On the 'Stang scene, strut tower braces bring stiffness which = freed up HP! I know they are unibodies, but would a strut tower brace help on an F150? There's all the room ya would need for one.

 

I think the only advantage would be during high speed offroading with a long travel suspension.

 

a strut tower brace isnt going to give you power...

 

No, it won't "give" ya power. When ya rev the engine, notice how it likes to rock from p-side to d-side from the natural rotation in the engine. Your engine is wasting energy to do that. When a vehicle launches, it has to squat first. Both of these are wastes of energy & HP. So, stiffen it all up which = more POWER to the rear wheels. Hence, the "freed up".Ya dig?

 

i gotcha

 

So you bought a 3 ton TRUCK to race? I'd stick to the stang scene for that and use the truck for pullin that stang to the track in style

 

So you bought a 3 ton TRUCK to race? I'd stick to the stang scene for that and use the truck for pullin that stang to the track in style Besides the strut tower brace with no strut towers on these trucks where would you mount a brace to free up some HP(fender to fender) not good but you can make a torque bar and attach it to something solid under the hood but vibration would drive me nuts

 

Yea i dont think your gonna notice much if any at all to justify puttin one on a Pickup truck... and the strut tower braces are more to stiffen the shock towers to prevent deflection... thus given u better handelin..if u want to keep the motor from rocking side to side get solid motor mounts..

 

Thanks guys! Yeah, I realize we drive refridgerators w/ wheels & a trailer hitch, but a lil' more power never hurts, wherever ya' find it. Thanks again.

 

So has anyone developed or designed a strut brace for F-150. I have some idea in mind but wanted to see what others have. Please post your ideas.

Thanks

 

And you're going to use more power accelerating the new 3 ton plus strut brace weighing truck.

All those braces and minimising flex in unibodies is about torque reaction and the launch, it does NOT free up HP. Same as with trans brakes that don't free up power either ... but that can help shave ETs by more suddenly shocking the drivetrain to plant tires through .... "torque reaction". It simply shaves a hair off the start. They reduce weight by ripping stuff out to make up for weight added by the braces to reduce flexing which can lead to tearing of sheet metal which leads to more bracing ... unles you've thought it out well in advance.

Bracing also helps a unibody when extra stiff anti roll bars and short springs and stiff shocks are added for parking lot races or road racing as such mods will likewise lead to body problems if not braced. Some cars experience cracks in firewalls and floor pans or the bracing behind rear seats or front inner fenders if not adequately braced for the added stresses.

Think about it, a motor with 500 ft lbs torque and 400 HP is with the trans in 1st gear moving the car up through speed does not know whether it's mounted in rubber cushioned mounts or if the frame is flexed a little, it twist against the mounts the exact same as if they were solid. It will compress the mounts exactly as hard as it twist against them. It twist hard right facing forwards while the output shaft twists hard left and the difference between the two forces is the power available to move the car. Hard mounts make zero difference in power available to move the car, they do provide more instantaneous application of torque to the vehicle on the one side and the drivetrain on the other at the moment the clutch is dropped or the trans brake released to "shock" the chassis and plant those tires through a suspension setup designed to benifit from that "shock".

Like instead of pushing that nail with a hammer, you hit it.

 

Thanks for explaining your point. The purpose of me asking the question was to see if anyone has tried bracing the top of the truck to cutdown on the body role. Not for street racing or drag racing. Just to make the truck more sure-footed on the road in case of a sudden maneuver.

 

Rear sway bar?

 

Yes that is one way to go. but i have heard horror stories about driving with it in the snow ice situation. no experience though

 

I have no idea why this would be an issue. I've always ran the fattest front & rear bar set I could find and deal with snow/ice all the time. Never been a problem.