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

[TheVin]

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.....

 

[bigcat]

i have the strange development STB, and its a great unit. it is super lightweight because it is aluminum. shipping weight was only 3 lbs.!! it looks great too with its polished finish. check them out at http://www.strangedevelopment.com/

as far as the handling.... you dont really notice a big difference at first. but once you have driven the car with the brace and then take the brace off, you notice a big difference, IMO. i would recommend a strut tower brace to anyone that drives their car like it was supposed to be driven.

the installation is just as simple as removing the nuts, and installing the brace.

 

[TheVin]

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

 

[kooldawg6]

I would use the torque wrench on the STB. My muffler clamps...NOPE!!

I rebuilt my motorcycle about 2 years ago(bent frame). Basicaly did a complete rebuild with a donor frame. I used the torque wrench on just about everything that would turn. Figured if it was me and only 2 wheels beneath me, I was going to do everything by the book. Going down the interstate at 70-80 MPH and have an "uh oh" isn't going to be pretty on a bike.

I too, am one day planning on dropping in the Stage 3 setup as well

 

[bigcat]

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

the torque spec is 26 lb-ft. with the stock strut mounts. i have the J&M mounts, and they recommended 35lb-ft. because they have larger studs than the factory mounts. when i torque the STB, snug with a 3/8" hand ratchet is close to the 26lb-ft. factory racting. usually, i get less than 1/8 rotation before it clicks the torque wrench.

check out the link in my sig on how to install the STB. its the oldest write up i have, so its not laid out quite as well as my others, but i plan on redoing that write up so it flows as well as the rest in the near future. good luck!

 

[TheVin]

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

 

[bigcat]

unless you specify in your policy to cover additional items, only stock replacement parts are usually covered. now, if it was just a set of taillights or something simple like that, they will usually just cover it. if it is a 10,000 custom paint job, you are out of luck unless its in the policy before the incident occured.

 

[NorthwestGT]

+1 on the Strange STB. I've had one for almost a year now. It's well made, inexpensive and very light (but strong). Mine's painted black.

 

[GOLDENPONY]

+1 on the Strange STB. I've had one for almost a year now. It's well made, inexpensive and very light (but strong). Mine's painted black.

+1 on the Strange Dev. STB. I like mine.