Update: Had an issue with my theme earlier. Apparently the permission settings for the stylesheets were screwed up (no idea how that happened). I hope everyone can see the blog now 🙂
So what is a Unibrace? I am sure you might have heard of the brand Ultra Racing especially since locally they have been advertising extremely agressive. Anyway, just like Ultra Racing which sells anti-roll bars as well as many type of other bars (except for chocolate bars), Unibrace is another manufacturer which provides braces for Volkswagen cars.
Bruce Levin, an architect, product designer, and principal of Studiolevin in San Francisco, California, USA, is the designer of UNIbrace products. A long time Volkwagen enthusiast, Bruce has owned two MkII GTI’s, a MkIV GTI 337, and currently drives a MkIV .:R32. UNIbrace was started as an effort to combine the highest quality product design and fabrication, the love of the grassroots VW community, and on and off track spirited driving.
At the moment, there are two braces available for the Volkswagen Golf MkVI, Scirocco and the Golf MkV, the XB rear brace and the UB underbody brace. The XB rear brace is fitted at the boot of the Golf, right behind the back seats while the UB underbody brace, replaces the two stock metal plates as shown below.
Above – XB Rear Brace
See more images of the XB Rear Brace being fitted here.
(Above) The car originally comes with the two metal pieces. Looks rather flimsy and after removing them, they are actually flimsy.
Why I say that these metals look flimsy (I know they are!), look at some of the issues you might encounter with these stock braces.
(Image above obtained from Ryou’s Modshop)
The bars above have already rusted! And this was on a less than a year old VW Scirocco. Imagine the horror especially if you take a corner and these braces break out.
This is where the UB underbody brace comes in. It replaces the stock two metal braces with a single large piece of brace (comes in two colours, red or black). Having a single piece to brace your car is a lot better than having two because you get the forces from the front and the rear to be distributed evenly across through the brace.
Also, red is a totally awesome colour! Didn’t you know that red parts add additional horsepower to the car? Installation is fairly easy, all you need is to jack your car up and then remove the stock bars and then replace it back again with the Unibrace. I understand that for the Scirocco models, you might need a different set of screws for the Unibrace.
The brace comes in at a total weight of around 3kg and what it does do is to help stiffen up your drive especially when taking corners. So for those of you who are looking for braces to replace your Volkswagen’s stock braces, these Unibraces are the right solution for you.
Personally, the Golf Mk6 1.4 TSI cars do come on the softer side compared to its older brother (the GTI) hence having these braces would definitely help improve the handling of your car. Of course the best option would be to use both the cross brace (XB) and the underbody brace (UB) together. Overall, I would recommend this product to those of you who like to take corners at quite fast speeds or if you regularly go for track days.
Also, they are rather rare here in Malaysia but head over to Ryou’s Modshop here (or search for Ryou’s Modshop in Facebook) to order one. The Unibrace FAQ is also available here about ordering and shipping as well as costs.
BTW your blog is completely b0rked for me, no stylesheet or something.
Yeah I am getting input as well that people can't see the stylesheet.
When you talk about cars and accessories, I get a permanent ??? 😛
Is the blog looking ok from your perspective Nick?
Looks alright here 🙂
It's working fine now 🙂
I want to buy a piece, the piece is unibrace to reinforce the chassis of a golf gti v 2.0tfsi as deposit to buy that piece, thanks, +41767097148,my mail is sergiosoeiro355@hotmail.com
Hi, I am sorry but I don't sell these pieces of equipment. I bought it for my own personal use. You can head over here to buy it.  ;http://unibrace.com/frameset.html
Where did you buy this Underbody brace, don mind to share, i am living in KL? Could not access Ryou's Modshop as insturcted.
Hi Vincent, you can also call Exquisite Marques to see if they have any stock left at +603 – 7885 9628. Their location is at Sunway Damansara, the map is available at their website.  ;http://www.exquisitemarques.com/indexm.html
Thanks a lot for your sharing, i will try. I like the idea of protecting the underbody of the car too, of course its a bonus if it adds some stability to car as well. cheers
Hi Mark, i just got my golf tsi recently and interested to get this UB as an option to Ultra Racing braces and ARB, how much does it cost really ?
I wonder whether the ultraracing ARB for Golf 6 will void warranty or not. What is your advice mark ?
Well it depends on which UR ARB that you are getting. The lower brace, front brace, suspension springs etc.etc. In terms of whether it will void your warranty it depends on how your SC views it and your relationship with them. Personally if you want to have better handling, UB will help but the XB (cross brace) helps a lot more.