Suggestion for unibody owners

[Orcus79]

Seeing the number of threads here with tv being or asking id the tv can be a small car I had a thought that will help add longevity to the sub frame and over structure of the car. Get sub-frame connectors installed.

For those that may not know, a unibody has a frame work in the front and back of the car where the heavy stuff is and nothing in the middle. the forces of driving being spread over the passenger compartment with the doors and roof being used as structural members. Sub-frame connectors tie the front a rear of the car together reducing or eliminating the twisting of usually spirited driving.

Adding these would help spread the weight and forces of towing along the vehicle. They are fairly inexpensive, depending on material and so forth ranging from under hundred bucks to about 150 and can be put in with no fabrication usually.

[Mike Magee]

That's a new one on me! I learn something every day. Thanks.

[Orcus79]

Welcome, they are pretty popular in the high performance (tuner) market.

[CallDon]

Originally Posted by Orcus79

Sub-frame connectors tie the front a rear of the car together reducing or eliminating the twisting of usually spirited driving.

Adding these would help spread the weight and forces of towing along the vehicle. They are fairly inexpensive, depending on material and so forth ranging from under hundred bucks to about 150 and can be put in with no fabrication usually.

I'm not sure what these are. But would a regular auto mechanic know what you are talking about??

Thanks,
D*

[honda03842]

I looked up sub frame connectors (sometimes called frame locks) for our Honda CRV and could not find any commercially available though they seem to be available for the Honda's people race. It appears they help suspensions under cornering stress.

A few people on the Honda CRV forum have welded home made frame connectors in to their CRVs.

I agree with the earlier post - something to learn every day.

[Orcus79]

depending on how knowledgable, they should. In short they are a bar the runs from the rear section of body to the front section ties the two subframes together, creating a pseudo full frame.

this is an example of what they are and the options available Hard Top/T-Top : UMI Performance, Inc. this company specializes in the GM line of camaro and firebird, but there are many more companies.

[Orcus79]

Originally Posted by honda03842

I looked up sub frame connectors (sometimes called frame locks) for our Honda CRV and could not find any commercially available though they seem to be available for the Honda's people race. It appears they help suspensions under cornering stress.

A few people on the Honda CRV forum have welded home made frame connectors in to their CRVs.

I agree with the earlier post - something to learn every day.

you will only find them in specialty performance shops, for some of the more popular models, possibly even the manufacturer performance lines. As you can see though they are pretty simple and some one with some fabricating skills could put together a set pretty easy.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by Orcus79

you will only find them in specialty performance shops, for some of the more popular models, possibly even the manufacturer performance lines. As you can see though they are pretty simple and some one with some fabricating skills could put together a set pretty easy.

I did look at performance shops but I guess no one's racing a CRV. I'll crawl under the Honda and learn a little more in the morning.

[Orcus79]

Yea, they don't really fall into the popular tuner market. With out looking I couldn't tell ya where you have to tie into. The basic idea is to tie the front and rear sub-frames together, it's what all the suspension and bumpers mount to. Customers one may be a tad more expensive cause of the man hours if you are not doing it your self.

A honda owners forum, can be, depending on the members, be a very useful source of info. As I am sure you are already aware.

[Hambone]

might want to be careful with these sub frame connectors, would they reduce the crush ability of vehicle if in accident..........just a thought

[honda03842]

A honda owners forum, can be, depending on the members, be a very useful source of info. As I am sure you are already aware.

It's particularly useful for small repairs.

[Greg H]

Just buy a truck. Subframe connectors became popular when Mustang's and Camaro's stopped using full frames, I doubt that you'll find them for any Japanese grocery getters.

[cpaharley2008]

I think you will find sub frame connectors options on some sports cars and other high performance vehicles. When I purchased a performance Mustang on Ebay it had full race subframe connectors, I assume for track racing. Probably not available for Volkswagens or Honda. That is not to say that a frame shop could not fabricate one, BUT, still you are modifying a vehicle that was not manufactured for towing.

[mcbrew]

Actually, they are available for many VWs. I never installed them, myself, but they are available for the A4 Jetta/Golf from their Audi division (Audi installs them on the same chassis for the Audi TT).

On most unibody cars and trucks, these stiffeners are not necessary for towing. The main issue is that the mounting area be strong enough. That's why most trailer hitches mount to the rear frame. Some don't, like the American-made hitches for most VW models. VWs are not made to work with US hitches, unfortunately. Fortunately, my Subaru is. So was my Scion xD. So was my Sprinter Van (yep, unibody... 9,000lb tow rating... my hitch is only rated for 6,000, though).

[Ray N]

I don't want to hijack this excellent thread, but why do you suppose my 2010 Malibu with 253 HP is not rated to tow ANYTHING? (Not that I need it to, with a truck rated at 8200 lbs.) Perhaps it doesn't even have a frame in the rear where a hitch could tie in?

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Ray N

I don't want to hijack this excellent thread, but why do you suppose my 2010 Malibu with 253 HP is not rated to tow ANYTHING? (Not that I need it to, with a truck rated at 8200 lbs.) Perhaps it doesn't even have a frame in the rear where a hitch could tie in?

I think you already knew the answer!

[Ray N]

I'm guessing that it's unibody construction. But don't many vehicles of this type have a tow rating? It just seems strange that there's NO tow rating at all.

[Ray N]

Okay, for the first time I actually just looked under the vehicle and the sheet metal back there does form a type of box shape along the edges, making, I guess, the unibody equivalent to a frame. I also just checked etrailer and they sell a class II hitch for it and say that most models have a towing capacity of 3500 lbs. So, even though the car manufacturer doesn't rate it to tow anything at all, It seems that others think it can - go figure.

[Greg H]

Now who do you believe? The people that built the car or the people that want to sell you a hitch?

[Orcus79]

Always check your manual. There are many reason, usually legal that would keep a company from providing a tow rating.

The biggest reason are, adequacy of the brakes, the transmission and drive line components. risking getting flamed here, but most FWD drive trains are shared across many models and lines with in the same brand, even between engines.

Stresses on the subframes could also be a reason a the built in fail points for collisions. A class 2 is light duty hitch for things like bike racks and cargo carriers.