Reviews: A-Spec Racing Brace, HeelToe Auto SS Clutch Line

[pdiggitydogg]

Today I received my A-Spec Racing ek rear subframe brace and Stainless Steel clutch line from HeelToe Automotive.

I purchased the ASR ek brace so I could remove the oem 13mm EM1 bar (for sale in classifieds) and finally put on my 22mm ITR bar, that has been sitting in a corner for months.
The entire kit is made of quality machined aluminum and comes with the standard reinforcement setup (similar to oem em1 backing and the Beaks double-sided kit) but also includes a solid full plate, which covers the entire rear of the subframe to further prevent tear out (also included in the kit are new LCA bolts, that are longer).
The nuts on the initial braces are secured to the plates, to ease in installation, and aluminum bushings are also included, which insert into the itr bar's larger fitting holes for the em1 endlinks.
(ASR does offer race-type bushings but they are kind enough to recommend them only if the car is track-duty only, since they tend to "make noises".)
The cheapest package is $180 plus shipping via UPS (arrived in 3 days from california!) and includes only the bracing and hardware. The ITR rear bar is not included, however, you can purchase it through them for more (You can get it cheaper elsewhere). To run the 22mm rear bar on an EK chassis, you will need to purchase prothane's 22mm sway bar bushing kit.
The brace is available in both EK and EG chassis (but only the ek kit is available with the itr rear bar as a package).
If you want to go balls-out, ASR also offers a 32mm sway bar package for mucho dinero...

It took me roughly 2hrs to install the piece (instructions were not included, but were available online in pdf format) and new bar (stupid lca bolt was in there real good ) After I was finished I took the car out for a little drive. As soon as I got exited my driveway I could feel that the chassis was stiffer. I took a quick corner at roughly 5mph faster than I normally do and the car flexed so much less than it did before...I got a huge grin from it.

For those of you who like corners but dont have a rear bar, I HIGHLY recommend at least something. Other kits are available for less and are similarly sized - this is only the setup I purchased.

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I ordered the SS clutch line from HeelToe last week, with my order of a Bseries gasket kit (somehow it was cheaper than anywhere else I looked...even HAP).
Anyway, the line is chassis specific, not engine/tranny specific; ek is shorter than either eg or dc (remember del sol's are concidered eg)
The line seems to be quality braided stainless and comes with the correct fittings on the end, which do take advantage of the factory stay-clips (many others I have seen do not). The line is also sheathed in a clear tubing to further protect the teflon lining within. (If you do not know, small bits of debris can work its way through the braided mesh and get trapped, slowly tearing into the teflon line - the sheathing prevents this.)
Note: This line does nothing for performance. It is meant only to increase pedal feel (firmer) like brake lines.


Overall, Id say that both of these purchases are of good quality and I would recommend them to anyone looking to upgrade their rear bar or who are looking for a new clutch line (or just for a more positive/firm feel to their pedal).

[AzCivic]

thats a long ass post, i look forward to reading it...tomorrow!

[nonovurbizniz]

yeah sways make a HUGE difference...

My first car was a 93 sentra with prokit springs and kyb gr2 struts...

It handled great... or so I thought till I added teh ST front and rear sway bars... then it was just plain rediculous... the car stayed sooo solid in turns it was unreal.

I actually spun it on the highway in the rain at like 60-70mph and it was DEAD flat the whole way around (everytime it spun around).

It was actually harder to recover because of how little give there was in the suspension... so it would put too much force on the tires when trying to regain traction....

take some pics if you can.

[pdiggitydogg]

I didnt take pics on install day, and I'd had enough of laying on the ground. Today it was actually dry enough.




I didnt like just using the prothane grease since the tube was small, so I threw on some teflon tape AND the grease...why not?

The top bolt holds the inner plate's top and there is a bolt behind the outter plate that the bushing attaches to, which holds the bottom. The bottom shown just attaches to the brace itself.
The longer lca bolt is the one on the lower right.

I love to drive my car again, with this installed. Corners are so much more fun and flex is sooooooooo much less

[AzCivic]

sounds awesome!! can you get the rear end to come around in a sharp turn?

[pdiggitydogg]

Well, since the rear tires this summer are last's fronts, and I ran around w/ a really bad alignment, theyre in pretty bad shape (need to be replaced next yr for sure).
I took a U corner at probably 40 and the rear broke loose after I thought, "This can go faster" down-shifted, gave it more gas, and cranked the wheel to stick to the yellow.
It definately comes around

[ebpda9]

i took the sways out of the accord and the thing handles unreal. i like the handling a lot better now than the ex sway, and st rear sway bar.

[nonovurbizniz]

^ well it all depends on what you're looking for... no sways provides a much looser car but it does stick well... less under/over steer...

however with sways you're planted better and have more control of the car when it does break loose.

There's definately better traction with sways though as they keep the entire tread pattern on the pavement where it belongs instead of letting some of the wheels/tires lift off the ground to a degree.

[thermal]

Pdiggs, nice review! I want to get that shit too. I just saw the comptech version and I really got interested with it immediately. Do you a picture of the steel braided clutch line? How much was that?

[pdiggitydogg]

The clutch line was $29
http://estores.merchantpartners.com/...products_id=89

My only complaint about the line is that the sheathing does not cover the entire hose - it stops just short of the fitting. I'll probably cover it with something, when I install it.
I was surprised that the instructions made it clear that you should use a flare nut wrench, rather than standard - Very nice for those that wouldnt have known otherwise. It even has a picture of both for clarification.


Oh, and for those that cant find the asr site
http://www.a-spec-racing.com/products.php