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To Brace or Not to Brace...

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Old 02-15-2006, 01:01 PM
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Found a GM part # for the OEM strut tower stiffening brace which is supposed to reduce sway in turns and stiffen up the ride and its $40, cheap but its oem equipment so it must get the job done.

I don't need 100,000 lbs tolerance so I dont care what its made of I just want a little less sway in the turns. Anyone have any insight into the unibody strut brace? Any improvement in the ride? Whats the best method of installation?


PS: Plz no domestic jokes I feel bad enough about buying a GM.
Old 02-15-2006, 02:07 PM
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lower the car?
Old 02-15-2006, 04:10 PM
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You talking about strut bars?
If so, yeah the difference is noticeable. I suppose you drive a heavy car, so im unsure if its as noticable as my 240.
I notice not only at cornering, it works great at highway driving too. The ride is far smoother.
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Old 02-15-2006, 05:16 PM
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Anytime you can stiffen up a chassis, espically a uni-body chassis, go for it. For $40 it is a good deal. worst casr secenario is that it might make working on the car a bit harder.
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Old 02-16-2006, 04:15 PM
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Nothing wrong with GM's. I have one also.
$40 is a good price for a strut brace, if it reduces frame flex.
$40 is also a good price for an anti-sway bar!
If you need some help installing, let me know. Glad to help out.-Bob
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Originally Posted by NoTLaDStyle
Found a GM part # for the OEM strut tower stiffening brace which is supposed to reduce sway in turns and stiffen up the ride and its $40, cheap but its oem equipment so it must get the job done.
I don't need 100,000 lbs tolerance so I dont care what its made of I just want a little less sway in the turns. Anyone have any insight into the unibody strut brace? Any improvement in the ride? Whats the best method of installation?
PS: Plz no domestic jokes I feel bad enough about buying a GM.
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Old 02-16-2006, 07:36 PM
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lower the car?
It sits 7" from the ground and thats already too low for my type of driving. I just think the body flexes too much.


Thanks for the feedback, I'm going to order it tuesday.

Would a rear brace improve it any further? the dual kit is $20 more.
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Old 02-16-2006, 08:10 PM
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Yes it would. So will polyurathane bushings. But before you do all of that, get rid of any weight that you can to make the car lightest as possible. Dont forget adding a 10,000 point roll cage, and chassis bracing would help out alot too.

Oh, btw, you never said what car this is for. I suppose its a Grand Prix <= very heavy car indeed.
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Old 02-16-2006, 10:21 PM
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Originally Posted by ImportLuv
Yes it would. So will polyurathane bushings. But before you do all of that, get rid of any weight that you can to make the car lightest as possible. Dont forget adding a 10,000 point roll cage, and chassis bracing would help out alot too.

Oh, btw, you never said what car this is for. I suppose its a Grand Prix <= very heavy car indeed.
Yeah its for my prix and I dont have the equipment to replace the bushings yet. I've already pulled most of the deadening and I have a fiberglass sub box and a single 12 in the back to keep the audio equipment weight to a minumum.

Besides removing the spare time from the rear which I understand will make my problem worse I dont think theres much else I am willing to spare.

BTW whats a 10,000 pt roll cage? and what other type of bracing could I do to stiffen the chasis? I like a hard ride (no pun intended)
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Old 02-16-2006, 10:40 PM
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The front and rears are the same strut bar. I have the front one myself. For the front you can either drill into the strut towers or get the adapter plates from ZZP. To do the rear you have to make you own bracket or drill the towers. For better handeling you have a few other things you can do also. Lowering it will be a big one. Upgrade to some KYB GR-2 struts. You can also get Polyurethane bushings for the front and rear swaybars. Their isn't an exact kit for the bushings. I'm sure a quick search on ClubGP will yeild some part numbers.
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Old 02-17-2006, 04:44 AM
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Originally Posted by NoTLaDStyle
Yeah its for my prix and I dont have the equipment to replace the bushings yet. I've already pulled most of the deadening and I have a fiberglass sub box and a single 12 in the back to keep the audio equipment weight to a minumum.
Besides removing the spare time from the rear which I understand will make my problem worse I dont think theres much else I am willing to spare.
BTW whats a 10,000 pt roll cage? and what other type of bracing could I do to stiffen the chasis? I like a hard ride (no pun intended)
10k pt. roll cage...i was just exaggerating with those #s. You can google search what im talking about. Just forget roll cages, those are for the people who are serious.
Removing the sound deadening pads is like a 10 pound reduction. Try replacing that heavy hood of yours. Probably weighs 60 pounds.
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