Write-Up: Installing a Front Strut Tower Brace (STB)

omg finally!!!!!!!!

97rivsc wrote:

omg finally!!!!!!!!

there you sissy little white boy...

at least my mom didn't make me remove my straight pipes

Girls girls, calm down and play nice.

Can't we all just get along?

Jack the R wrote:

So jack....when they repeal prop 8 , wanna move to california together?

97rivsc wrote:

at least my mom didn't make me remove my straight pipes

ok, my brace just arrived here and went on with absolutely no modification what so ever I'm pretty stoked right now

TonySmooth89 wrote:

Jack the R wrote:

So jack....when they repeal prop 8 , wanna move to california together?

IIRC it's legal in 10 states now, but CA isn't one of them.

Actually I may skip marriage and shoot for being the first guy to 3D print a love slave. What I've seen of marriage is fucked.

97rivsc wrote:

ok, my brace just arrived here and went on with absolutely no modification what so ever I'm pretty stoked right now

Sounds good.
I'm hoping mine goes on with little to no modification also. If not, oh well, I will just have to take my time and make it fit.

Still not shipped yet though.

You should have no problems with installation on a 99, other than possibly needing a couple washers for spacers to maintain clearance at the brake fluid res. I have 2 flat washers added at each mounting bolt.

On some cars these bars look good .. on very few cars they actually do something to stiffen the body....

on the Riviera i actually doubt they are nothing short of "the emperors clothes"

If the chassis on the Riv is so flexable that a small piece of steel tubing between the tops of the struts has a noticeable feel to the ride ide be looking for a new car!!!

sorry but just my tuppence worth.

nigelf wrote:

If the chassis on the Riv is so flexable that a small piece of steel tubing between the tops of the struts has a noticeable feel to the ride ide be looking for a new car!!!

sorry but just my tuppence worth.

Then dont buy one because you will be getting a new car.
The riviera's chassis is actually very strong and was one of the first hydoformed frames. it was close to the corvette in stiffness when they were first designed in 94. Crash test
With that said, i noticed a very real difference after installing the bar along with the sway bar. It is noticeable enough that you could blindfold me and i would be able to tell you from driving around the block if the bar was on or off.

Mr.Riviera wrote:

nigelf wrote:

If the chassis on the Riv is so flexable that a small piece of steel tubing between the tops of the struts has a noticeable feel to the ride ide be looking for a new car!!!

sorry but just my tuppence worth.

Then dont buy one because you will be getting a new car.
The riviera's chassis is actually very strong and was one of the first hydoformed frames. it was close to the corvette in stiffness when they were first designed in 94. I believe the chassis was rated at (give me a minute while i find the stats...)
With that said, i noticed a very real difference after installing the bar along with the sway bar. It is noticeable enough that you could blindfold me and i would be able to tell you from driving around the block if the bar was on or off.

The chassis actually broke GM's machine for testing structural rigidity, and the Riv was also subjected to a 30 mph front and rear crash, and the doors will still able to open.

I am playing a little of the devils advocate to be honest

that said yes sway bars have a direct effet as they change the suspension reaction to the mass for a given direction where as if the bar reduces movement of 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch between the tops how much of a difference would that actually make at the wheels or in steering geometry?

Nigel (with toung in cheek)

The STB has a dramatic effect, and the car is very stable without it. It becomes even more stable with it. Read some of our comments from 15-18 pages ago...

Nigel,
It's well worth the $30.00 it cost and makes a dramatic improvement.
This was the first thing I did to my car, because of cost and ease of installation and I'm glad I did it.

On the Riv we have a transverse engine and a very strong firewall and inner wing section the tops wil not move.....

The cute drawing way back in the thread missed the point to point out most sideways force is felt by the lower a frames the struts are designed to take compression or expansion in only the verticle direction.

How do you translate the verticle compression in to a sideways force at the top of the strut?

i can see a stb working on a normal car engine where the firewall has to allow the transmittion to have a tunnel and thus weakening the firewall structure along with the struts normally being well into the middle of the engine. also the force would come from the top A frame i believe....

still its very subjective.. no one has come up with a measurement of + or - inches with out the strut so its all subjective...

Nigel

Oh and as a side note ... Who if anyone has fitted a set or braces to the rear?

Nigel (DA)

nigelf wrote:

Oh and as a side note ... Who if anyone has fitted a set or braces to the rear?

Nigel (DA)

Jack the R has I THINK...

ewoolfe has a custom one that he made for the rear.
There are pic's of it on here somewhere.

Quote :

On the Riv we have a transverse engine and a very strong firewall and inner wing section the tops wil not move.....

I don't see how the orientation of the engine has anything to do with the frame flexing. By the "tops" I assume you mean the strut towers, and I do believe they flex on most all vehicles with struts. If it's made out of metal, it can flex and bend to some degree.

Quote :

The cute drawing way back in the thread missed the point to point out most sideways force is felt by the lower a frames the struts are designed to take compression or expansion in only the verticle direction.

The key to understanding this is to realize that lateral forces are exerted on the strut, whether they are designed to take them or not. The strut does not pivot at the steering knuckle, it's bolted to it, so lateral forces exerted on the tires and wheels are also exerted on the strut.

Quote :

How do you translate the verticle compression in to a sideways force at the top of the strut?

As mentioned, there are lateral forces acting on the strut during a hard corner, in addition to vertical. Here's what a tire does under lateral force:



Tire walls only flex so much, so the rest of that lateral force goes to the wheel, which then transfers to the hub, the knuckle, and strut. If the top of the strut were not bolted to the tower, it would want to move "out" during a hard turn.

nigelf wrote:

On the Riv we have a transverse engine and a very strong firewall and inner wing section the tops wil not move.....

Yes, it's all subjective, but I will tell you just installing the STB flattened the car out in the corners. It was like adding a sway bar. Months after I installed the STB I discovered a broken end link on my sway bar, but my car cornered so well I didn't notice.

Perhaps you can't measure a difference in the movement of the upper strut tower, but who cares? If you care not to believe us, don't install it. If you'd like to try it, it's inexpensive and it works very well. It's not worth arguing about, it's a $30 part and it makes a difference.

I've got the STS STB in front and back.

I can't provide a scientific analysis of why either work, but boy do they ever work! I had my front one off briefly to get extra welding done on it, and it was like driving a marshmallow. I'd forgotten how badly the Riv rolled without it.

I don't know what the rear STB will do without also upgrading to Ranchos or Bilsteins. By adding the rear STB, I was able to get the handling I wanted in the rear end with a lower stiffness setting on the adjustable Ranchos. At a higher shock setting, the change in the way the car handles is unreal.