[paradigm]

Is the OEM strut tower brace worth while on my SS 1LE? Will it help prevent potential of the aluminum strut towers from cracking?

[Hostile_1LE]

There were a few threads when I got my car a few years ago that pointed out that the Strut tower brace effectively did nothing on the 6th gen platform. Not sure how accurate that is but for preventing the towers from cracking it might do something.

[DeuceCam]

I read some of the threads. People were saying that GM engineers claimed it wasn't needed on the 1LE and didn't make the car faster around a track. Probably true.

One has to keep in mind that GM engineers are representatives of a company and may not want to nasay their product, i.e., the 1LE. Also, that company has bean counters.

Moreover, the convertible comes with a strut bar stock, to help increase stiffness. Granted the convertible unibody is less rigid than the coupe.

Furthermore, Chevy claims the strut bar increases strut tower lateral stiffness by up to 47%. https://accessories.chevrolet.com/pr...=432&year=2022

My 2 cents: It's a proper 1 piece bar that triangulates the strut towers when used withe the OEM cross bars. I felt a slight increase in: on center steering feel, steering feel upon turn-in, and steering effort. That said, I don't think you'll be going faster around a track with this bar. It's more of a 'feel' mod than anything else. Also, it looks cool.

[Glow01]

My understanding:

PROS:
-It looks cool.

CONS:
-It does nothing for this generation Camaro because it is already braced.
-It's really annoying to have to remove when you refill the coolant.

My car came with one (from previous owner), and I keep it on because it's pretty lightweight and looks good. I don't think I'd spend money on one if the car didn't come with one.

[Ventmaster]

+1 on previous comments. These cars are quite rigid (the coupes). I've never had a 3700lb car with RWD and a big V8 that if I jack up the front corner, it raises that whole side of the car. That said, they do look really cool and I got one!
I think if a person were to get one, the biggest risk would be to over torque the mounting bolts (the manual doesn't call for much). I expect it may be easy to strip those threads or could possibly lead to a cracked tower.

The strut tower brace from GM comes with 2 longer mounting bolts to replace the 2 inner bolts. They are about an inch longer. But the torque spec remains (I believe, and please feel free to correct me), at just 16lb/ft.
**NOTE: Some vehicle models may be equipped with Front Suspension Strut Upper Mounting Bolts with captured
washers. These bolts should be torqued to 30Nm (22 lb ft).

[Bad Anvil Garage]

It couldn't hurt. I do like the look of mine...

https://www.motortrend.com/uploads/s...around|660:371

[david_acm]

Here's the relevant "Ask the Camaro Team" thread on this topic https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=517935

The short answer is ‘no, you don’t need the Tower to Tower brace to improve ride, steering, or handling.’
[...]
The one exception is the SS Convertible, which does have the brace.

You can read the rest of the thread for a better explanation. That said, I think they look good.

[DeuceCam]

Adding coolant was a pain, but I spent a few dollars on a small funnel and vinyl tubing so I can add coolant without removing the bar.

[sklippi2018]

Originally Posted by DeuceCam

Adding coolant was a pain, but I spent a few dollars on a small funnel and vinyl tubing so I can add coolant without removing the bar.

Agree on the degree of "pain." Gonna color match mine before I install. BTW, do you mind providing the info on where you purchased your funnel and vinyl tubing?

[DeuceCam]

I think it was this funnel set: https://www.harborfreight.com/4-piec...l-set-744.html. Use the smallest funnel.

I bought the vinyl tubing at Lowe's in the plumbing section. I think it was 3/8" but don't remember. Just bring the funnel with you and find the size tube that fits over the end of the funnel.

It's still a bit of a pain to pop the fill cap off the reservoir and feed the vinyl tube in with the bar in the way, but not too bad once you get the hang of it.

[sklippi2018]

Originally Posted by DeuceCam

I think it was this funnel set: https://www.harborfreight.com/4-piec...l-set-744.html. Use the smallest funnel.

I bought the vinyl tubing at Lowe's in the plumbing section. I think it was 3/8" but don't remember. Just bring the funnel with you and find the size tube that fits over the end of the funnel.

It's still a bit of a pain to pop the fill cap off the reservoir and feed the vinyl tube in with the bar in the way, but not too bad once you get the hang of it.

Thanks!