Strut Tower Brace
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
TECH Resident
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 782
Likes: 0
From: North Las Vegas, NV
Nope. Keeping mine. Helped get rid of the cowl shake caused by transitions out here. I never realized the roads were that bad until after the brace was installed and the shaking was reduced dramatically.
Staging Lane
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 93
Likes: 1
From: Destin, Florida
Yes they make a difference. If it's for normal driving you will not notice sh**, your not exerting enough of an angular force of inertia to notice a difference during normal driving. Strut tower braces are race-proven. We test ours using an software that measures AFI and G's during harsh turning, ours are hydraulically actuated but work just the same as any other STB.
-Palm Beach Ferrari 526 Technician-
-Palm Beach Ferrari 526 Technician-
Yes they make a difference. If it's for normal driving you will not notice sh**, your not exerting enough of an angular force of inertia to notice a difference during normal driving. Strut tower braces are race-proven. We test ours using an software that measures AFI and G's during harsh turning, ours are hydraulically actuated but work just the same as any other STB.
-Palm Beach Ferrari 526 Technician-
-Palm Beach Ferrari 526 Technician-
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,798
Likes: 16
From: St.Charles MO
Yes they make a difference. If it's for normal driving you will not notice sh**, your not exerting enough of an angular force of inertia to notice a difference during normal driving. Strut tower braces are race-proven. We test ours using an software that measures AFI and G's during harsh turning, ours are hydraulically actuated but work just the same as any other STB.
-Palm Beach Ferrari 526 Technician-
-Palm Beach Ferrari 526 Technician-
STBs make a difference on cars that have struts, 4th gens do not have struts...
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lol 
Nice attitude!
We get this question alot, and honestly there is no simple answer so here is the simplest form of it I can give:
Will a STB improve my car's handling? Yes. It may not be enough to be able to tell from the driver's seat, or be able to take corners faster than before just from the addition of one. HOWEVER, when combined with other parts such as k-member, subframe connectors, etc they really improve structural rigidity and overall feel. Adding a STB alon will reduce deflection between the strut towers which can cause minor alignment changes during cornering, but mostly reduce fatigue on the chassis from flex
Will I feel a difference from putting a STB on my car? No. From the driver's seat you most likely will not feel a difference from adding it. This does not mean it is not doing its job
The most vivid example we have seen of how fragile the front of these cars actually are, is hen we get calls regarding a strut tower brace not fitting properly. Some people report the holes being out by 1/8"-1/4" or more out. They blame our brace, but our braces are built by the hundreds on a jig, and only hear an issue out of 1 in 100 or so. If the issue was in the brace, we would hear alot more issues from people with fitment issues. The few that we do hear issues reported on, every time the car has been involved in an accident. Some very minor, some even in a completely different part of the car. But it shows how the chassis can flex in ways you never notice, until it is compared to a fixed measurement of where it should me. Bear in mind, these cars are basically just sheetmetal spot welded together. Anything you can add to increase rigidity would be a benefit
Will a STB improve my car's handling? Yes. It may not be enough to be able to tell from the driver's seat, or be able to take corners faster than before just from the addition of one. HOWEVER, when combined with other parts such as k-member, subframe connectors, etc they really improve structural rigidity and overall feel. Adding a STB alon will reduce deflection between the strut towers which can cause minor alignment changes during cornering, but mostly reduce fatigue on the chassis from flex
Will I feel a difference from putting a STB on my car? No. From the driver's seat you most likely will not feel a difference from adding it. This does not mean it is not doing its job
The most vivid example we have seen of how fragile the front of these cars actually are, is hen we get calls regarding a strut tower brace not fitting properly. Some people report the holes being out by 1/8"-1/4" or more out. They blame our brace, but our braces are built by the hundreds on a jig, and only hear an issue out of 1 in 100 or so. If the issue was in the brace, we would hear alot more issues from people with fitment issues. The few that we do hear issues reported on, every time the car has been involved in an accident. Some very minor, some even in a completely different part of the car. But it shows how the chassis can flex in ways you never notice, until it is compared to a fixed measurement of where it should me. Bear in mind, these cars are basically just sheetmetal spot welded together. Anything you can add to increase rigidity would be a benefit
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,407
Likes: 63
From: Knappa, Oregon
I think that part of the answer depends upon what type of roads you normally drive on. Where I live it is almost all curvy 2 lane roads, and I am talking about the main highway, not the back roads. Very little freeway driving. And the car isn't a weekend warrior, it is the car I drive everywhere, every day.
I put a BMR brace on several years ago. A simple one tube design. And it may be part my imagination, or wishful thinking, but the car seemed to feel tighter and more 'assured' for lack of a better word. And I am happy with that little extra bit of firmness. Plus it looks cool.
I put a BMR brace on several years ago. A simple one tube design. And it may be part my imagination, or wishful thinking, but the car seemed to feel tighter and more 'assured' for lack of a better word. And I am happy with that little extra bit of firmness. Plus it looks cool.
A good test would be to create some sort of "sliding link" test STB. Have one side of the link be thicker than the other. Attach a ziptie to the smaller side. Take the car to a driving event and observe the distance that the ziptie moved.
Someone who's good with numbers could come up with some equation that translates the distance of the tower brace to the camber angle lost.
Someone who's good with numbers could come up with some equation that translates the distance of the tower brace to the camber angle lost.
A good test would be to create some sort of "sliding link" test STB. Have one side of the link be thicker than the other. Attach a ziptie to the smaller side. Take the car to a driving event and observe the distance that the ziptie moved.
Someone who's good with numbers could come up with some equation that translates the distance of the tower brace to the camber angle lost.
Someone who's good with numbers could come up with some equation that translates the distance of the tower brace to the camber angle lost.
Staging Lane
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 93
Likes: 1
From: Destin, Florida
I don't care what thread you read honestly, I have equipment that
cost more than a ZR1 that says angular inertia in planar movement
changes with acceleration. Ferrari used the same suspension design
that our 4th Gens have.......j/s. At my shop our chassis ear uses a mercury switch that shows moment of intertia THROUGHOUT the entire suspension system, if you are on the track and accelerating through turns harshly a STB makes a difference.....period. I didn't get into Ferrari by trusting everything I heard on a forum, I went to school. For those who are looking to get a STB for your 4th Gen and plan on road racing, look at BMR, UMI, Hotchkis, their techs know their **** and make quality components that last. Me personally, BMR is the way to go. Happy bidding =)
Staging Lane
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 93
Likes: 1
From: Destin, Florida
We get this question alot, and honestly there is no simple answer so here is the simplest form of it I can give:
Will a STB improve my car's handling? Yes. It may not be enough to be able to tell from the driver's seat, or be able to take corners faster than before just from the addition of one. HOWEVER, when combined with other parts such as k-member, subframe connectors, etc they really improve structural rigidity and overall feel. Adding a STB alon will reduce deflection between the strut towers which can cause minor alignment changes during cornering, but mostly reduce fatigue on the chassis from flex
Will I feel a difference from putting a STB on my car? No. From the driver's seat you most likely will not feel a difference from adding it. This does not mean it is not doing its job
The most vivid example we have seen of how fragile the front of these cars actually are, is hen we get calls regarding a strut tower brace not fitting properly. Some people report the holes being out by 1/8"-1/4" or more out. They blame our brace, but our braces are built by the hundreds on a jig, and only hear an issue out of 1 in 100 or so. If the issue was in the brace, we would hear alot more issues from people with fitment issues. The few that we do hear issues reported on, every time the car has been involved in an accident. Some very minor, some even in a completely different part of the car. But it shows how the chassis can flex in ways you never notice, until it is compared to a fixed measurement of where it should me. Bear in mind, these cars are basically just sheetmetal spot welded together. Anything you can add to increase rigidity would be a benefit
Will a STB improve my car's handling? Yes. It may not be enough to be able to tell from the driver's seat, or be able to take corners faster than before just from the addition of one. HOWEVER, when combined with other parts such as k-member, subframe connectors, etc they really improve structural rigidity and overall feel. Adding a STB alon will reduce deflection between the strut towers which can cause minor alignment changes during cornering, but mostly reduce fatigue on the chassis from flex
Will I feel a difference from putting a STB on my car? No. From the driver's seat you most likely will not feel a difference from adding it. This does not mean it is not doing its job
The most vivid example we have seen of how fragile the front of these cars actually are, is hen we get calls regarding a strut tower brace not fitting properly. Some people report the holes being out by 1/8"-1/4" or more out. They blame our brace, but our braces are built by the hundreds on a jig, and only hear an issue out of 1 in 100 or so. If the issue was in the brace, we would hear alot more issues from people with fitment issues. The few that we do hear issues reported on, every time the car has been involved in an accident. Some very minor, some even in a completely different part of the car. But it shows how the chassis can flex in ways you never notice, until it is compared to a fixed measurement of where it should me. Bear in mind, these cars are basically just sheetmetal spot welded together. Anything you can add to increase rigidity would be a benefit
Very well put, this is why I buy **** from you guys and currently run
the BMR brace. Very nicely put Tech2.
This is a good idea. Another good way to get a good visual representation of this would be to put several incrementally spaced lines on the inner bar and place a go-pro style camera in the engine bay facing the the marks and overlapping area. This would let you see in real time how much it flexes in either direction under different loads. Bear in mind this still will only shows lateral flex. This still will not represent torsional or fore and aft flex.
The towers, when weight or force is applied, will tend to flex inward, because the shock/spring assemblies have a natural inward tilt as installed.....
