Rear tower brace

[ace72ace]

Has anyone installed one? Why or why not?

http://www.cooltechllc.com/Boss/Boss_RearTowerBrace.shtml

 

[Jza1736]

Yes it was part of my cool tech roll bar and it does make the car feel tighter! First track day after the rollbar will be may 31st!

 

[CaliMR]

The extra holes that need to be drilled for the rollbar, are they needed for the brace? It doesn't mention them in the ad

 

[VoodooBoss]

I've been thinking about It but I question if it will make a difference. Might improve your bench racing times though.

 

[Jza1736]

I'm sure you will need to drill 2 1/4" or 5/16/" holes on either side if the rear wheel wells. There is a backing plate that goes on the inside of the wheel well.

 

[SteedaBrandon]

We've got a rear shock tower brace as well: http://www.steeda.com/store/steeda-rear-shock-tower-brace-for-ford-mustang.html Made in the USA too.

 

[Tflong24]

We've got a rear shock tower brace as well: http://www.steeda.com/store/steeda-rear-shock-tower-brace-for-ford-mustang.html Made in the USA too.

What are the mounting procedures for your brace? I would prefer not to drill holes.

 

[SteedaBrandon]

We've got a rear shock tower brace as well: http://www.steeda.com/store/steeda-rear-shock-tower-brace-for-ford-mustang.html Made in the USA too.

What are the mounting procedures for your brace? I would prefer not to drill holes.

Our's bolts in, and then we require some welding around the mount. I can email you the instructions if you'd like to take a look?

 

[908ssp]

Sorry I just can't see how a brace laying nearly on the floor can transfer stress better than the floor. A roll cage or hoop adds strength through triangulation that bar laying parallel with the floor and only an inch above just doesn't have the leverage to do any good. Remember the strength is always in line with the tube not angular to the tube. Where is any stress being applied to the top of the shock mounts inline with the brace? The shocks don't have springs on them so the shock don't apply much force to the chassis compared to the springs. The ends of the shocks are in a frame arch of the rear end. If you want to strengthen the rear frame do what Ford did put an X brace like the Laguna come with. Another avenue is to close the pass through with sheet metal.

Aluminum bonded and riveted in place.



After applying interior trim and Dynamate on the trunk side.

 

[cf6mech]

I've been thinking about It but I question if it will make a difference. Might improve your bench racing times though.

Observations after COOLTECH rollbar installation with built in strut brace,..... car corners better, getting on the gas coming out of corners the front end is noticable flatter then it was before installation. This has to pay dividends.

 

[908ssp]

I've been thinking about It but I question if it will make a difference. Might improve your bench racing times though.

Observations after COOLTECH rollbar installation with built in strut brace,..... car corners better, getting on the gas coming out of corners the front end is noticable flatter then it was before installation. This has to pay dividends.

The roll cage makes huge difference and in building a proper cage the cross brace helps fix the ends. Does the cross bar work on its own? I doubt it very much.

 

[cf6mech]

I've been thinking about It but I question if it will make a difference. Might improve your bench racing times though.

Observations after COOLTECH rollbar installation with built in strut brace,..... car corners better, getting on the gas coming out of corners the front end is noticable flatter then it was before installation. This has to pay dividends.

The roll cage makes huge difference and in building a proper cage the cross brace helps fix the ends. Does the cross bar work on its own? I doubt it very much.

Can't comment on strut brace itself,...but your logic sounds plausable. As far as Cooltechs complete bar tho its very noticable as far as stiffness and car corners with increased predictability.

J

 

[VoodooBoss]

I've been thinking about It but I question if it will make a difference. Might improve your bench racing times though.

Observations after COOLTECH rollbar installation with built in strut brace,..... car corners better, getting on the gas coming out of corners the front end is noticable flatter then it was before installation. This has to pay dividends.

That's the rollbar. Surely that has to be obvious.

 

[SteedaBrandon]

Sorry I just can't see how a brace laying nearly on the floor can transfer stress better than the floor. A roll cage or hoop adds strength through triangulation that bar laying parallel with the floor and only an inch above just doesn't have the leverage to do any good. Remember the strength is always in line with the tube not angular to the tube. Where is any stress being applied to the top of the shock mounts inline with the brace? The shocks don't have springs on them so the shock don't apply much force to the chassis compared to the springs. The ends of the shocks are in a frame arch of the rear end. If you want to strengthen the rear frame do what Ford did put an X brace like the Laguna come with. Another avenue is to close the pass through with sheet metal.

The brace is intended to "aid" the factory sheet metal. Even though the shocks do not have springs on them, they can still transmit large amounts of force into the chassis.

The x-brace on the L.S. is nice, but retails in the $600 range, whereas our brace is only $183.

We do everything we can to maintain vehicle functionality as well (you've lost your trunk access).

 

[908ssp]

You're right the X brace is probably 10 times as strong as that silly bar running from side to side.

 

[cf6mech]

I've been thinking about It but I question if it will make a difference. Might improve your bench racing times though.

Observations after COOLTECH rollbar installation with built in strut brace,..... car corners better, getting on the gas coming out of corners the front end is noticable flatter then it was before installation. This has to pay dividends.

That's the rollbar. Surely that has to be obvious.

Please dont call me Surely.

 

[nota4re]

I've been thinking about It but I question if it will make a difference.

Well, I guess that settles it. Rick has thought about it - and the verdict is in. Case closed.

Hardly. Look at virtually any race car and (rules permitting) they will leverage a rear shock tower brace. Last I looked, Nissan Z cars all had sheetmetal floor pans - yet all came from the factory with a cargo-limiting tower brace. Is it going to save seconds off of your lap times? I don't think so. Is it something that you can do to add additional rigidity to the suspension? Yes.

Regarding mounting - our bar requires no welding. You will drill (2) 5/16" holes on either side of the car. One layer of sheetmetal is pre-drilled and you can pull back your trunk liner to see this. These is no complex measuring or templates - simply drill the outer layer of sheetmetal and your done. Backing plates are fully powdercoated and constructed from 3/16" steel. All hardware is Grade 8. Installation time is < 30 minutes.

 

[908ssp]

Nissan Z cars have rear STRUT towers nearly a foot above the floor. Not rubber mounted shocks level with the frame and floor. Big difference.

 

[nota4re]

Nissan Z cars have rear STRUT towers nearly a foot above the floor. Not rubber mounted shocks level with the frame and floor. Big difference.

Indeed there are differences - and you make a valid point about the struts and their height. Sadly, I wish I had the proper equipment to measure/quantify the effect (if any) of our strut bar. Perhaps it's the placebo effect but the only guys that are buying our brace are the track junkies and the reports back from them is that they can "feel" the difference. My perspective is that small incremental changes are often hard to feel/discern but when you start adding them all up - they can and often do make a difference. However, I think that we all know that the best way to improve track times is to invest in lessons for the nut behind the wheel. But, as I do not derive any business from instruction (my advice would likely slow people down) I'll continue to offer products that can improve the car.

 

[VoodooBoss]

But, as I do not derive any business from instruction (my advice would likely slow people down) I'll continue to offer products that can improve the car.

What I'd like to see, along with many Boss and S197 Mustang owners, is a replica of the LS X brace. You obviously have a high quality fabricator at your disposal, any plans to replicate the X brace? Other ideas are a 1" splitter spacer to move the splitter closer to the ground, jack blocks and a front tow strap like you created for the FGT.