The Vibe MatrixThe Simplest, Single Greatest Mod of All Time!

Just about a year ago, if you had told us this strut tower brace would improve handling and driving over bumps, we would’ve sent you back to Pep Boys to return it.

You already know what it is, and probably already have one on your Vibe, Matrix or Hot Hatch… BUT, if you don’t, we must loudly make the case for the addition of a strut tower brace in every car you drive. Ours is by DC, specifically a DC Sports CSB1402 Gunmetal Carbon Steel Front Strut Bar, which is slightly more expensive, but matched our Vibe’s paint perfectly and looked more factory-supplied than the run-of-the-mill anodized E-bay stuff. We list the myriad of reasons why below:

BEFORE: Outside of the factory-installed supercharger, there’s nothing to see here. Move along.

It’s Cheap!

E-bay lists a chinese strut tower brace for practically EVERY car, at the magical price of roughly $30. Because it was a gift, we asked for the $100-dollar-dealio from DC.

AFTER: It looks like it coulda been there the whole stinkin’ time!

It’s Easy to Install

Bada-boom, bada-bing! We had a Christmas party to rush off to, but wanted to try out our early Xmas present on the way. Four bolts were all that was stopping us. 15 mins later, we were one and done and sipping eggnog.

It’ll Slow Your Roll

Even in a 2700lb motorized egg-mobile, body roll can be an issue. Upon installation of our new DC strut tower brace, carving-up Kentucky sidewinders on a road trip from Chicago to F-L-A proved no problem. It had never been perceived as such until this installation, where we would normally tackle hairpins at 60-80 mph our speed was now well above the 100 mph mark on the same interstate stretches.

The Bump Stops Here

Our Vibe rolls in Chicago and serves as our year-round (but especially winter) beater. Two things winter brings every year without fail are snow and potholes. Going over them before meant new fillings in your mouth, now it’s like a Bentley suspension underneath.

The Science Behind the Strut

We watched this video after installation (thanks Matt) and perfectly understood the science behind the strut tower brace as we sailed through switchbacks in Kentucky. Now, you can too!