New sways are on my to-do list, but first I'm trying to rid my STI of some windshield creaks/groans & body flex. I was thinking about doing either the Cusco or GT Spec ladder brace and a stut tower brace (insert brand) for the back end. Would a ladder brace be more effective at stiffening the body than, say, front strut tower brace? Any help is appreciated.
I'm guessing but I'd have to say yes I think so. The strut brace is only tieing the left and right in that one place but the H brace gives you some latteral stiffness too.
From what I understand, there is no need for the front strut tower brace on the Imprezas. The only time you wil benefit from the Strut Brace is when the Strut tower is further in the Engine Bay. Since ours are right up against the Firewall, it has more than enough support to keep from flexing. Other cars like BMWs benefit greatly from the Stut Brace because thier tower is not linked to the Firewall, The tower is pretty much dead center of the Engine Bay so it has a lot of flex.
I heard something similar about the legacy too but i have been told there is still some deflection of the towers even being that close to the firewall. The way i understand things, I think you have to have a fairly advanced suspension setup to feel the strut tower brace.
The H brace just tightens the front suspension, keeps it from flexing and stuff. I'd like to pick up one of the cheap ebay clones someday, they're really cheap. The wagons benefit from a rear strut bar but the sedans its just for bling.
For simple bolt ons, I believe the best way to tighten up the back end is with a V-brace strut bar. Of course wagons will benefit most, but I think even sedans will benefit from a V-brace.
H-braces will help quite a bit, but if you have an anti-lift kit, it will not fit onto the subfame. I recommend a Cusco Type II or any other hollow,tubular aluminum version. They can be found really cheap on ebay (usually in pink or blue) for about $20. If you do have an ALK, get a Cusco Type I. It's not a ladder brace, just a single bar. But even with that it is noticable because it stiffens the chassis farther back (about 1/3 of the length of the car right by the control arm mounts. A ladder brace will stiffen in about the same place, but it will also tie in closer to the center of the car to help distribute the load more evenly and has two lateral supports instead of one. as Alex said, you can use it to replace the subframe and it will be a) lighter and b) stiffer, but most will bolt directly to the subframe. They have a certain bend to the metal that actually mates with the curves in the subframe, especially the Cusco ones. Hope this helps!
Incorrect. A guy I know has the Whiteline ALK and the Cusco Ladder brace (not the single bar one) on his car. Works just fine.