Eurocode Tuning F&R Tower Brace and Tunnel Brace Review

What’s up guys, I’ve been getting a lot of people messaging me and asking my thoughts on these products so I wanted to start a new thread on my experiences with these new units they have released and anyone else could share their thoughts or experiences too. Let me start off by saying that these are not suspension/chassis modifications that I would consider unless you already have a set of good tires, springs/coilovers and a rear sway bar with end-links... I say this because these are not going to be as noticeable unless you have some of the “looser ends” of the car taken care of.

I called up EuroCode Tuning to ask a few questions I had about their bars, then ended up paying for them right over the phone. Just before hanging up with them, Chris said they will have the tunnel brace available soon too and would call me when its ready if I’m interested… I’m a sucker for new parts so I said please do lol. They are located on the other side of the country but I still received the package via UPS in 3-4 business days. I opened up the boxes and was pleasantly surprised by what I saw, not only was there some free E-Code goodies but more importantly the hardware is top shelf stuff. Welds on the front tower brace is clean and strong, appears to be steel that is black powder coated. The bars them-selves are made of aluminum to keep the weight down and look to be anodized black along with the rear bars mounts. All bolts and remaining hardware are thick high-grade stainless steel, no Chinese hardware to be found here (American Made units). Installation was very straightforward, everything is bolt on and all of the hardware is included other than Locktite. I did glance at the instructions online before installation but didn’t need them during the install, as it was that easy, it only took me about 45minutes to install both bars and drink a beer or two in the process ☺.

I lowered the car to adjust the bars and tighten everything to spec, then went for a drive. Right away you can feel the extra rigidity the chassis has, to the driver this this translates to a faster steering response, more chassis input/feedback and the car just feels slightly more planted overall. No rattles or abnormal noises afterwards either. There are other similar products out there but they are more intrusive to cargo storage when the seats are folded down and do not allow any use of the pass through. I would have liked to see both the front and rear bars triangulated for additional bracing, but for the price these work great. Overall I give these things two thumbs up
Here are a couple cell phone pictures I took right after installing them…




The day I installed those bars I got another call from Eurocode, they said that the new Tunnel Brace was available and I could be the first one with it, I said yes please. Same story as above… paid for over the phone, shipped out that day and received it 3000 miles away in just a few days. Opened the box and found what I’m now going to call the “Eurocode standard”, more great hardware and another well-designed product. The brace appears to be made of solid aluminum that is either milled or laser cut then powder coated in red or black. A very clean and super strong design overall. Install was straightforward and fitment was perfect, but check the instructions for placement of the spacers. The only thing that I suggest that they did not mention would be to loosen the plastic under panels to make it easier to manipulate the brace and hardware in place during install, otherwise you will be fighting it the whole time.

I tightened everything to spec, lowered the car and went for another drive. This was not quite as noticeable of an improvement as the bars were on the streets, but is absolutely an improvement. Basically enhances everything mention that the bars do… more responsive steering (especially in fast weight transitions), less chassis flex under hard loads and the front/rear of the car feel more connected than ever. I have been driving with it for a few days now and have no rattles nor have I scrapped it on any speed bumps or anything. I forgot to take pictures while I was under the car and it has been raining the past few days, so these are the only pictures I have taken while all 4 wheel are on the ground…





So overall I’m very pleased with my purchases and how they have enhanced the car. For those that are wondering, the brace weighs about 17lbs and both bars with hardware weigh about 17.5lbs. When new, the suspension and chassis felt sloppy, was not as responsive as I would have liked and did not supply adequate feedback for spirited or track driving. With these Eurocode parts along with proper tires, RSB and spring/coilovers it will completely transform the way this car handles and performs. The chassis is so responsive that you will actually forget the car is electric P/S driven, there is zero steering delay and the rear rotates with the front immediately now… I could not enjoy driving this car more. I have a few Auto-X and Track Days coming up soon, check out my build page for that data and the rest of my mods. Eurocode, hit me up again if you guy will be releasing any other new products :thumbup: Happy Motoring!


Info on Eurocode front & rear bars: http://www.ecodetuning.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=2310

Info on Eurocode tunnel brace: http://www.ecodetuning.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=2305

thank you for the review, time for me to order a set

and i was just thinking i'm just about done for now......

Thanks a lot for the review!

Was already going to fit Eurocode's three braces as soon as my PP arrives, nice to read the parts are all they seemed to be.

Thanks again,
Ben.

No problem guys, definitely worth it! Anyone else that has these feel free to chime in with your input too.

EuroCode chassis and strut braces - review additions!

RjRacing said:

No problem guys, definitely worth it! Anyone else that has these feel free to chime in with your input too.

Click to expand...

Will do.

So to add to the excellent review (and there's not a single conclusion in this that I don't agree with) I've got the following to offer:

Packaging: 10/10 stars Each piece was individually wrapped in bubble or foam, well taped and padded within the boxes they arrived it. There was minimal (if any) shifting during shipment via UPS. And UPS sucks, so that they arrived in perfect condition is a nod to Eurocode. Well done.

Quality: 10/10 stars Once I got the parts unwrapped I saw why they were so well packed. The quality of the parts, fasteners, and machining IS. UTTERLY. FANTASTIC.

Of particular note is the machining on these bits is as good as any I've ever seen. The rod ends and the rear brackets are works of art, almost like a perlee or an engine turned finish. Just mind bogglingly good.

Engine Turning:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_turning

Perlee
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlée

Examples:



Rear mounting bracket



Another of the rear mounting bracket

Rod end:



I'm fairly certain that EuroCode is machining these to spec in-house. The threads are a bit sharper at their peaks than most mass-produced threads - usually this is an indicator that a single point (and sharp) cutter was used to turn the threads versus a larger multi-thread cutter mill head - and these appear to be lathe turned by someone who knew what they were doing with a lathe - I checked thread concentricity and it's damn near perfect. They thread in w/out a hint of play and are just buttery good.

Also, the EuroCode logo and the knurling turnings on each bar are really high quality. The logo appears to be anodized onto a flat machined on the bar and not just an applied sticker...that costs $$$ and should indicate these dudes are serious.

Fitment: 9/10 stars Near enough as to make no difference perfect - the ONLY issue was a bit of a tight fit up front, but that could very easily be my mistake - this was my first ever brace install.

Instructions: 0/10 for the in-box, 10/10 stars for the downloadable PDFs:

So there were no instructions in the box, but the PDFs were FANTASTIC with a detailed tools list for each bar and a step by step process with pictures for every step. If I can do it, so can you. Take a look at the PDFs, they're great. They call out torque specs in NM and ft-lbs as well.

THAT level of attention to detail earns repeat business!

EuroCode probably didn't include printed instructions because it would drive up the cost and apparently they spent their $$$'s on the PARTS and not a load of marketing fluff.

Here's links for reference:

Rear: http://www.ecodetuning.com/guides/MQB/StrutBarRear.pdf

Front: http://www.ecodetuning.com/guides/MQB/StrutBarFront.pdf

Install (rear): Difficulty 2/10

So I appreciate that it took RjRacing 45 minutes to do both bars front and back - the back was easy peasy. Stick a screwdriver down between the interior carpet and the trim around the OEM bracket and pop the plastic off, then hit the connector with a triple square bit and a ratchet to get it off.

Bolt on the brackets with the supplied hardware, use blue LocTite as per the directions, thread the bar with the supplied rod ends, screw those down to the backets, done.

As I said, Easy.

I went a bit further than perhaps completely necessary, but then again I mentioned that I was retentive about my cars? Not being level would have bugged the SH*T out of me.



OCD leveling of the brackets - not necessary for functionality but I did it anyhow...

Install (front): Difficulty 4/10

but a CAST IRON B*ITCH for me - for three reasons, all of which were my fault.

First, get a HIGH QUALITY wiper puller. I bought a POS tool from from Amazon and it flat out failed to work. Small gear puller from O'Rielly? Less than ideal but it worked. Avoid this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I6H8MBS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My bad #1.

Second, I didn't have 21 or 24mm crescent wrenches and had to go to Sears to get one. Mid install. In my wife's car. Yep.

My bad #2

Last, I dropped a nylon lock nut down the passenger side drain hole and as a result had to almost completely remove the front inner wheel well trim to get the bastard out. Talk about a ridiculous delay.

My bad #3

All that aside, the install was fairly straightforward, the instructions were detailed and after I fished out my nut, I was good to go.

Tips for install:

- PULL THE DRIVERS SIDE TRIM OFF! You -might- be able to get this installed w/o removing that trim but it makes it even more difficult - learn from my mistake.
- PULL YOUR WIPERS! See point #1.
- GET A GOOD WIPER PULLER! Buy quality tools, even for one use. I know better.
- USE TAPE! Don't try and use a marker or a scribe for your wiper positions. Use blue painters tape along the wiper blade to give you a PERFECT indicator of where you want to be with the re-install.

Post install driving impressions: This is all subjective, but here's my impressions:

The car feels better, especially in hilltop and off-camber high speed left-right / right-left transitions, the back end feels more planted, there is less head shake under hard braking into turns - used to load up, let off, and go a little wonky. It just feels tighter.

The stock tires SUCK and this mod helps to illustrate how badly they do.

Summary: SUPER high quality parts that could cost twice as much, easy instructions, easy installs, good results.

So that's my add. Nice review RjRacing!

tGo

Great input, thanks for sharing! For you or anyone that needs to remove wiper arms in the future, you never need a tool to remove them once the nut is off. All you need to do is push on the spring loaded arm about 6" up from the stud and then start working it back and forth. I have removed hundreds of wiper arms like this when I used to work as a Dealer Forman, I have never needed the wiper arm tool on a modern car with spring loaded arms.

Is there any function to these braces?

Yes, their function is to reduce chassis flex thus providing more stable suspension geometry. This provides the driver better precisison and feedback and is conducive to increased overall grip as the wheels retain more consistent geometry.

Hope that helps,
Ben.

dasauto GTI said:

Is there any function to these braces?

Click to expand...

Really nice bits of kit, but I think that the braces have questionable performance improvements imo. The rear one sits so low that I can't see it providing much more rigidity than the existing floor provides. Maybe a 45 degree cross over "X" shape would be better. The front brace sits the other side of a fire wall that supports the strut towers anyway, by way of metal all along the back of the engine bay to strengthen and provide rigidity. When strut towers were very separate standalone columns in the engine bay braces improved the rigidity massively, but I have found that on more recent cars they are becoming more and more obsolete as the towers become more integrated into the structure.

I would say I am happily in the minority with this view though as people seem to love fitting braces.

I also understand the integration with roll cage systems on race and rally cars, but I would say they are in another league for safety and rigidity requirements

EB2429 said:

Really nice bits of kit, but I think that the braces have questionable performance improvements imo. (...)

Click to expand...

Hi EB2429. I was honestly of your opinion until I tried braces myself. Since then I am a firm believer in their performance, provided they are well designed/built/installed. Hopefully you will have the opportunity to try out a Mk7 Gti with braces fitted and see for yourself.

Obviously, as RJRacing stated, their effect is felt more when slop is removed from the suspension, via use of uprated springs/dampers/bushings/tires. But even on a bog standard car, if pushed to limits, chassis reinforcements can be felt.

Personally, upon my Gti's delivery in May, I am fitting all three Eurocode pieces and possibly also Unibrace's rear piece, as I know in advance they will benefit the car and my enjoyment of it.

Of course, if funds permitted, I would have a high-end integrated custom roll cage installed by Ruf or similar. But that would be cost-prohibitive for me.

If ever you come to Southern France (Carcassonne) I'll gladly let you have a drive in mine

Ben.

EB2429 said:

Really nice bits of kit, but I think that the braces have questionable performance improvements imo. The rear one sits so low that I can't see it providing much more rigidity than the existing floor provides. Maybe a 45 degree cross over "X" shape would be better. The front brace sits the other side of a fire wall that supports the strut towers anyway, by way of metal all along the back of the engine bay to strengthen and provide rigidity. When strut towers were very separate standalone columns in the engine bay braces improved the rigidity massively, but I have found that on more recent cars they are becoming more and more obsolete as the towers become more integrated into the structure.

I would say I am happily in the minority with this view though as people seem to love fitting braces.

I also understand the integration with roll cage systems on race and rally cars, but I would say they are in another league for safety and rigidity requirements

Click to expand...

I agree with you to a point and if you read the 3rd paragraph in my OP you will see how I stated very similar views on the bracing. If you remove the wiper motor cowl you will see that the OEM firewall bracing on this chassis is extremely weak in design with room for improvement between the two strut towers. Now without removing this cowl completely, there is no other way to build a brace other than how Eurocode has designed this unit. The mounting location for the rear bar may not be very high (about 10" above the floor pan where the tank is located) but its still located in a high stress and chassis flex area, near where the shock mounts bolt up and right above the rear wheels. Will these bars flex some with the chassis due to minimal bracing points... yes. For the money, quality and still being use the hatch area as intended, these are great parts that do noticeably improve the chassis rigidity and responsiveness. Understand that these are not race cars but new street driven cars, so creature comforts will take priority over the hacking up panels, losing cargo carrying abilities, drilling or welding for bracing... etc.

@LeGti

I might hold you to that as i pass through France in the Summer lol

@LeGti @ RJRacing
All fair points and I'm always interested in chassis upgrades over BHP upgrades so may be persuaded if i get to read more reviews on MK7 with these in the future.

Did you guys preload the braces? i.e. loosen one side and jack a side of the car up to put the chassis under load and then tighten down the braces? That's also a good way to see if there's any benefit....if the chassis flexes, you'll see the position of the bolt in the bracket change.

PGT said:

Did you guys preload the braces? i.e. loosen one side and jack a side of the car up to put the chassis under load and then tighten down the braces? That's also a good way to see if there's any benefit....if the chassis flexes, you'll see the position of the bolt in the bracket change.

Click to expand...

Its required to remove all preload for the front during install. Install suggests tightening each bar by hand until it feel tight. I have played with the settings some and I suggest leaving the front at the recommended settings and giving the rear an extra 1/4 turn for more stiffness. Yes, when you change the setting you can absolutely feel a difference. The problem is if you over tighten it the bar with actually flex because its not braced in the middle.