Strut tower brace: MM or Steeda?

HoustonGT · Mar 15, 2007

If it makes any difference, i took off my STB about a month or so ago so i could install my JLT CAI and felt absolutely no difference under hard braking or cornering. Its sitting in my garage if anyone wants it for 50 bucks.

BlueRuckus · Mar 15, 2007

I have the Steeda 3 point STB. I felt the difference right away but only on tight turns. It did not affect the handling on long hard curves.

My $.02

propellerhead · Mar 15, 2007

tomustang said:
because the main factor of a STB is that it puts more weight up top and to the front

Really? I would think keeping the struts true to the pavement would be a bigger gain than a few pounds. Besides, those pounds mean more to drag racing than autocross.

01Steeda · Mar 15, 2007

will my steeda STB work with a 4V in my car? If not I will have one for sale soon.

propellerhead · Mar 15, 2007

Holy crap! I just read a couple of threads on the strut tower brace. The debates on their worthiness are worse than the X vs H pipe or 3.73 vs 4.10 or any CAI thread. Maybe I'll just buy another gun to add to my collection.

Back2Mustangs · Mar 16, 2007

propellerhead said:
Holy crap! I just read a couple of threads on the strut tower brace. The debates on their worthiness are worse than the X vs H pipe or 3.73 vs 4.10 or any CAI thread. Maybe I'll just buy another gun to add to my collection.

Hahaha, I couldn't have worded it any better. Honestly I think the firearm would be of more value and utility than the STB.

And about the weight issue - Yes horsepower to weight ratio is good for any kind of car, but the key to any well-handling vehicle is balance. Last I heard the SN95's were like 57% Front/43% Rear...? Idealy you want to get as close to 50/50 as you can and then bring the center of gravity (roll center or whatever its called) to the right heighth...if I'm making any sense. Steeda's website explains alot of this stuff in the write-ups of their products. That's what Tom was referring to with the weight of the STB up high and in front.

If you decide to buy a strut tower brace - think long term. i.e.: will it be in the way of any future mods.

Good luck, Prophead

P.S.: I'm finally taking my car in next week for the rest of my stuff to be painted and put on, so if you see a Rio Red 96-98 Cobra with an S281 spoiler, SVO side exhaust, dropped on deep-dish Anthracite FR500's driving around DFW, wave frantically so I know its you. And if you know any of those misfits on dfwstangs.net with a set of Non-PI heads, tell 'em I'm looking for a good set, please?

propellerhead · Mar 16, 2007

The weight argument blows my mind. We're talking a few pounds. Your CG changes more from the fuel sloshing around the fuel tank. It's like the CAI debate. A degree or two cooler if you suck air in from the fender. Woooooo! The ambient air temp changes by 10-20 degrees throughout the day and we're worrying about a couple of degrees?!

I'm not worried about a few pounds. I never weighed the CAI that I installed to see if it was heavier than the stock bucket. I never weighted the Accufab tb/plenum to see if that added weight. Neither did I worry about the few pounds added by the linelock or the transmission cooler. All those mods had a bigger gain at the cost of a few pounds.

I still plan to rig up a stick to measure the flex.

rpburnette · Mar 16, 2007

Someone please correct me, but I thought you were suppose to have a STB if you were using coilovers. The theory being that the stock suspension setup (no coilovers) didn't need a STB b/c the strut towers were strong enough, but the coilovers put more load directly on the strut tower brace therefore requiring more support. I have MM's coilover all the way around and I am running a very still spring. So is my STB doing nothing or does it help?

Thanks

LI98GTStang · Mar 16, 2007

Interesting that Ford just put back the STB in the Shelby GT500. If they did no good, why would Ford put them back on?

These Steeda Chrome moly ones are really light and only a few lbs tops, not like the stock ones in the 96/97s from Ford that are heavy monsters. So if your comparing those two, there is a big difference. They are also not much money at all, so to me there is more to gain than loose here. Why do the naysayers care so much?

propellerhead · Mar 16, 2007

LI98GTStang said:
Why do the naysayers care so much?

I don't know. I was given a link to a thread on another board and it was just a bunch of vags arguing who is more credible.

tomustang · Mar 16, 2007

LI98GTStang said:
Interesting that Ford just put back the STB in the Shelby GT500. If they did no good, why would Ford put them back on?

This is ford you are talking about... the same one who put a live axle in their king of the road car

rpburnette said:
Someone please correct me, but I thought you were suppose to have a STB if you were using coilovers.

suppose? not really, if you had to have one, there would be more companys out there trying to sell you rear shock braces too

the big 3 suspension companys have 3 inputs that are all different

MM - It has a noticeable steering response in hard turns

Griggs - they don't sell them, they found enough evidence to not need them

Evolution - has a spider brace designed to buckle the top of the strut towers and the bottom radiator support

LI98GTStang · Mar 16, 2007

tomustang said:
This is ford you are talking about... the same one who put a live axle in their king of the road car

Yes. The same one that gave a proven and strong rear end that can handle the power, which Ford customers were asking for. I guess they were watching all the trouble the 03/04 cobra guys were having twisting axles and installing braces on their IRSs at 100hp less than the current shelby was rated for.

squares98 · Mar 16, 2007

I hate mine. It's extra weight and if itwereeasy to take off it would already be gone. It makes working on the car a pita, its best use is a handle to hhold onto while cleaning the back of the engine. Total placebo effect with a stb.

tomustang · Mar 16, 2007

LI98GTStang said:
Yes. The same one that gave a proven and strong rear end that can handle the power, which Ford customers were asking for. I guess they were watching all the trouble the 03/04 cobra guys were having twisting axles and installing braces on their IRSs at 100hp less than the current shelby was rated for.

That day was dead since thai tang entered the mustang realm, he made the mustang a "handling" car, not a drag racer anymore, he said it is aimed at cars like the M3. As far as ford is concerned they don't care what us want, they do whatever is cheaper to build a car, and the main reason why they built the GT500 with a Live rear is because the IRS cost too much, and their excuse is that it weighs too much

01Steeda · Mar 16, 2007

tomustang said:
As far as ford is concerned they don't care what us want, they do whatever is cheaper to build a car, and the main reason why they built the GT500 with a Live rear is because the IRS cost too much, and their excuse is that it weighs too much

ok so with that theory if the STB had no function why in the hell would they put it on the car?

propellerhead · Mar 16, 2007

Anti-lock brakes and traction control became an option in 04. It was standard on prior years. Does that mean Ford concluded we don't need ABS/TC? Just because Ford removed it doesn't mean it wasn't necessary. It was primarily a business decision.

tomustang · Mar 16, 2007

01Steeda said:
ok so with that theory if the STB had no function why in the hell would they put it on the car?

propellerhead said:
Anti-lock brakes and traction control became an option in 04. It was standard on prior years. Does that mean Ford concluded we don't need ABS/TC? Just because Ford removed it doesn't mean it wasn't necessary. It was primarily a business decision.

Some of the Ford engineers claimed it didn't need to be on the mustang so they ceased using it in 98

Your strut towers are strong enough, you don't need one, It would be a waste and a pain to work on your engine since you'd have to remove it every time you had to work under your hood. It's up to you if you want to buy it, hell if I was still in Pa I'd send my MM STB free, plus shipping because it's taking up space at the house

Strut tower brace: MM or Steeda?

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