Need a strutbrace for '86 5KCSTQ

[Bernie Benz]

> From: Steven Hauptmann <hauptmanns at MAIL.LLR.STATE.SC.US>
> Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2002 15:08:17 -0500
> To: "'Bernie Benz'" <b.m.benz at prodigy.net>
> Cc: "200q20v List (E-mail)" <200q20v at audifans.com>
> Subject: Need a strutbrace for '86  5KCSTQ
>
> <<But tower braces look pretty if painted Fram orange!>>
>
> This seems to imply you feel strut tower braces have only cosmetic benefits.
> Do you not believe they can provide a reduction in chassis flex, albeit
> marginal.
That's about it, IMO.  They are attached, often with flaky attachments, to
sheet metel where it was not designed to accept load.  To be effective, any
brace, including attachments and resultant tower deflections to the point of
useful stiffness, the tower top strut anchor points, must be an order of
magnitude stiffer than the towers themselves.  I've not seen one meeting
this criteria, and further, they leave the one only, rubber strut mount
deflection in the camber loading system.  But Fram orange feels so good!

Bernie
>
> Steve Hauptmann
> South Carolina