stereomandan

I picked a new one up off EBay dirt cheap ($35+$14 shipping). It was supposedly a bar with defects to the black powder coating. The defects are minor ripples in part of the finish, something people probably wouldn’t notice unless I pointed them out. It’s the same diameter and wall thickness of all the common 2 point bars from BMR and UMI…

It bolted in within 10 minutes, literally. No need to move AC lines or brake lines. A deep 15mm socket was able to reach all the bolts, even when reinstalling the bar.

Keep in mind that I’ve driven my car since I bought it new 8 years ago, so I am VERY used to how it feels. If you recently bought your F-body and are not yet completely used to it, my observations may be different than yours. O.k., enough with the disclaimers, now for the review:

Can I notice a difference, Yes. Is it a big difference? No. Do I think it effects how fast I could make it around a road course or autox course? Not by much.

Things I do notice however: The front end is certainly tightened up. Some of the small creeks and rattles have gone away, not that I really had many before this but on those sharp bumps, and quick uneven transitions, I notice a more rigid front end. It’s obvious. The car follows the grooves of the pavement a little more than before, which surprised me. Maybe the chassis doesn’t absorb as much of the force of a tire in the ruts. I do have sub frame connectors, so I think it’s the combination of the STB and SFC’s that really tightened things up. If the STB was the only component on the chassis, I don’t think I would notice it nearly as much since the rest of the car wouldn’t be tightened up and any improvements with the STB would be washed out by the rest of the chassis.

It looks great in the engine bay. It lets others know that this isn’t your normal stock LT1. It does make the car even more enjoyable to drive, by a small margin.

Was it worth the $35 cost. Easily. Would it be worth $150? That’s debatable.

Dan

sir dyno

I got the strut tower brace before I got subframe connectors. And I noticed the improvement you got and I'am very satisfied even though I paid 130. Before when I would take a corner fast my the end of the car would fishtail. When added the stb it got rid of the fishtailing almost completely 97%. When you change the spark plugs the stb allows you to lean on the bar to help take out plug #8, which is a pain.

stereomandan

Glad to hear that you like yours too. I was skeptical whether or not I would be able to tell a difference with the STB on. I'm glad that I notice a difference. It's not a huge difference, like the 35mm front sway bar. Not even close, but it's still an improvement, no doubt.

Dan

Bersaglieri

Very good review, as are your others. Its about what I would expect from a STB. And your right, its hard to justify the $130 tags on some of them for what they do.

PS If you see any other auctions like that, let me know

-Dustin-

stereomandan

Thanks Dustin. Here's some that are Buy it Now for $55. They are easy to find on Ebay, just do a search using the words: camaro brace

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33591

Dan

Bersaglieri

No problem, I actually started looking after I posted, not bad pickin's. What brand was yours? And what diameter is it?

-Dustin-

stereomandan

Don't know the brand since the auction didn't say because it was supposedly a blemished STB, but the size is 1.25" diameter, 0.095" wall thickness.

Dan