Looking for a recommendation on a strut tower brace that will fit my 2010 GT500. Doesn't seem like there's many options out there.
2010 GT500 Front Tower Brace Recommendation
- Thread starter Deaddeer
- Start date
There's not.
And it does nothing from a performance stand point.
It's for looks only
And it does nothing from a performance stand point.
It's for looks only
As stated...there was a Ford Racing one that has long been discontinued. They pop up now & then in the buy & sell section, but are usually quite sought after & you could be watching for one for a while & then miss out on if you aren't right there when the listing is posted. Just ask @AIRASSAULT13F40 !
This one from Steeda is the only other one I can think of that is readily available for purchase.
Steeda Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang Chrome Moly Strut Tower Brace 5.4L SC ( 2010-2012 GT500), 555 5724 - Free Shipping - Steeda Autosports
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[On eBay] I believe this one is for a convertible but still would fit under the hood.... Plus look for the 2008/2009 OE GT500 KR strut bar too....The KR version is more stout & uses thicker tubing but that's only if you're keeping the stock supercharger & intake assembly....
2007 2008 2009 FORD MUSTANG SHELBY GT500 GT 500 STRUT TOWER BRACE | eBay
2007 2008 2009 FORD MUSTANG SHELBY GT500 GT 500 STRUT TOWER BRACE | eBay
I run the Steeda brace on my 2011. Fits likes a champ...but it is just for looks, as AIRASSAULT13F40 mentioned.
Can someone supply data to support this? These braces have been in use since the '60s (to my best knowledge), then sometime around 2010, they no longer function? hmmmm........ why? Should we ALL remove them because they have somehow all become paperweights? OR is this true from 2010 and newer only? Inquiring minds want to know!
Cannot speak specifically for your year but can in generic terms. If you don't like what's available and you must have one (like me), have you consider having one fabricated? I did exactly this..... for my 4.2 blower with a Trufiber hood... can you say one-off?
The S197 is very ridged compare to older models so they really aren't functional...yes, it's kinda a paper weight. But I think it looks cool, so I bought one. Only downside IMHO, if you want to adjust camber plates, clean the TB or swap struts, it has to be removed...minor PITA.
Took mine off when doing MM caster/camber plates and never reinstalled it. Car rides the same and I like the cleaner look and better engine accessibility. That being said, this is a DD. I'm sure put to a track it makes some difference.
I wholeheartedly disagree based on my personal experience. Subframe connectors absolutely make a difference. Just one pass over a set of railroad tracks bears that out. Hustling hard through turns bears it out, too. OP, strut tower braces DO still make a difference.
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^ I don't have railroad tracks near me J/k!
thanks for chiming in though. Really shows one part can have a variety of responses
do you have other complimentary suspension mods or tire/wheel combo that contributes to the feel?
thanks for chiming in though. Really shows one part can have a variety of responses
do you have other complimentary suspension mods or tire/wheel combo that contributes to the feel?
The boxed subframe connectors were the second mod I put on my car. The suspension was still stock at the time. There was a particular set of tracks I drove across regularly that, if I didn't slow down enough, it sounded like the driver's door jamb was slamming against the latch when I crossed them. (Who knows what it actually was. That's just what it sounded like to me.) I had already heard from installers how the S197 is so stiff that it "doesn't need" subframe connectors and they'd be a waste of money. I didn't pay them any mind, ordered up a set from BMR, and had them welded in. The difference in chassis feel was immediately apparent, but I left room for skepticism of it just being a placebo affect. I drove the car over those same tracks [at speed just to test my theory] and there was not a peep out of anything. No clunks, no rattles, no anything. It was like driving a German sports sedan.
Fast forward several years, and about the only stock suspension piece left on my GT500 is the axle tube. I am a BIG fan of curves. That's why I haven't done anything else power-wise aside from the Whipple and upgraded to the SCJ monoblade throttle body. And even that was just to regain the low end throttle response that was lost when I installed the Whipple with the 65mm twin throttle body. The focus of my mods journey has been on suspension, lightening, and making more effective use of the power I already have versus throwing more and more power at it that will be less and less usable. And my GT500 is still 99% streetable and daily driveable. I'm taking 1% off because of the SPEC Super Twin clutch. That thing is a light switch and a PITA from a stop most of the time.
There are a few more bits I'd like to add/change, but they prove to be exceedingly difficult to find. I think I have the suspension and chassis cinched down enough that I think I'm ready to start throwing HP at it again. With the most recent additions of the Watts link, Torsen T2R, and 3.90 ring and pinion, it just doesn't scare me like it used to anymore. Before, trying to accelerate hard at anything less than 55MPH was hairy. Now it just hooks and books with pretty much no drama at all, even when I'm burying the speedometer. I run normal street tires, BTW. Michelin Pilot Super Sport right now. I'm not a fan of drag radials, and my car will never have a set on it as long as I own it.
Fast forward several years, and about the only stock suspension piece left on my GT500 is the axle tube. I am a BIG fan of curves. That's why I haven't done anything else power-wise aside from the Whipple and upgraded to the SCJ monoblade throttle body. And even that was just to regain the low end throttle response that was lost when I installed the Whipple with the 65mm twin throttle body. The focus of my mods journey has been on suspension, lightening, and making more effective use of the power I already have versus throwing more and more power at it that will be less and less usable. And my GT500 is still 99% streetable and daily driveable. I'm taking 1% off because of the SPEC Super Twin clutch. That thing is a light switch and a PITA from a stop most of the time.
There are a few more bits I'd like to add/change, but they prove to be exceedingly difficult to find. I think I have the suspension and chassis cinched down enough that I think I'm ready to start throwing HP at it again. With the most recent additions of the Watts link, Torsen T2R, and 3.90 ring and pinion, it just doesn't scare me like it used to anymore. Before, trying to accelerate hard at anything less than 55MPH was hairy. Now it just hooks and books with pretty much no drama at all, even when I'm burying the speedometer. I run normal street tires, BTW. Michelin Pilot Super Sport right now. I'm not a fan of drag radials, and my car will never have a set on it as long as I own it.
Good response
Maybe I'll try a pair of SFC's in the spring
I hope my Spec clutch ain't a PITA like that. Car comes home next week
For you non-believers that think that a STB is "only for looks", I'd like to bring to the table two things...
1) Watch this:
2) The new 2020 GT500 comes with a magnesium STB for "enhanced structural rigidity". Is Ford lying and installed for looks only? Gotta ask...
Willie
1) Watch this:
2) The new 2020 GT500 comes with a magnesium STB for "enhanced structural rigidity". Is Ford lying and installed for looks only? Gotta ask...
Willie
i have the steeda one and it doesnt look too bad 
The original 2007-2009 GT500 brace first under the 2010-2012 hood and clears the supercharger. Many have gone that route. Is it necessary for street driving...probably not but if you do track the car on a road course it does make a difference. Helps with body flex and turn in under heavy braking. I noticed a big difference after installing it on my track car.
GT
GT
Another route, albeit hard core, is to design and fab one yourself. My options were to not have one or to go this route, which I did because no one makes one for a larger KB. Mine is made of 1018 cold rolled steel and clears the blower and fits under the fiberglass KR replica hood. Here it is >>
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