So, My '2008' arrives in 3 weeks... Strut tower Brace?

Turns out the mustang I ordered will be a 2008- not that that means anything, as 2008 is a carry over year. Perhaps some 'debugging/Fine Tuning' to the components, but nothing different.

So, It looks like I'll have a few hundred after down payment to spare. I'm really anxious to get my hands dirty and start tweaking it, but its going to be awhile before I can afford the Roush full Suspension I want to put in... But, a strut tower brace is not included in the roush suspension kit, and it looks like it would take me all of 30min to 2hrs to put it in.

So I was thinking about ordering a strut tower brace from Steeda and putting it in myself. The questions I have for the community are:

1) Even though this is a straight-up no-jack bolt on a retarded monkey could do- should I have my dealer do it to avoid any warranty bitching?

2) Is it even worth the extra weight/money? IE, will it reduce under-steer or add significant stiffness to the chassis?

3) Am I under-estimating the difficulty in putting it in? Any alignment issues, any problems?

Steeda has a bolt-on rear frame brace, and also a rear strut tower for sale- both of those look within my skill level and also within my budget. So questions 1,2 and 3 apply to those as well. The alternative to either of the tower braces or the frame brace is to just sit pretty and continue saving up fro the Roush stage-2/3 suspension pack- which I will be having the dealer put on to forestall an debates over warranty coverage.

Vin

Coming soon:
'2008' black GT
All the interior upgrades w/beige leather
Shaker 1000
No mods yet, but fingers are already itching.....

Thanks Bigcat. Any Point in looking up the torque specs and using a torque wrench, or just give it a good snug with a quality tool? When I used to work on bikes, I always just snugged non-engine parts by hand and checked back in a few hundred miles to see. Can I get away with such lazyness on modern cars?

Oh- and I tend to drive the hell out of cars, so it will be driven to its limit...

DL

Kooldawg:

Thanks, and yeah- you are right about people-versus-pavement...

Bigcat:

Thanks and I will certainly check that out. I did visit the Strange Development site and noted that their strut tower brace was significantly cheaper (and also that they have a rear tower brace that does not require welding!). I might still go with the Roush unit just because most everything else I am planning will be Roush- mainly because my Dealer is a 'Roush Dealer' and they would have a hard time doing the warranty dance with me if I installed the very parts they are supposed to vend and stand behind. However, at almost half the cost, thats something to think about!

One other (related) question Bigcat: I have not talked to my insurance agent about modification yet- do you (or anyone else, do chime in!) know if insurance companies deny or reduce payouts to 'bolt on' modified cars? I know I won't see the value of my upgrades returned on a total unless I buy 'gap insurance', thats not the question.

Vin