I've read of folks installing rear strut tower braces but it looks like the sheet metal between the tops of the shocks should be pretty rigid. Can someone explain how much difference a brace makes and why?
Thanks.

 

I'm unsure what a rear STB is. An STB fits in front of the strut mounts and eliminates flex in the unibody. Without after market strut mounts, however, which eliminates the rubber in OE mounts, the STB's effectiveness is limited.

EDIT: It occurs to me that you may be speaking about the rear of the car, not the front.

JamesC

 

I don't think it'll make much difference for a thirdgen. Its just shocks there.

 

Sort of what I thought. If the back has been weakened by cutting a hole to get to the tank I could see it if the hole wasn't welded back up but otherwise I don't see it making a significant difference.

 

Yeah, there really isn't any side loading there at all. Almost ALL of the side loading force would be on the panhard bar points. Which ALREADY has a upper panhard bar brace. You could replace the upper with a stronger piece if you had flex, or suspected it. But adding a rear STB wouldn't work, we don't exactly have rear strut towers.