strut braces and other supporting braces for chassis strengthening

When a car company talks about car chassis strengthening they refer to spot welding to improve rigidity but when an uninformed person talks about chassis strengthening they refer to strut braces and other pieces of metal that they bolt-on the chassis in the aim of strengthening the chassis.

Race cars only use roll cages to strengthen the chassis to keep the driver's cabin as strong as possible to protect the driver in the event of an accident. the aim is safety rather than anything else. On the layman side buy fancy braces to make their cars look cool like a race car but they forgot that race cars seldom use such strut braces or other types of support braces apart from the roll cage. Buying and fitting the right support braces can help the car's handling slight but will not make a huge difference. BMW and some car companies do fit strut braces on the front suspension to improve rigidity and reduce flexing but the strut braces used are specifically designed and tested to break away in a specific way during an accident to prevent injury to the driver. However for aftermarket strut braces or other chassis support braces are usually not properly tested especially those made in developing countries where motorsport is still not a huge industry. the factories that product such products do not have the funds to invest in vigorous testing, load testing, stress testing or even crash testing. This raises a lot of questions when it comes to safety and how the braces will really perform during an accident.

I have personally seen a 4 point engine bay brace that is connect to the suspension towers and also the front of the chassis (just in front of the radiator), this is a very dangerous design especially during an accident. This brace will reinforce the engine bay and will force the engine into the driver's cabin during an accident and since the cars usually don't have a roll cage the driver's cabin is not reinforced. the engine will be pushed into the driver's cabin and will very likely kill or seriously injure the driver and front passenger!

There has been some false reports that were used by the factories that make these products claiming that their product saved a customer during an accident but the information was very misleading. The car hit a guard rail on the side of the highway and the car rolled over and barrel rolled down a hill. The car was only fitted with a strut brace, front fender brace and a rear suspension brace. When a car barrel rolls down a hill all these braces do nothing to save the driver. the only thing keeping the driver alive is the strength of the A, B and C pillar which has nothing to do with the braces installed in the car.

Before you go out and buy a chassis strengthening brace for your car, think about the application and whether it is going to do your car more good or more harm! Adding braces will increase weight and if you over stiffen the front it will cause the car to understeer more. If you want better handling, get a good suspension kit and have it setup properly and maybe change to thicker or stiffer anti roll bars that suit your car.