So after a little research, I've seen that there are 3 choices for a steering brace.
Defiant, Solid Steel, Bd.
Am I missing anybody else, and who has the best price on these?
thanks

 

PSC makes one. I think that it is a little cheaper than the others. Get it directly from PSC. http://www.pscmotorsports.com/dodge-...-c-98_100.html

 

Defiant has them for $184

 

Thanks guys,
I bought the PSC for $140 off ebay. It will be here today. I called around to see if anybody would give me a discount or free shipping and nobody would bite so I went the ebay route.
I figured that Summit racing has the BD in stock for $213 (which is discounted), so if I was going to pay full retail+ ship for the others, I'd rather just drive 40 minutes to Summit and get the BD one.

 

Has anyone noticed a real difference after adding one of these? I have a ton of play in my steering (9" lift 37" tires) and have bounced the idea around just not sure if I will see any improvement or not.

 

It seem to tighten my steering up after adding the defiant one. I have a lot less drift and road wonder.

 

I'm pretty sure the defiant utilizes flat plate, whereas the DSS, Solid Steel, BD, and others use a boxed square tube design for better bracing.

--Eric

 

Defiant does use a flat plate but it has worked great for me and let me use my drop blocks.

 

I Had A Defiant On My Old Truck. Noticed A Decent Amount Of "flex" Form The Brace When It Was Installed. I Guess It Helped A Little Bit But I Wasnt Like Wow 200 Bucks Well Spent.

 

This is a good observation, however all the square tube braces utilize the same flat plate to transition the mounting point.
The brace is only as strong as its weekest link, I would think you would experience the same flex.
I did order the square tube brace, however the flat brace wan't ruled out because of this, and in fact looks to be a cleaner install.

 

I believe the Defiant is tops from every standpoint - engineering, installation and cosmetic. The steering flex it is designed to address is in the horizontal axis, so strengthwise it is actually stronger across that axis from an engineering perspective, being much thicker than the box tube stock. And as mentioned, it is a cleaner, better looking install.

 

Hmmm, maybe...but I'd be a little skeptical. I guess to be technical about it, someone could run a finite element analysis on each design; however, the span from frame rail to frame rail is significant enough that I bet the flat bar deflects some in the vertical plane.

True, flat bar has strength, but only if it stays perfectly in the plane that force is being exerted in. Unless the distance is very short, there's almost always more strength in using angle (good), channel (better), or I-beam and tubing (best).

While a chain may only be as strong as the weakest link, the same does not apply to something like this brace. That's the whole point of FEAs and other design software...to calculate the places of highest stress/strain. Then, it these areas, the design will incorporate thicker material, different design, bracing, etc. There are thousands of examples of this, a double-butted bicycle frame being one.

I do know that there is alot more going on with either style brace than just resisting movement in the horizontal plane. It may suprise some how much "twisting" of the frame rails exists in off camber situations... I know I was!

--Eric

 

When you engineer types come to a solid conclusion about which is the best way to go, let me know. I've been putting off buying a steering brace because I've already had frame problems at 30,000 miles and the dealer welded my frame around the steering box. I'm afraid if I put one on prior to the warranty expiring it may mask a problem. I want the problems to rear their ugly heads while I'm under warranty (expires 11/2010). Does this sound like a reasonable plan, or am I being paranoid?

Please respond in English. I can't understand the elevated language some of you are using (although I have flown on "planes" before).

 

It's rolled up a half inch clear across the front edge, which basicallly equates to a big, honkin' chunk 'o 1/4" angle.
And since any steering brace design just bolts in on the stabilizer mount at the bottom of the frame, none of them are capable of doing much of anything for that!

 

I have the Defiant brace also. There's definitely less "over correcting" to keep the truck tracking straight. and the steering wheel actually returns to center on it's own after corning with out my assistance