Project Budget Integra - Tech

Home Built Bracing
Several manufacturers offer rear sub-frame reinforcement bars to reduce sub-frame flex on this generation of Hondas. The purpose is to stiffen up the rear subframe so that it doesn't bend and compress under extreme suspension loads and alter the lower control arm pick up geometry. The stock subframe is made of stamped sections of thin gauge steel that spot-welded together. Most of the strength from the thin gauge steel comes from the bends and folds, which is just fine for a street car, but doesn't quite cut it at the track.

There are a lot of bolt-on bracing solutions available including Honda's own Type R solution that bolts underneath the subframe instead of behind it. These bolt-on solutions sometimes run into compatibility issues with other aftermarket parts like in our case. The new Progress rear antiroll bar left little clearance to bolt on just such a brace. So instead, Mark Di Bella took matters into his own hands and fabricated this brace with simple steel brackets and left over heim joints. Steel being much stronger than aluminum would significantly reduce the likelihood of the subframe distorting under load. The adjustable heim joints also let us pre-load the brace in compression while still being easy to install. There's also no flex or slop in the joints. If we wanted to get serious, we would remove the subframe and stitch weld the entire piece.