What if any mods are effective for reducing cowl shake. Would a stb help? Would upgraded sway bars reduce it or make it more pronounced? Any ideas?

 

What do you mean by "cowl shake?"

 

+1, I have a convertible and I don't know what that means?


FTR, I do have a STB. To be honest I'm not sure what benefit (if any) it actually gave the car, but it looked cool. You can find them cheep.

 

Cowl shake is when the dash kinda shimmies and shakes in a convertible. Since it's missing a major brace (hardtop fixed roof) there is a lot more flex. Obviously it's more pronounced over certain surfaces. I got this little area I cross everyday. The paving is horrible and its on a slow turn it is especially bad on that surface. Those with verts get a ride in coupe. Those with a coupe ride in a vert. You will find someplace where you feel a difference. That's cowl shake. If you have a STB and do not know what cowl shake is I am guessing that it must offer some help.

 

LOL, I'm sorry, I was being a bit of a smart a** in my post. I do know the definition of cowl shake. I owned a 2002 convertible before this one (with no STB), and ran mine a year before I got the STB. I'll be honest, I didn't see any difference with before/after. That being said, the pavement here in SoCal where I live isn't that bad and I don't do the "canyon carving" that the buff books all talk about, so maybe I just wasn't in a situation where the benefit would have been more apparent.


That being said, I'd start with the STB first. Check with eBay's Saleen store, sometimes they have some pretty good deals on takeoffs, although parts for our generation 'Stang are starting to dwindle.


The swaybar bushings might be another place to look, are yours aged? How are your struts?

 

Thanks for the reply. The car is low miles. That doesn't mean things are not worn they are 10 years old. I will keep your ideas in mind. If you saw the road i'm talking about. My other vehicles don't handle it well either. I would not say the cowl shake is especially bad or something that seems wrong but it is vert and it exists. Any reduction would be good.

 

Wow! I have had 2 Mustang convertibles, both 2010 and never had this problem. Rattles drive me nuts so I would have heard it by now. Only rattle I keep getting is the one where the top latches to the windshield. It gets worse the colder it gets. Good luck fixing it though!

 

I would thing SFC's would be your best option then. The factory convertible bracing is a joke.

 

SFC's? What are they?

 

Sub Frame Connectors. These cars (coupes) are pretty stiff, that is why most people don't see a benefit for these along with STB's (Strut Tower Brace) until you start lifting the wheels off the ground. But in the OP's case where structural rigidity is compromised by not having a roof, the factory adds some bracing under the car to help but they are pretty thin stamped metal struts that I don't think do **** except get in the way. If you want to make the car more rigid, SFC's are the way to go. And weld them in, even if they are the bolt up ones.