Installing strut tower brace

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Installing strut tower brace

September 05, 2012, 08:27:09 PM

I have a strut tower brace I am planning on installing but do have an issue with the instructions that came with it. While the directions say to jack up the car and put the front end on stands, they don't say where to place the stands. Shouldn't this be important since it will have (at least from what I am thinking) a great deal of influence on where and how much flex the brace will be loaded for? Any advice on where I should place the jack stands when set my pilot holes and install the brace?

Installing strut tower brace

Reply #1 – September 05, 2012, 08:36:37 PM

I think your just taking the weight off the wheels

Installing strut tower brace

Reply #2 – September 06, 2012, 12:08:27 AM

When I put my Maximum Motorsports strut tower bar in I just put the stands under the frame rails. It worked fine.

Installing strut tower brace

Reply #3 – September 06, 2012, 09:12:05 AM

Why does the car need raised, to put on a strut tower brace?

Installing strut tower brace

Reply #4 – September 06, 2012, 02:37:24 PM

Its easier to get to the bolts that mount it to the strut towers. Install the brace and mark where you have to drill the new holes on the strut towers with the car on the ground. Remove the brace, drill the holes, and then install it however you can access the bolts.

Darren

Installing strut tower brace

Reply #5 – September 06, 2012, 08:44:00 PM

I thought it had to be raised to take any load off the tower braces and installed in that manner to allow the brace to take the brunt of any load when the car is on the ground. I realize the primary purpose of the brace is to provide support when cornering for the unibody foxbody but I thought this was best accomplished by installing it when the load of the car is not resting on the front wheels. If this isn't the case, does anybody think installing it this way would cause any advantage/disadvantage? It sounds like the instruction to jack up the car is purely a suggestion and is not required to fulfill the purpose of the brace. It sounds like I might have some freedom to experiment with location of jacks when installing the brace. Any recommendations/suggestions/experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Installing strut tower brace

Reply #6 – September 06, 2012, 10:59:12 PM

Might be over thinking this one!

I've installed a couple and reinstalled them a bunch of times after R&Ring the engine. Never paid a lick of attention to where I jacked the car up. As Darren explained: Raising the car allows the suspension to extend, providing access to the upper area of the strut tower, so you can get to the bolts.

Once the holes are drilled, You'll want to get all bolts started and gradually tighten them down. It's likely you'll find the brace gets tweaked or "torqued" as they are tightened. Both the one's I installed were not a perfect fit, but were a great addition to stiffen the car.

Installing strut tower brace

Reply #7 – September 07, 2012, 06:40:00 AM

Okay, cool. Thanks.

Installing strut tower brace

Reply #8 – September 07, 2012, 07:41:39 AM

The main purpose of the strut tower brace is to keep the strut towers from deflecting in hard corning so that your alignment stays were you set it so the car is more predictable in the turns. It will provide some additional chassis stiffening but that is not the primary function.

Read what MM has to say about it http://www.maximummotorsports.com/store/index.php?main_page=tech_chass_stiff_stb

Darren