Proper intallation and function of strut tower bars [Merged 1-7]

[djpast]

funny thing is, when i was working at a performance shop, every car i did a strut bar for, i did that too :rollseyes: i just took the car out today agian, still feels better

 

[lowridin2g]

just wanna say, i just fixed my front and rear, big difference. alot stiffer and def. for the better. thanks alot man.

 

[RaysTsi]

Dam, Who alse feels not so bright?.....

 

[djpast]

hey man, if i helped one person thats all that matters... strange how such a lil thing can make a difference

 

[norcal-nonturbo]

i didnt think of pulling the struts together, i pushed mine apart to start with. did it create understeer or just not do anything?
-Jeff

 

[Earl Lee]

haha, can we get a owned pic please!

 

[McGruffAWD]

altho i dont have one yet i plan on getting one..and putting it on the right way. I cant believe that many people have it wrong.

 

[ECLIPSE4x4]

I put my bar on while the car was jacked.

 

[ECLIPSE4x4]

I think this should be moved to the suspension section..

 

[2-0turbo]

DJpast, I am not convinced. Mind sharing what "articles" you were reading through? Honestly, strut tower braces are limited in their capabilities. I have one on my car and I can tell the difference, but it is a bolted/pinned connection that cannot typically transmit any moment loads. To be beneficial, you really need to tie it into the firewall (which I know is not legal in certain SCCA classes). A stock car has an open section--you manage to close the section with the strut tower brace, but you are still left with a parallelogram that can shift around without any triangles added (i.e. to the firewall or on a 45* down to the strut tower).

Based on this, I cannot really see any benefit to putting the bar in tension, compression or leaving it neutral. Shouldn't make any difference.

*edit* - Spelling and grammar

 

[cait sith]

What the last guy said.

2G suspensions really don't benefit from strut tower bars anyways, considering their multi-link suspension and all. At most, it may add a tiny bit of chassis/body stiffness, and that's only if they're the welded solid kind.

Sway bars are by far a superior investment to help stop the car from understeering so much.

 

[slowboydlr]

I'm going to have to check mine out tonight. Working outside in a parking lot:laugh:

 

[1998GSX]

i just fixed mine.......damn its cold outside

 

[djpast]

http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~cheston/stb.html

Once they are, EXPAND the bar, so the're a bit snug, by either rotating the strut bar so that the bases get further apart, or removing the brackets and loosening it . You want to have it set farther apart to push the two struts apart, causing more structural rigidity.

and for you non adjustable guys, i dont know what to tell you...

i am trying to find more links, but i never book mark anything so i gotta find em again

 

[wibblersnatch]

Anyone else having trouble adjusting the front one? Mine won't budge.

 

[greyforestgst]

both of mine are put on wrong
i would think that putting it on either way really tight would strengthen everything up, but wtf i'll try hte other way
its just 4 nuts

 

[2-0turbo]

So you based this whole thread on this (from the WWW site you referenced):

You want to have it set farther apart to push the two struts apart, causing more structural rigidity.

The same guys that warns you not to overtighten the nuts for fear of "when you corner hard, you might rip the bolts off".

I don't think it makes any difference how you "adjust" your STB. Have fun.

 

[cait sith]

This guy knows as much about suspension tuning as I do making puff pastry.

 

[djpast]

nope i found quite a few articles that said that... i just didnt book mark them all. i changed mine and it made a difference. *shrug* just thought i would share the info, at least it helped one person out

 

[2-0turbo]

Originally posted by djpast
nope i found quite a few articles that said that... i just didnt book mark them all. i changed mine and it made a difference. *shrug* just thought i would share the info, at least it helped one person out

Okay, I am not pissed at you or anything, I just didn't agree with the conclusion you came to. It was actually interesting, but your topic brought up a lengthy discussion between myself and my co-worker. He is a big car guy and knows A LOT about suspensions (more more than me). We always enjoy discussing technical topics and after reading your post, we discussed this one. We both agreed that it should have no bearing on handling and that the effectiveness of most STB's are limited. Granted, I told you that I could feel a difference with mine--and I can. But, they are limited in what they can do.

So hey, to each his own. Thanks for bringing up a topic to generate discussion.

 

[djpast]

=) totally cool, i just noticed a difference and thought ppl might like to know =) thanx for explaining too

 

[98TalonESI]

I have a front and rear upper adjustable strut bar. i was reading and i have installed these bars about 3 months ago. i came across and article where it says that the nuts to adjust the bar are supposed to be tighted torward the strut. and not the bar. it also says you are to jack the car up and then install the bar. if anyone knows if this is true please let me know. because i did notice when i installed the bars i couldnt tell a difference.

here is how they said they should be

strut)<--bar-->(strut with the bolts pushing torwards the strut.

if anyone can tell me i would appreciate it thanks.

 

[KRAZYKOREAN]

There on now right?

 

[98TalonESI]

yeah but i was jut wondering if that was tru or what

 

[KRAZYKOREAN]

Yeah if it is on, just tighten outwards until its snug don't force it. and thats it.