hand, with a little effort.it is possible that a previous owner had taken it apart before .if that is the case, he did a good job, nothing broken or scratched..

FWIW, all 996's come with a factory front brace. Triangulated one at that, which is the most effective kind too. These kinds of discussions are useless IMO as every case is going to be different based on how sensitive each individual is to certain inputs and how their specific car is setup in addition to the condition of each component. Sorta like pre digital days when there would be arguments on if the $200 RCA cables were that much better or noticeable than the $5 ones. YMMV

Wow, great job, solutions, and reference to vendors. Another potential problem down the road that I won't need to worry too much about

Outstanding work Cadman! You are a gentleman and a scholar!

Hey many thanks as my left front turn signal is intermittent. This is something I will have to try on mine. Had a rear turn signal go out but got a good deal from a person on here for a complete used light assy. I did get the old unit a apart and I'm looking for some info on the rear circuit board as I want to get it fixed as a spare. Dave

Thanks Cadman with help like yours we can actually afford these cars.

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Quote: I thought the whole point of the turn indicator was that it was intermittent. ... 😉

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Hey Cadman, I'm having the same problem on my 06 Vantage. I know it was a while back but do you remember the website where you found the inductor/resistor/solenoid for sale? I'm taking out the headlight of my car this weekend but i'd like to order the parts prior to opening the headlight. Any insight would be helpful...thanks! Quote:

hope i dont get in trouble for posting web address i got the inductors from digikey.co.uk

I followed Cadman's process and was able to repair mine also, though on mine I didn't have to replace any components but I did resolder a lot of larger components. I'd also want to thank Ms. Asher for training me in Mil-Spec soldering way back in the day while at GEC/Marconi Avionics. When I thought I had everything done on the board I put the light assembly back in place but without the lens and mounting bolts just hand tight. This allowed me to push on the board and wiggle the wire harness and connector with the indicator on. Glad I did as I forgot to resolder the connector pins and found this was where mine was intermittent. Well worth a test before fully assembling. Dave

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Thanks Cadman! I appreciate your help! Quote:

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Quote: Did you happen to notice any manufacturer's part numbers on the clear lens? I purchased a car that spent many years in the Florida sun and as a result the clear lenses are crazed. It would be a huge cost savings if I could replace the lens only. Aston Martin DCS only lists the complete assembly: 4G43-13W029-CD and 4G43-13W030-CD

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Quote: Great photos, nice work. Did you have to apply new sealer to the headlight lens when you reassembled the lens? If not are you confident that water cannot get into the light assembly?

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Quote: I followed Cadman's instructions a month ago and have not had any water issues with the headlamp I opened up. There is a black sealer that is an absolute pain to open up and to close back in place with the clips.

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Quote: Hey Cadman. Trying your technique later when I get the part. Do you remember how you searched for the number or do you remember the number? Thx

hey MarcS heres the part number 445-16662-1-ND this is for the blue 102 inductor on the picture. mine was visibly broken off its base,this is the third summer since i did this and still no issues with headlight assy. i also bought the other inductor 221 to the right of picture,just incase in future, part number 445-3844-1-ND. i got them from digikey.com. good luck

Big thanks!! I’m attempting it once I get the part. My signal problem is intermittent. May not happen for a week or so. I’m thinking it may be a loose connecting. But we’ll see for sure. Can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate your help!

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Quote: Hey, are you in the US? I can’t seem to order from the company unless I live in the UK.

thats odd ,digi-key is in the u.s minnesota ?? i,m located in canada, .. you can switch to your region of the world on their website..

Guys- I had taken apart my headlamp three times before I figured out my issue. At first I assumed it was the same issue as cadman so I replaced the part he suggested. Light appeared to work but then had issues one week later so I opened it up thinking it was a similar issue as the greetings from Niagara thread and I followed his step-by-step instructions and again it worked for a week only to fault later. This last time I took the entire board to a computer repair shop where they went through each bit and found one part I had a very loose connection and re-soldered it. Knock on wood the light has performed flawlessly over the past few hundred miles since. My recommendation is there are numerous parts that can fault so take it to a computer repair store or similar and have them go through each bit. Eric