DarkJFMan

Eventually I'll be getting a whole lowering spring set, but for now I'm looking into strut tower brace.

I'm not well informed about them, I was looking at one from latemodelrestoration.

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/LRS-16200F

They do have some that don't fit with the stock the cover, but I didn't see anything on this one saying that.

Is that any good? Because I do see other ones $150+ like steeda's. Steeda is defenitely reliable brand, just curious about the one I just posted.

hammeron

that's a nice piece imo and a painless
price. for $85 total, how can you go wrong.

Legion5

You do realize that a strut tower brace actually has about the same effect on your handling as a rear view mirror brace right?

A racer on the forum called any results of strut tower brace a placebo effect.

A top racing oriented manufacture for parts for the Mustang said that they ONLY make strut tower braces for profit.

The unquestionably most advanced suspension manufacturer for the mustang Griggs which has created the most extensive suspension overhaul for the mustang by far does NOT even use a strut brace on their cars.

An professional automotive engineer, Norm Peterson, has said that the strut tower brace on the mustang would most likley only be able to reduce ambient noise or vibration in the car (by changing it's resonant frequency) not improve your handling.

The engineers, manufacturers, racers, and salesmen in the above examples ALL independently agree that strut tower braces are worthless on the Mustang.

Now if you want the nicest looking strut brace, I'd go with the optional silver 2010 one, for $120 p/n AR3Z16A200A, if you want the cheapest one just to have something there(as they all add no benefit) the Granatelli one is on clearance for something like $35 if you call them.

DarkJFMan

No I did not know that, thanks for the info.

ODDYSEY

But they look cool, and that is why I want one

Tylus

look into the FRPP one. I love how mine looks...and that it came stock.

3rdtry

Oh come on. We all know Norm Peterson is just that guy who sits at the end of the bar in "Cheers", what does he know. Should've asked Cliff Claven. You may never get a consensus on whether or not strut tower braces really improve handling, many sources claim they do. One thing that tends to make me believe that they do provide some benefit is the fact that they are almost always present on the convertible models. When asked about suspension modifications, Larry Nissen (a BMW Tech) said. "I would start with a good strut brace, it may help the handling a little now but where you will get your money back is three years down the road when your car is still as tight as it is now". A strut bar, strut brace, or strut tower brace (STB) is a mostly aftermarket car suspension accessory usually used in conjunction with MacPherson struts on monocoque or unibody chassis to provide extra stiffness between the strut towers.


With a MacPherson strut suspension system where the spring and shock absorber are combined in the one suspension unit, the entire vertical suspension load is transmitted to the top of the vehicle's strut tower, unlike a double wishbone suspension where the spring and shock absorber may share the load separately. In general terms, a strut tower in a monocoque chassis is a reinforced portion of the inner wheel well and is not necessarily directly connected to the main chassis rails. For this reason there is inherent flex within the strut towers relative to the chassis rails.

A strut bar is designed to reduce this strut tower flex by tying two parallel strut towers together. This transmits the load of each strut tower during cornering via tension and compression of the strut bar which shares the load between both towers and reduces chassis flex.

mapitts

^^Well said. 3 fixed points instead of 4 means that something is going to move. The top will flex. That is why a van trailer has a top in it.