Crossmember Braces

[sad_rocc at yahoo.com (Dan Smith)]

Quite a few people seem to have this viewpoint (well, some anyways). Why? It seems to me, here are the options.
1. You have no cracks, you don't put on the bar, you don't get cracks. Hooray for you.
2. You have no cracks, but put on the bar just in case. Preventitive maintance never hurt.
3. You have cracks, you don't get the bar, they get bigger. Surprise!
4. You have cracks, you put on the bar. Maybe they don't get bigger and maybe they do more slowly or something. 
 
While this bar may not be the Holy Grail we're looking for, it's the best thing on the market at the moment. If you're at all concerned about your rocco cracking, or the cracks that are starting to develope, this is pretty much your only solution and the only time it will be offered. I'm not trying to write an ad for the bar or anything, heck I don't have one myself, but I recall this being a HUGE issue for quite some time with lots of people wishing that one guy would make his bar and yadda yadda and now, nothing.
 
Dan
-writing this just so I can say "I told you so!" when people get cracks in a year and there's no solution

L F <rocco16v@netzero.net> wrote:
I also understand Eric's frustration.  As I see it, the Scirocco owners whose crossmembers (CM) are not cracking see no need for the bar and those whose CM has already cracked....well, it's too late for the bar to help them.  
It's a people perception problem.
I know some will say that the bar will stop/reduce further cracking. But until long term, controlled testing proves me otherwise (and this type of testing would be impossible for any of us listers to perform), I don't believe this is a valid stance...it's speculation. 
 The cracking is the result of long-term vibration and, while the bar may reduce the vibration's frequency (through the addition of more mass), it will not eliminate the source of the vibration (the engine) nor will it "heal" existing fractures.
  Consider this a great engineering/manufacturing exercise, Eric, and take pride in the fact that you are one of few people who actually carry through on your project.  Far too many of us quit before our goals are completed.
Larry
sandiego16v
 
Eric, first off, I like the design you've chosen - it definately addresses
the problem of helping redistribute the up/down forces that engine torque
places on the crossmember.  If I had an extra $125 lying around right now,
I'd probably order one.  BUT, when you design/sell a product, it's always a
good idea to make the product appeal to as many people as possible.  You
could shut up the nay-sayers by adding a simple welded in triagle on each
end.  Even if you don't "need" the side load rigidity, a couple of extra
welds and two small triangles of steel would probably make your bar a bit
more marketable...  I sense quite a bit of frustration on your part - and
understandably so, but this bar is a remedy for a problem that doesn't show
up on too many of our cars.  BUT, with more and more people upping their
horsepower in their Sciroccos recently, I bet you'll be getting some more
interest soon.  Why not make a small run of 10 or so bars to keep on hand.
Enough of us know about your bar that listers/vortexers will refer people
with questions of stress cracks to you in the future...  It probably won't
make you a bunch of cash, but some extra money here and there is always
nice!

Mark
80 S
81 S



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