Strut tower(brace)

[slEEpy_aL]

Which one do you guys recommend for under dollars? Should I do both the front and back or just the front? For those who have a strut tower, how much performance do you gain and is it significant? I know there are some noname ones and megan racing ones on ebay but I would want some input on the gains.



i have a feeling that this one should be good because of the $53.99 price tag:

[vitaminaccrd]

The second one since the first one look pretty much like a regular ebay.

[bigbadnothing85]

ew.. the bottom one looks to be poop.... the way that rectangular bar sits.... it will just flex, meaning it's a shiny piece of crap... tower bars stiffin your body while cornering, eliminating alot of bodyroll... i wouldn't trust that under my hood... find a beefy one

[eazyduzit509]

I got a used one from a big junkyard up near my place. Have had it on for a few months but never really noticed any difference, mabey less body roll in the corners.

[99EJ6T]

the bar only comes into play while doing side to side elevation changes under load.

is there a race track that you need to travel when going to work?

if not, i would just save the money for parts that actually work for your suspension under normal use.

[jhoff]

i have one like the first one, works great

[slEEpy_aL]

the bar only comes into play while doing side to side elevation changes under load.

is there a race track that you need to travel when going to work?

if not, i would just save the money for parts that actually work for your suspension under normal use.

So towers benefit the most in aggressive driving conditions? ie: I do have parts that are for normal use like the gr-2's but I wanna get a lowering spring/strut tower combo. Also, I'm only 16 so I dont have time to track the car because I'm in school for about 50% of the time.

[slEEpy_aL]

i have one like the first one, works great

but just wondering how you polished your valve cover. by hand?? regular sandpaper? and how high did you go for the grit #?

[rexload]

For those who have a strut tower, how much performance do you gain and is it significant? I know there are some noname ones and megan racing ones on ebay but I would want some input on the gains

you will not notice anything with those bars, they are more for looks.
get the esp bars
or if you are cheap and can weld, make one yourself

[johnl]

All three of those tower braces are bling, and not nearly rigid enough to actually work. There are a lot of 'bling' tower braces out there, and a lot of people use them. These are often the same people who categorically state that tower braces don't do much...

Only the top brace appears to have a tube that looks like it may be sufficiently rigid (i.e. least likely to flex under compressive load, at least if it were steel and not aluminium), the other two having tubes that are not round in section. The bottom pictured brace is probably the worst because the tube has the 'flattest' cross section and will not be very stiff in compression (judging from appearances...).

All three have insufficiently rigid brackets (the bits that attach directly to the tower tops), they are not only made from metal that is just too thin (3mm / 1/8"?), the design (shape) of the brackets is also not very well thought out (for stiffness). These brackets (including the crescent or ring shaped bases) need to be made from at least 1/4" plate with loads fed into as much of the base ring as possible (not merely into localised sections of the base ring).

Well designed tower braces do work, but not by reducing roll motion as such. They work by increasing the torsional stiffness of the chassis which sharpens up steering and handling response as a result of more 'defined' weight transfers. This may or may not significantly affect understeer / oversteer characteristics, but should at least make the car feel more responsive.

Maximising chassis stiffness is always a good thing, but a lot of people don't really believe it because considering how much the suspension moves it's hard to understand how a degree or so of chassis twist (or lack thereof...) can have much affect on handling, but it does...

I have very rigid home made front and rear tower braces, and I certainly notice the difference if I have them removed for any reason...

[9threeEX]

X2 - these 2 shown are purely foor looks - neither will be rigid enough to do much.
As mentioned above a good set of braces will make the chassis more "rigid" and the handling will be better assuming all the other parts in play are also intended to improve handling.

[slEEpy_aL]

All three of those tower braces are bling, and not nearly rigid enough to actually work. There are a lot of 'bling' tower braces out there, and a lot of people use them. These are often the same people who categorically state that tower braces don't do much...

Only the top brace appears to have a tube that looks like it may be sufficiently rigid (i.e. least likely to flex under compressive load, at least if it were steel and not aluminium), the other two having tubes that are not round in section. The bottom pictured brace is probably the worst because the tube has the 'flattest' cross section and will not be very stiff in compression (judging from appearances...).

All three have insufficiently rigid brackets (the bits that attach directly to the tower tops), they are not only made from metal that is just too thin (3mm / 1/8"?), the design (shape) of the brackets is also not very well thought out (for stiffness). These brackets (including the crescent or ring shaped bases) need to be made from at least 1/4" plate with loads fed into as much of the base ring as possible (not merely into localised sections of the base ring).

Well designed tower braces do work, but not by reducing roll motion as such. They work by increasing the torsional stiffness of the chassis which sharpens up steering and handling response as a result of more 'defined' weight transfers. This may or may not significantly affect understeer / oversteer characteristics, but should at least make the car feel more responsive.

Maximising chassis stiffness is always a good thing, but a lot of people don't really believe it because considering how much the suspension moves it's hard to understand how a degree or so of chassis twist (or lack thereof...) can have much affect on handling, but it does...

I have very rigid home made front and rear tower braces, and I certainly notice the difference if I have them removed for any reason...

pics please