What is a strut tower brace?

A strut tower brace is a metal bar that connects two shocks (either both front or both rear) together at the top. In this context, the shock/strut assemblies are called "strut towers". A front brace is located in the engine compartment under the hood, while the rear one is located in the hatch or trunk area.

The function of a strut tower brace is to reduce the amount of movement of the shocks under hard cornering. The brace stiffens up the car frame and helps prevent the wheel from being temporarily "bent" out of place as cornering forces try to push the wheel to one side. It also keeps the two opposing wheels from moving out of place relative to each other - keeping the two struts connected together helps this. The net effect is an improvement in cornering and in suspension "feel". Most DSMers report improvements after installing a brace.

Most braces are adjustable. Since the bar can be lengthened or shortened (put under tension or compression) most new owners are concerned about adjusting the brace "correctly". The method of installation doesn't seem to be too important. Most people shorten the bar to tension it up - the bars are likely stronger under tension than compression. However, for rear braces, one may want to extent the bar to try and keep the rear tires as flat as possible during hard launching. It doesn't really seem to matter a whole lot as long as the brace firmly connects both strut towers together.

The Last Word: According to non-DSMers, the typical DSM strut tower brace is useless. Firstly, there are hinges on either side, which allows the brace to pivot independently of the chassis - which totally defeats the purpose of the brace. Secondly, the brace midpoint is never attached to the engine bay firewall. "Real" braces are attached to the engine bay wall and are a single monolithic part. Real result or placebo effect? We'll never know.

FAQCHK