Master cylinder brace review! Better value than MPP?

[buckets0fun]

HPS will catch my business. I’d be willing to bet their owner doesn’t run to his customer database the moment a customer disagrees with any of their public posts, in a private convo.

MPPs owner loves to do it. Then acts like he did nothing wrong violating privacy. Then gets mega sad when their reverse marketing campaign pays off in droves.

Can’t wait to support the first company that spoofs all of the CAN commands and makes a few modules without the magic gatekeeper’s sadness.

 

[tlr1000]

Looks like there's even more choices now for master cylinder braces. Credit to MPP for being first to market with a solution for the Model 3 but also agree with @Black306 that master cylinder braces are not a unique concept/idea. Just like anti sway bars were not a new concept for the Model 3 and there was a 1st manufacturer to bring one to market. All of the braces below look very similar minus the HPS and I would say that the variance in design of anti sway bars is even less. I would definitely say anyone 2nd or later to the market with a Model 3 anti sway bar, or master cylinder brace, or anything else is welcome as it brings competition and therefore encourages both development and pencil sharpening. Last thing any consumer wants is for a single company to have a market cornered for a particular item as the price would be higher than it really should be.

If you give a team on engineers the task of designing a master cylinder brace for the Model 3, it would not be surprising to see some similar designs as there are only so many convenient and sensible places to attach such a brace. Makes sense to have 3 points of attachment and I would guess that many teams would find the same 3 points to use. I applaud anyone being first to the table but at the same time would not disrepute those that come after.

 

[tlr1000]

Interestingly, I found a YT video from 2014 for a brace for a Honda S2000. The design is different for obvious reasons but the idea is the same: CNC'd aluminum in a shape that has some nearby anchor points (in this case the top of the strut tower) and an adjustable stop resting against the master cylinder. They make these kinds of braces for countless cars and for many years before Tesla even existed. The only difference really is the Tesla tax as most of these non-Tesla versions are cheaper.

 

[Sendit1]

I'll just say that I did not notice any difference with a brace on my car, and I track my car. I then went and measured it with a micrometer, and I found that on my car, the brake master cylinder actually pulls away from the brace when you push on the brakes. Which makes some sense when you look at the moments and forces. I even made a video showing it. I'd love to see someone throw a strain gauge on their brace and show the forces it's resisting.

But others seem to love them. They're inexpensive and easy to install.

https://imgur.com/0hdu4wq

Now this is some really useful info.. Thank you for posting that. Good to see you are not a sheep, but able to figure these things out on your own. I for one really appreciate this type of info.

 

[m3p-ev]

I've not been able to find anything about this but would the MPP brace void warranty (related to brakes or the vicinity of the cylinder)?

 

[MountainPass]

We have never heard of this happening and it would be quite the stretch if a Tesla tech tried to argue that it negatively affects the car!

 

[adizon]

Yeah, the first time I heard of Master Cylinder Braces was when I had my 2002 WRX in the early 2000's. The firewall on the little rally rocket at the time was a bit on the flimsy side. Many companies were quick to make MCB's for this newer GD platform, and wow what a difference they made coupled with SS brake lines for brake feel. My previous car Civic Type R didn't have the mushy feel, I thought maybe modern cars solved this issue. I was surprised to feel that the brakes on the M3P fell mushy, but glad the folks in the Tesla community sorted this out.

 

[Lindenwood]

I've not been able to find anything about this but would the MPP brace void warranty (related to brakes or the vicinity of the cylinder)?

Like any other mods, automakers are mostly banking on us not wanting to go through the long, often expensive battle to “prove” that the modifications were not a factor in some failure.

 

[buckets0fun]

Like any other mods, automakers are mostly banking on us not wanting to go through the long, often expensive battle to “prove” that the modifications were not a factor in some failure.

I mean… looking at the firewall when someone pushes the pedal, it flexes IN Aka away from the brace.

 

[DownshiftDre]

Yeah the brace still isn’t perfect. Feels like it just converts the load into a different direction of weakness.

 

[pikeman]

Patents are incredibly expensive and even more expensive to enforce. We have a few patents pending at the moment for some items, but really in our industry, it comes down to community education and support. We're not in an industry where a single idea or product makes tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, so the legal system just isn't a feasible path.

When the community points out copycats and forgeries, that alone helps educate others who might have otherwise purchased a knock-off part having never known it was a copy.

So we're really thankful to everyone who helps point out who the original parties that come up with certain ideas and products, and hopefully that makes most of the difference!

We agree that it would be totally unreasonable to think that there should be no competition. The big problem is when people who are really good at marketing and promotion get more sales of a knocked-off part compared to the original company whose strengths are typically more in product development and design.

Thanks for joining my TED talk.

Patents are no guarantee that you IP won’t be stolen. I work in semiconductor mfg equipment and my company refrains from patent filing because the Chinese are actively mining our patent office for product innovation to steal.

 

[tlr1000]

Patents are no guarantee that you IP won’t be stolen. I work in semiconductor mfg equipment and my company refrains from patent filing because the Chinese are actively mining our patent office for product innovation to steal.

Also, aren't patents only available for "inventions"? For example, aftermarket anti-sway bars have been around for a long time well before Tesla was even a company. I would assume the first company to bring an anti-sway bar kit for a Model 3 would have difficulty getting a patent for the kit. The 2nd, 3rd, and those companies following with their own kits will materialize with demand. Most of course will be looking very similar simply by the necessity of functionality. Should the 1st company complain about these following companies? Do they have any legal right? I am doubtful a master cylinder brace for the Model 3 is patentable.

 

[Sendit1]

In order to be granted a patent, the invention must be novel, non-obvious, and useful

 

[MountainPass]

I already got over the trauma of our first part being knocked off, stop bringing it back up!