Sorry for the delayed update! Aside from TB braces, my car has all stock suspension bits.
As previously mentioned, the first round of front braces didn't fit. Upon opening the package, I quickly noticed that the front brace was out of square. I hoped there would be enough wiggle room and tried to install it anyway. No dice. Rather than cancel my order, I opted for a second brace. It arrived a few weeks later. This one looked much more square, but also was slightly out of square (via measuring diagnals). It, too, did not fit. But it was a lot closer! I decided to use my dremmel to oval two of the holes and bring the mounting points into square. I did not need to remove too much material to get the brace to fit.
The torsion bar fit, and was the first bit I installed. This actually worked out well, because it gave me several weeks to drive the car with just the torsion bar. And then later add the front brace, and determine if it made any difference.
The torsion bar did make a noticable difference. In fast corners, the body would start to roll, and at a certain point, I could feel the torsion bar start doing it's thing. It would feel like the outside rear wheel would really cut into the ground and carve out the turn. It certainly helped get the rear end of the car around, but it didn't seem to keep the car very flat. However, the car did feel a bit out of balance - the weight of the front end still seemed to cause body roll, even though the rear wanted to carve turns.
I added the front brace and the "I" brace at the same time. The car is a LOT flatter through turns now! The carving feeling that I was getting out of the rear wheel is now very balanced between front and rear. It feels a lot more connected, and really gives the car a much more confident feeling.
Unrelated to handling, the front brace added some sort of sound deadening to the car. It's hard to explain, but the car sounds/feels like it has more insulation or something. I'm not sure what is causing that, but it's definitely there.
So, do I recommend everyone buy these? Yes, and no.
Without a test car to get a final fitment, there are some clear tolerance issues with the manufacturing of the front brace. There could be inaccuracies in my measuring/drawing that I sent to TB. It was an awkward position to use a tape measure. However, the mounting points on the brace line up with my measurements, and the issues all seem to be related to the brace being out of square. So, I would assume something is going on with the jigging process. Until TB is able to test fit in person, I am not sure if this issue will be resolved. I know fitment on Fiestas is reported to have no issues, and TB had a Fiesta to test fit. So, I think that could be the answer. As it currently sits, anyone with a dremmel can get this to fit with little effort.
I am really happy with the performance of braces. My 2 is a lot flatter around corners and really wants to carve through turns. Driving is definitely more fun. If you are willing to do a bit of work to make it fit, the front brace is an awesome upgrade. If you are unwilling/unable to make the alterations, I suggest you wait for this to be slightly refined. Personally, now that the braces are all installed, I couldn't be happier! They are really sweet.
-Matt
