Swaybar Reinforcement Point

Impressions

I like how this brace tightens up the rear end.  It’s not a massive difference but those with aftermarket swaybars will soon realize how flexible the rear subframe is.  The rear end feels much more planted and solid in turns with the brace installed.  Increasing chassis stiffness allows the suspension to do its job more effectively.  I occasionally carry heavy loads in the hatch (camping, road trips) and the creaks from the rear have been reduced or stopped completely.

How it works

Unlike the pricey aluminum front subframe, the rear is all stamped steel.  A uprated swaybar will flex the subframe, especially with the larger bars (27mm BSH, APR).  If you take a peek underneath the car, it isn’t hard to see why this brace helps.  The sway bar brackets sit on thin stamped sheet metal.  The control arm mounting points are also located in stamped steel but the stress on them in the MKV’s suspension design will not flex the steel.  This brace connects the two sway bar bracket points and uses the control arm mounting point as the top of the triangle.  Now the individual brackets and control arm pickup points are tied into one piece creating a nice solid platform for the suspension.  Any forces affecting one side are spread over the pickup points.

Installation

Installation takes less than an hour.  Here are the official instructions from PureMS’ website.  The only issue I’ve run into is that the clearance for the stock exhaust system is very minimal.  It rattled on the brace during startup.  Right now, I have temporarily wrapped rubber around the brace but I’ll be finding a more permanent solution in the future. Your experience may vary on this.  The fuel tank heat shield may also need to be bent a little.  This isn’t a deal breaker for me and I don’t think it should be for you.

Other notes

The brace I bought did not have the bolts supplied so I ordered them from PureMS.  They are not on the site so you’ll have to email them if you need a replacement set.  Unfortunately I cannot recommend you order them from purems.  I paid 24 dollars for a set of stainless steel M8 and M10 bolts.  I thought these would be specialized for the set but when I received them, they are standard sizing.  If I had went to the hardware store, I could’ve found them for a grand total of 5 bucks, stainless.  A large part of the cost was shipping, but come on, 10 dollars for bolts?  Two stamps and an envelope would’ve sufficed.  Speed would not be a problem because they’re perhaps 2 hours away from me.  Not that I wouldn’t do business with them again, just this experience could’ve been cheaper.  Word of advice, if you ever need replacements, try the local hardware shop first.  The M8 bolts need 2 washers and a locknut.  The M10 bolts need to be matched up to the correct thread size.  You’ll also need a regular washer and a split washer.  I’m going to guess the bolt is M10 x 1.25, but take the brace to a hardware shop to try on the bolts.

Triangulation Point

Based on the time I’ve had with the bar so far, I love it.  The rear end of the car has tightened up considerably and follows the front end with much more stability.  If you have any questions regarding this brace, send me a comment or email.  Remember, my car is approaching 100,000 miles and the chassis may have loosened up a little bit.  If you can find it used, it’s a great deal.  At the new price, it’s an ok piece. 120 shipped is far more reasonable than the 150 plus shipping it currently warrants.

Excuse the pictures, it was impossible to get a good shot.

Those horrible rear subframe mounts are a nightmare, but this time around they didn’t cause too many issues. Without going into too much detail, but if you’re attempting this job soon then literally the only method is … “poke and hope!!”

Its a near impossibility to see the bolt hole and to line the mounts up with them, so its just a case of attempting to screw the bolts into their correct positions and “hoping” its right. Just make sure you don’t cross-thread them!

Anyway, here’s some photos

You can clearly see the rear subframe with the rear valance removed, and I think it looks awesome! It also makes fitting the furthest back rear subframe mounts so much easier too!

Next up – time for removing and stripping the front subframe!

First of all, last week my order from the nice blokes at KAD came which included a super-sexy internal gear linkage kit (photos coming soon!) and a pair of rear camber and tracking brackets which support the outer-side of the radius arms. Without them, I can’t really assemble much!

The main problem we had when trying to assemble this is the fact that the radius arm just didn’t sit correctly – when trying to fit the camber bracket the bolt holes did not line up, no matter what order or what we did. If you’re reading this and this is a job you’re going to undertake anytime soon, then you’ll notice you must fit a rubber o-ring over each end of the radius arm, along with a large thick washer to prevent dust getting into the radius arm shaft.

However, these little buggers of rubbers caused all my nightmares. At last I figured out that the radius arm wasn’t being pushed down as far as it needed to be because of these o-ring rubbers, so instead of trying to attach the rubbers onto each end of the radius arm first, I instead fitted the rubbers onto the outside of the washer, then fitted the o-ring & washer onto the end of the arm. That’ll be it then!

Anyway, without further ado, some photos!

And a quick photo of my current working environment!