Cusco Strut Tower Brace Type-OS Quick Release Clamps

makes working on car easier

Easy to install and beats removing all the bolts

Makes it fast and easy to remove my rear strut brace if needed!

Recently added this to my 2011 STi for ease of maintenance under the hood. I really want to like this tool free kit for the Cusco strut tower bar. Overall it is well constructed - the blue parts appear to be made of e extremely lightweight anodized aircraft grade aluminum, and the same goes for the hooks/latches. The rod/bolt in the center appears to be made of either a lightweight stainless steel, or perhaps a slightly heavier grade of aluminum than the parts on the ends. The one weak point I see is the black plastic "bearings" that allow the latches to swivel and close; these are thinner than I would expect, and without knowing exactly what type of plastic they are made of, leave me with slight concerns about their longevity.

Then comes the overall solidity of the solution. Even getting the nuts as tight as possible while still allowing the hook to close without having to use a hammer, if I use a significant amount of elbow grease, I can get the tower bar to move by about 1mm just with my bare hands (and I'm just a little guy at 5ft 8in and 140lbs). Since the purpose of the strut tower bar is to lock the top of the struts in place from moving laterally, UNDER THE STRESS OF HARD CORNERING, I have slight concerns that these tool-free bolts are going to defeat any effects that the strut tower bar is designed to provide. Furthermore, due to the aluminum construction and the fact that the blue collared nuts are actually thinner than the steel washers that came with the stock heavy duty steel hardware, I'm hesitant to really crank things down for fear of breaking or stripping the aluminum threads.

I have yet to do any measurements (i.e., markings where the hardware connects to the bar, go for spirited drive, then examine for movement after), but given that I can get movement (not "play" - movement of the bar by about 1mm with a LOT of manual effort by hand), I can confirm without a doubt that this solution is NOT as solid as the stock hardware.

That said... I personally did not see a huge difference when adding the front strut tower bar; perhaps things felt a little stiffer and steering became slightly less soggy, while also increasing the AWD understeer by a miniscule amount, which is expected because of the increased stiffness (not an issue for me as I know how this car handles and I know how to brake late and exit early like you're supposed to in the STi). So I don't think it's going to truly have any negative impact on performance.

Things I would like to see from Cusco for this kit:
- Thicker nuts with thicker collars for peace of mind.
- Thicker or visibly higher quality plastic "bearings" for the movement surfaces underneath the locking latch / hook.
- Better overall "fit and finish" of the center bolt/pin - I understand there needs to be some wiggle room here due to slight differences between cars, but the fact that I can physically move the bar after it has been latched and "secured" suggests that this solution is either lacking in the fitment of the pin, the design of the latching mechanism, or both.

Final Thoughts
Overall, I'm not disappointed in this solution. But I did expect just a little bit more for paying such a "premium" over the stock hardware for this strut tower bar, especially since the stock steel nut and bolt solution was rock solid. Given the fact that the front strut tower bar only added a slight bit to steering feel and handling, the ability to quickly remove it without having to break out a wrench and hex key, is probably written the compromise.

Notes for anyone wondering:
- This kit DOES work as advertised, letting you remove the Cusco Type-OS strut tower bar quickly and tool-free.
- It does feel REASONABLY secure when latched, though see above.
- The IAG V3 Street AOS (IAG-ENG-7186) for the 2008-2021 STi *does* fit under the Type-OS strut tower bar without issue (at least on the 08-14 STi).
- For me, the front strut tower bar has a effect on handling, however, the rear strut tower bar REALLY made the back end feel more solid, and more "at my command". I have Cusco Type-OS both front and rear on my 2011 STi.
- I wouldn't call this kit a "must have", but it DEFINITELY makes it easier to get the strut tower bar out so you can remove your intercooler quickly when working under the hood. If that's your goal, and you're like me and less concerned about an added 1mm of potential play in your strut towers, then this kit is worth the money.

Just be sure to hold onto the stock hardware that came with the Type-OS - just in case.