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I've been looking at steering braces for a while and there's a few to choose from. From personal experience or even an engineering standpoint, who offers the best steering brace? Quality, performance and fitment wise. I'm leaning towards the TDS one, but if you've tried any of these, please say how it worked out.
TDS
BMR
UMI
Spohn
Or should I just try and find an original one off an IROC?
Last edited by mike_c; 06-18-2007 at 10:40 PM.
Reason: No pictures
I bought a Spohn unit and it had a terrible fit. Had to grind on some holes and notch parts of the fan mounting assembly. Just stick with a used one if you can, you wont notice a difference.
I bought a Spohn unit and it had a terrible fit. Had to grind on some holes and notch parts of the fan mounting assembly. Just stick with a used one if you can, you wont notice a difference.
I purchased a Spohn as well and the placement of the mounting holes where terrible. I fixed that with a die gringer. Other than that it is a big beefy unit and works well.
My buddy bought the Spohn for his 85 bird, he had no problems. I am buying a spohn also soon...as my whole suspension will be spohn as he is the only one that carries EVERYTHING for our cars, including coilovers..
the BMR, UMI, and Spohn ones are the beefiest ones, but i believe they will not work with dual fans, if that matters, if you have them i believer you need the stock one.
That 'preloading' function might be of use; I don't know if I would notice it in regular driving. I just installed one fron Top-Down Solutions and could not be happier with it. It REALLY made a difference with the front of the car, to the point that a) I never realized just how much these things flex and b) how loose my back end is!
Have to add another for TDS.As noted the extra mounting area adds another benefit.Noticeable difference in steering and it releaves the stress on the steering box mounting area.
Looking at the photos from an engineering standpoint, the TDS at the top is superior in design and construction. They don't simply tack a few pieces of steel sheet to a tube, it has weld/support in a much larger area, and there are no 90 degree transitions between the bar and the brackets. Using larger diameter tubing is silly if all the stress is concentrated on the right angle where the brackets are tacked on, that will be the weak/flex point, might even crack over time. The stock piece is OK, smaller diameter tubing, but at least they didn't just tack the brackets on at a 90 degree angle. Obviously nobody at those companies stayed awake for the most basic engineering classes in college.
If price is even close, TDS is the better product.
I must say I just upgraded my suspension and put on all spohn products ,sway bars front and rear,panhard bar ,lca, and wonder bar. All were the adjustablde products. I can't beleive how good the car handles these back country roads. Even with a family in the car there is no body roll at all. I am impressed with their prduct and I had no fitment issues at all.
The stock one worked great on my IROC and it had noticable tighter steering than my ws6 with out it. I agree with the strustural design of the TDS piece resebles the factory piece.
i bought a TDS one a few years ago for my 86 firebird. went on easy as can be. i bought my GTA about a year and a half later and took the wonderbar off the v6 car and put it on the GTA, again easy as can be. then i recently got a stock IROC bar for $5 out of a junkyard. it was herder to install on the V6 car then the TDS unit on either car.
I have an adjustable Spohn, works great....better for linin bolt holes up too....Made a huge difference in the handling of my car....All i need now is a set of sway bars.
Last edited by Camaro5690; 06-28-2007 at 04:38 PM.
Gotta say i love my TDS..15 min install..no problems..looks great..built well...and performance increase was a huge upgrade compared to other front suspenion mods like strut bar..I also chaged all bushings.Car never felt soo solid
is the TDS a brand new piece, or a powdercoated stock part?
My version is a brand new part. It is similar in design to GM's (as mentioned) but not the same. GM's version (as well as every other brand on the market, except mine) installs with two bolts per side. Mine used three per side taking advantage of another factory bolt location. This not only improves the strength of the mounting, since that third hole bolts directly fo the front subframe instead of just bolting to a bracket that is bolted to the subframe. Also this third bolt hole eases installation of the brace. The center bar on GM's is .75" diameter, I use 1" OD.
I have the TDS steering brace, and love it.
High quality construction, fits very easy, and performs great.
Lon is a great guy to do business with, and I highly recommend him for your aftermarket needs. A++
I've been looking at steering braces for a while and there's a few to choose from. From personal experience or even an engineering standpoint, who offers the best steering brace? Quality, performance and fitment wise. I'm leaning towards the TDS one, but if you've tried any of these, please say how it worked out.
TDS
BMR
UMI
Spohn
Or should I just try and find an original one off an IROC?
does this help reduce bump steer that thirdgens are known for?
I've never seen an IROC without a Wonderbar. The original is stamped (and probably strong enough for your needs), while the after market versions are far more beefy.
Thanks James C,Hopefully I can find one,if not I will try the top down solutions part,since people here have said it seems to be the only one that fits correctly without grinding the holes. I don't understand why so many aftermarket parts are made so carelessly and don't fit correct right as they are. Does it cost more to simply do something right?
Thanks James C,Hopefully I can find one,if not I will try the top down solutions part,since people here have said it seems to be the only one that fits correctly without grinding the holes. I don't understand why so many aftermarket parts are made so carelessly and don't fit correct right as they are. Does it cost more to simply do something right?
I have a Spohn adjustable that I bought years ago, like 2005? --- and I just re-installed it a few weeks ago while working on the suspension. I find NO indication that I ever cut through the powdercoating to grind on it whatsoever, and it certainly did line up with the bolt holes without any problems. Maybe those folks with alignment problems were installing it on backwards or upside down or something. The brackets on the Spohn piece are not symmetrical. There is a left (marked with an L) and a right (marked with an R). Flip it around and try to install it, and it probably won't fit.
I have the UMI.
The red one is a photo from there site.
You can add the sticker if you want.
I prefer the it in black without the sticker and its a "VERY" strong piece.
The stock unit is not even in the same class and is why I replaced it.
Last edited by Ron U.S.M.C.; 05-09-2017 at 09:34 PM.
A lot of times it isn't their fault. The problem lies with the "production tolerances" at the GM factories.
BTW,I have the TDS wonderbars on both of my cars. Quality parts. Fitment and installation was a breeze.
That doesn't explain why the aero spoilers they reproduce don't look exactly or fit exactly like the originals,and I have found that to be the case with emblems and numerous other interior and exterior pieces as well.
I am glad to hear that the TDS one fits without modification.
I thought Global West deserved a dishonorable mention. Theirs don't fit and they don't stand behind their 30 day warranty. Global West junk Wonder Bar holes don't line up and hit other bolts on the chasis
Look at the WIDE slots on a stock wonderbar. Most of these aftermarket parts have much tighter tolerances and with that they're going to require more tinkering to make them fit. Factor in 30 years of abuse from driving, who's to say the car is still within production specs?
06-18-2007, 10:36 PM
TDS also has an extra mounting point on each end , tieing things together better . IMO . 
