You apparently missed the point completely. There are plenty of people including me that do believe it helps tie the front together and keep the suspension geometry rigid. I was just humoring your argument in which you said it's useless.

If it increases the feel in turns or makes my car more consistent, then that is all the data I need. I certainly won't remove it because a guy that bought it to lean on says that's the only thing it's good for.

My point is that it is added insurance, and within reality is something that I decided was worth the added 5lb of weight for that benefit. It seems to work for a good deal of people, including me, and though I have no objective data (read thousands of unwanted dollars and time), you also have none to disprove it, nor do you seem to have any other way to dismiss it as snake oil.

So like I said you can continue your argument and call people stupid in all the nice ways you can think of, but I do believe this is a thread based on opinion, so I think we can agree to disagree and you can keep your uncle jokes and belittling to yourself if you find that to be a reasonable solution

 

"Believing it helps" isn't exactly objective data, nor is "makes it more consistent". What exactly is it "making more consistent"? Assuming the STB did anything, it would be consistently loose without it in there; adding an STB would simply tighten things up, not make them more consistent. As far as making it "feel tighter", that was the entire point of my post about it being out, and if you didn't know it was out, you wouldn't notice.

I really don't care if you leave it in or out...it doesn't affect me, nor how my car works. There's no "added insurance" to putting a STB in, though, as it doesn't prevent anything, merely (in your mind) changes how the car feels.

Lack of objective data is all I need to dismiss it as a bullshit mod. If someone came in here and said that new spark plug wires made their car run 10s, would you be inclined to believe them without objective proof, or would you be likely to dismiss their claim in its entirety?

I'm not calling you stupid (I'm not subtle, if I wanted to call you stupid, I'd come out and say it), nor have I made any uncle jokes or inferences (and it's pretty obvious you utterly missed the reason mitchntx posted what he did). It seems like you're the one getting pissed because I don't buy off on STBs being effective, just because a couple guys say, "It made my car feel better!", especially in the face of contrary opinion from guys like mitchntx, and that I'm questioning the reasoning behind said claims of a STB being effective, especially given posts touting STBs because of "increased insurance" and "better consistency" when neither have anything whatsoever to do with what, in theory, a STB does.

I wasn't the one who resurrected a 2-week dead thread to make vague inferences that people who don't think STBs work must think 500hp cars do fine on stock suspension.

 

+1 for $750 L98's last post. Someone who has an opinion when he himself admits he has never used a STB on a stock F-Body, or any F-Body for that matter -- what is that worth? Pretty much zip, to me.

 

There is some really good info in this thread. Granted it was all contained within a few posts... didn't really require pages and pages.

It's good that mitchntx had the patience to stay in this thread long enough to respond to the vid about the 5th Gen. And the difference between a strut car and SLA car. The STB topic comes up time and time again and it is pretty much the same every time. Loads of people who bought them and noticed quite a bit of difference in the butt-o-meter on the street, a few people who didn't notice anything on the street, and then guys that track the car and point out that it isn't needed and that the 4th Gen F-car doesn't put a lot of load into the top of the towers like the 3rd gen. Never been a fan of the butt dyno myself, and the butt-lateral-accelerometer isn't that accurate either. I think you should listen to the guys that take the time to prepare these cars for a track.

Ah well, if you have the money and want one, then buy it. They do look cool, I must admit. So do cross drilled brake rotors. Don't have either of those things on my car though...

 

For what it's worth, I'm in the middle of an LT install etc, and got the car all on jackstands, then took the STB off. Let's just say when I loosened the nuts the strut tower droped down a bit. I know, it's not the same as going into a corner etc, but there is flex, and one manufactuer said they did gauge a car up to aquire data to prove there is flex. But if it really doesn't do anything, but look pretty and help hold the car together while on jack stands, so be it. Just wanted to share.

 

Hopefully you're not talking about me, since I do have one on the car, but not for suspension "benefits". Mitch builds tube-chassis race cars...I'll listen to him when it comes to chassis design rather than someone who claims a STB keeps his hood from flexing or that he can "hear" chassis twist.

Strangely enough, for someone as obsessed with having objective data before doing anything, you seem to side with the guys who just think it makes a difference, and can't prove it does.

 

That was my take when I read it.

 

I believe an adjustable brace in which you can pre load tight either pulling in or out makes a bigger difference.

 

Holy dead thread Batman.

STB's are bullshit, the only way I see them working ANY is if they are tied to a third non moving point in the car...IE the cowl. Have you seen the plating in these strut towers? Like a tank.

Yes I have one on my car, and no I felt no difference on street or on track.

They do however nice a nice place to throw a chain over to hold the engine up while dropping the K member.

 

I think they work too, before I had springs/shocks and all my other suspension piece put on, I threw mine on real quick. With nothing else done sitting on crappy shocks, I could feel the front end being more "tightened up". Def helped with flex in the car. I think they make the rest of the suspension parts do their job better imo. I think guys that have new suspension set ups don't / won't "feel the difference" as much as say someone like me who needed a suspension freshening up. Just my .02

 

Thanks for reviving this dead thread. I read the whole thing (except for the lengthy bickering posts) and think I'm going to buy one now. Had no interest and was not in the market for one but hey, 50 bucks and 5 lbs. Cant hurt. Maybe help keep the car together and fight off rattles. Roads are downright fng horrible around here.

 

I've said before that shock tower braces are not needed.. However, the other day I put mine back on after having it off for over a year as my car parts horde lost some turf to Christmas decor and I needed a place for my brace. I put it on and totally forgot about it until I took my camaro out for a grocery store run.
Wow, what a difference.
The front end tracked a lot better and weight transfer on turns felt solid again - more precise I guess. A certain wobble was gone.
I understand why a shock tower brace is not needed on our cars and more suited for cars with struts. I am not sure why they make a difference on a 4th gen fbody. Maybe it's a convertible thing because all the convertible guys seem to use them.

 

I used to have the 3 point Edelbrock brace, then I went to a 2 point BMR version, now this......**** Im going the wrong direction