ULTRA RACING 2-point C-pillar brace for Smart Forfour Hardttop

The C-pillar brace mounts inside the car between the left and right C-pillars and stiffens the rear of the body, which hatchbacks and coupés weaken with their large tailgate opening.

Fast cornering, hard braking and hard acceleration move the weight of the car around and twist the body – in a corner one side can carry up to three times the force of the other. A twisting body changes the suspension geometry, the tyres lose grip and the car starts to understeer or oversteer. ULTRA RACING braces stiffen the body exactly where it twists most.

• Vehicle: Smart Forfour Hardttop
• Mounting points: 2
• Material: steel – tubes with 1.2–1.6 mm wall, brackets from 4–5 mm steel plate

Before series production the manufacturer tests every design on three jigs – compression, torsion and flex – and then on track. The braces are designed to hold the geometry in road and track use but to crumple in an impact.