Strut Tower Braces worth it?
- Thread starter ZZman
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Aren't they for reducing body roll when cornering?
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
Aren't they for reducing body roll when cornering?
Yes they are.
To the OP I have installed one and feel a difference when cornering.
Aren't they for reducing body roll when cornering?
Yes they are.
To the OP I have installed one and feel a difference when cornering.
Yes. I put them on front and rear. And If I didn't care about rear passengers I'd put a C-pillar strut on too.
They tie the cars sides together and prevent flexing. It makes a huge difference.
Car feels more planted and responsive. no "lag" when quick cornering or maneuvering. They do nothing for straight line performance. But eventually you have to turn.
They tie the cars sides together and prevent flexing. It makes a huge difference.
Car feels more planted and responsive. no "lag" when quick cornering or maneuvering. They do nothing for straight line performance. But eventually you have to turn.
They stabilize the strut towers restricting movement in hard cornering. Tieing the towers together with a brace has little advantage unless you are driving the car into turns at its limits. They don't reduce body roll but reduce flex resulting in more consistant alignment geometry in hard cornering.
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
Aren't they for reducing body roll when cornering?
No, not body roll. You might be thinking of sway bars.
Strut tower braces are for reducing chassis flex. Totally different thing. This keeps the handling more predictable and consistent, but it is unrelated to body roll.
EDIT: willix beat me to it.
Aren't they for reducing body roll when cornering?
No, not body roll. You might be thinking of sway bars.
Strut tower braces are for reducing chassis flex. Totally different thing. This keeps the handling more predictable and consistent, but it is unrelated to body roll.
EDIT: willix beat me to it.
Originally Posted By: ZZman
My understanding for convertibles is it helps reduce shake when going over bumps etc....
Sounds very plausible. Some of the shake you get is from the fact that the car's structure isn't as stiff without a roof. Adding a strut tower brace can help that.
Mind you, cross-bracing on the underbody probably would work a lot better. That has to be welded in, though...
My understanding for convertibles is it helps reduce shake when going over bumps etc....
Sounds very plausible. Some of the shake you get is from the fact that the car's structure isn't as stiff without a roof. Adding a strut tower brace can help that.
Mind you, cross-bracing on the underbody probably would work a lot better. That has to be welded in, though...
My Buick came with a strut tower brace from the factory. The steering feels much better in turns with it than without it. Also, whenever it's removed, the car shifts inwards just enough to make getting the STB on again difficult.
Benifits of braces to the structure of a convertible are there but really not enough to justify if you drive lawfully or in a margin of control.
If you execute turns at speeds that regularly get the tire tread howling/squeeling then cross bracing may be for you.
If you execute turns at speeds that regularly get the tire tread howling/squeeling then cross bracing may be for you.
Originally Posted By: willix
Benifits of braces to the structure of a convertible are there but really not enough to justify if you drive lawfully or in a margin of control.
If you execute turns at speeds that regularly get the tire tread howling/squeeling then cross bracing may be for you.
I disagree. It's about ride quality as well as handling. Also, "handling" doesn't mean absolute grip. It also means consistency, controllability, stability on rough surfaces, etc., of which one can never have enough (think panic situations and braking on rough roads).
A chassis can never be too rigid unless making it more rigid makes it too heavy.
Benifits of braces to the structure of a convertible are there but really not enough to justify if you drive lawfully or in a margin of control.
If you execute turns at speeds that regularly get the tire tread howling/squeeling then cross bracing may be for you.
I disagree. It's about ride quality as well as handling. Also, "handling" doesn't mean absolute grip. It also means consistency, controllability, stability on rough surfaces, etc., of which one can never have enough (think panic situations and braking on rough roads).
A chassis can never be too rigid unless making it more rigid makes it too heavy.
This is not an M3, its a mid size compact Chrysler. I paid dearly for this M3 look No brace.
a worthy upgrade for any car lacking rigidity.
Many times you can actually feel a crisper turn in and it is generally an inexpensive mod.
Many times you can actually feel a crisper turn in and it is generally an inexpensive mod.
If you are racing.
Strut tower braces have a dual function [Actually 3, if you count coolness and looks!].
For the umpteen jillion normal bumps a car sees, the tops of the strut towers will migrate IN, and a bar will prevent long term sagging and changes.
For high speed turns, the tops of the towers go OUT, and the brace helps stabilize things.
BTW, don't preload the bar. Set it neutral.
For the umpteen jillion normal bumps a car sees, the tops of the strut towers will migrate IN, and a bar will prevent long term sagging and changes.
For high speed turns, the tops of the towers go OUT, and the brace helps stabilize things.
BTW, don't preload the bar. Set it neutral.
It depends on the car whether the front strut tower brace will do anything. If the upper strut mounts are really close to the firewall it probably won't do much but raise the impression ratio. But if they are further out it makes a difference. The E36 M3 definitely benefits from having one.
The point is its not nessesary to have a the towers braced to handle better than a Vette.
willix, here is the original post:
Originally Posted By: ZZman
I have a 2005 Sebring convertible. I had been reading about front strut tower braces and how good they are for bettering the ride.
Has anyone here installed one and seen the benefits or lack of benefits?
The OP does not care about handling. He asked whether it could improve ride quality in a convertible. Why are you still insisting on talking about cornering?
Originally Posted By: ZZman
I have a 2005 Sebring convertible. I had been reading about front strut tower braces and how good they are for bettering the ride.
Has anyone here installed one and seen the benefits or lack of benefits?
The OP does not care about handling. He asked whether it could improve ride quality in a convertible. Why are you still insisting on talking about cornering?
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