Anyone have a upper strut tower brace? A friend of mine was telling me he got one in his Mustang and it's a night and day difference in handling and he also says that taking turns the car feels sharper and more planted.

Can a simple bar do all this? I have seen videos online of people claiming the same thing and I don't see any downside aside from money wasted into something I don't need. How well suited are these for city driving?

I found some on ebay low as 70 bucks from Megan Racing which my friend also says is a good brand. Anyone have one?

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sus...l#post10187305

 

Thanks. I'll check that out.

 

When someone says "planted' I think he likely means the suspension remains dynamically loaded and planted to the track (pavement) without spinning-out.

When a race car goes from traveling straight and goes into a turn (curve) the suspension loads, and it is very important that this loading remains that - loaded...or planted. Similarly, when a race car is being pushed to its limits and coming out of a turn (curve) the driver must retain his car's loaded suspension by increasingly applying engine torque (aka - throttle) near the apex as he exits the turn. If the car's suspension is loaded, and then becomes unloaded (not planted), it upsets the dynamics of the suspension and this will cause the car to spin-out if the car is being pushed near its limits.

You can probably imagine what would happen to a vehicle if it was constantly traveling in a circle near its limit (which of course will have its suspension dynamically loaded/planted) and suddenly the driver lifted off the throttle or applied a tiny bit of brake - the suspension would unload and cause the car to spin. When you see a race car driver lift or apply brake in a turn (corner) due to an accident ahead it will often cause him to spin-out...his best strategy is to retain his loaded suspension until he comes partially out of the apex where unloading the suspension will not upset the suspension so much that he spins. Depending on the race track and the car's suspension setup, brake setup, gearing setup and engine torque/horsepower the driver can also control how his race car performs by applying engine torque (aka throttle) and applying braking at the same time to retain his car's loaded suspension and keep it planted so it doesn't spin.

 

BCLexus gave a much more detailed answer. The short is that in the corners the car feels stable and hugs the road.

 

What a lot of people don't realize is that softer springs (not firmer springs) will allow a car to handle better on almost all the roads we drive on.

For a car to handle its best it is paramount that the tires contact the pavement as much as possible to increase the friction necessary. This tire-pavement contact is the only thing that keeps the car traveling in the direction we want and...from spinning out. Stiff springs do not allow the tires to contact the pavement as well as softer springs unless the pavement is very smooth, and has no bumps, dips or depressions. Car enthusiasts change their springs primarily to lower their car, but they mistakenly are [often] of the opinion that going with stiffer springs will enhance the handling of their car. This is an erroneous conclusion...

 

Max pavement can be achieved using sway bars... unfortunately I cannot seem to find them for the L10 AWD body, they only exist for the RWD.

 

Not Really, I have replaced sways bars on BMW 530 and (even on Volvo240).Both are RWD cars and I replaced both the front and back sways .

BMW non sport 530 comes with softer springs in comparison to sports package,
Thicker Sway bars change the spring rate and they also link left and right tires so there is tendency to lift inner wheel in the turns (it is also loaded less)
This is immediately apparent on RWD cars especially on slick roads. Tendency to fish tail increases even when you have matching front and rear sway bars.

I will trade body roll stiffness and suspension stiffness any day with the desire to keep the tires planted

In case of newer stiffer vehicles, upper strut braces are just for show, I had made them and put them on Volvo240. No difference what so ever. In theory they should resist pulling apart of top of strut towers. You can use any steel pipe which works ,. It should be tied to strut bolts

 

I have recently installed both strut tower brace and underbody brace made by Tanabe. I did the strut tower brace first and didn't notice much difference. The underbody brace made some difference though.

On my previous car (2016 Mustang GT), the underbody brace had a significant positive impact. But it's a different car with different suspension geometry. I think stiff body is almost always better as it allows the suspension to travel instead of body flex.

 

HERE is an interesting article that explains why stiff suspensions have less grip - and why you really shouldn't want stiffer springs than what the car-maker thinks is best for the car.

Also, the video below is spot-on about how springs work to keep (or not keep) the tires in contact with the road for better handling.

 

Do you want your car to handle better on the road? Coil-overs with soft springs, not stiff springs...along with strut tower bracing and firm suspension bushings - and anything to tighten-up the chassis...

Can you see the 'give' from the springs in Ken Block's Mustang (below)? They are not rock hard stiff by any means...


Enjoy Ken Block's run through Los Angeles!

You Tube