strut tower brace
 

hey you guys i was wondering what suspension upgrades to do first?? i have a 98 T/A with bone stock suspension. I want to do a strut tower brace and subframes, but what do you guys think. Also, what brand of strut tower brace should i get and which one?? thanks.

Subframes are a deffinite first mod, period. If you just drive on the street with an occasional trip to the track, any regular weld-in brace will work. If you auto-x a lot, the double-diamond will be best.

Any strut brace will work, just comes down to looks and price. I got a simple black powdercoat SLP brace from Summitracing for $100.

subframes get my vote way before a STB

a large majority here are going to contest that stb doesn't do much and that it's just for show. I bought a BMR used but in perfect condition for like 45 dollars, that's the only reason I bought one.

Subframe connectors are not for most autocrossers since they'll get you thrown out of most competitive classes.

If you want a noticeable difference, shocks and a sway bar are what you want. And if you have the inclination or the cash, springs are good to do at this time.

Just be careful if you plan on autocrossing, subframe connectors bump you up two classes from FS stock class into Street Modified class (sfc's aren't legal for street prepared either). It's a pretty stupid rule and I have a large handicap adjustment going against me in my club I run in because of that.

The strut tower brace doesn't do much for me I don't think. I recommend a 35mm front swaybar before the strut tower brace. You will definitely feel and improvement from that :)

stb = thrown away money.

period

IMHO I would start with shocks. Buy the good ones. I put in Koni adjustables and love them. I then added hotchkis lowering spring, Sam Stanos front 35mm and rear 22mm hollow swaybars with poly end links and a new edlebrock torque arm. It was not cheap but my 98 z28 really handles like a slot car at the local road race track. As the 4th gen chassis is so much stiffer than the 3rd gen the stb is not going to get you too much, but they are cheap :)