What does a Strut Tower Brace do to my car? Do you recomend it?

 

It improves the handling of the car. It only helps (from what I understand) when you are racing (taking corners fast).

 

It stiffens the connection between the 2 front tower struts and is supposed to keep the car from twisting or bending when taking hard turns I believe. I cant recommend one because I dont have one but some people on here say they help, others say they dont. I personally want one for the look and then any added stiffness in the suspension is just a bonus to me. I plan to go with the BMR one because it seems to be the only one that clears the plenum covers.

 

bl1nkage nailed it. By tieing the upper portion of the two front strut towers together you are adding stiffness to the front suspension so that it doesn't dive in to corners. It also aids in body flex.

For 99.9% of the people out there buying them, they are purely cosmetic. Actually, in my opinion, about 99.9% of the strut tower braces on the market are cosmetic. I think BMR is the only one for the S197s that actually ties the strut towers together and also ties them in to the firewall. Only way you will benefit from it is if you do road racing. If not, then unless you just dig the look they are useless. You won't notice it in daily driving.

 

The Steeda Billett one clears the plenum cover, but that is $300+ I know, I have one.

 

Strange products has a very nice one. But being that I think that it is more of a track thing. There are other things I would spend the 200 bucks on right now.

 

I have the FRPP brace and it fit perfectly with no clearance issues. (A Saleen s/c is on its way, however, so the brace may be in the classifieds soon!)

If you are serious about getting a brace I would read through old posts here and elsewhere, as some brands seem to consistently clear/not clear, or poke a corner of the hood up a little. Whatever benefit you gain from a brace is not worth a tweaked hood or other fitment issue, IMHO.

 

I wouldn't count on seeing any noticable handeling increase with the just the strut tower brace, but they sure do look cool.

 

Bingo. The S197 chassis is extremely stiff. There isn't a need for a strut tower brace, even if you are a serious road racer or autocrosser. Note that the real Ford FR500 cars don't have strut tower braces.

I would consider them primarily a cosmetic mod. As others have said, they do give you that "race" look.

I have handled several of them, and IMHO the BMR one is by far the sturdiest; if you are looking for a slight handling edge, that's the one that I would get.