Rear Shock Brace

[hacknfrack]

I just added a front strut brace for my '90 base Beretta.  I definitely noticed a big improvement.

I was wondering if adding a rear shock brace would make any more of a difference.  I saw one on mantapart.com (OP 1214) for $95.  Does anyone know of a place selling them for cheaper - if it's worth it?

Thanks.

[wicked-irocz]

the rear brace makes a lot less of a difference because only the shocks are mounted there unlike the front where the strut contains the spring.

[cahilj]

It will make a difference. Yes it will be less of a difference than a strut tower brace, but it will still make one. By no means is it worth it to shell out $100 to Mantapart (they suck anyways), when you can build one using a cheap ebay bar and drilling some holes in it to match your bolt pattern. Even a straight piece of tubing will do the job.

[badbluballinGTX]

I agree, I made a strut tower bar from a caddy fit my shock towers and it cost me about ten bucks from a junkyard. I'll post pics this weekend. And it made a nice difference. Also I'd recommend bars from the strut tower to the radiator support to add triangular support the front of the car. Those only cost a couple of bucks each from the junkyard.

[hacknfrack]

What's the best kind of bar to make it out of - thickness, diameter, etc?

[cahilj]

I used a piece of 1" steel tube that I welded tube end on. One end is right hand thread, the other left. You can get the tube, tube ends, and rod ends at Summit Racing or any of the other performance places like that. Or you can make it with non removeable end plates, and just weld it all together.