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

[Blk95gs]

i have heard that upper strut bars arent that helpful...is this true at all?

 

[KRAZYKOREAN]

Well they do to a extent, its not bad to have one, its just the ones that adjust, can get lose and adjust itself because of the vibration if you were to get one I would get the one from RRE http://www.roadraceengineering.com/eclsuspension.htm

 

[98TalonESI]

hey thanks alot i appreciate it.

 

[talon614]

If you really want somthing that you will notice right away and it takes about 15 mins to install..... get the RRE front lower stress bar!! amazing.. i think it hangs down kinda low( I have scraped it a few times) but thats my only complaint.

 

[laserturbo91]

Originally posted by Blk95gs
i have heard that upper strut bars arent that helpful...is this true at all?

my dad said in his talon it helped torque steer alot. i wish i had his... oh well. thats my 2cents

 

[Injenpwr]

I'm in the market for a front upper strut bar, rear upper strut bar and possibly a rear lower, but i'm not sure which manufacturers are good or not, and if they're worth the extra money. Here on the ones i'm looking at so far:

Hayame front upper strut bar - (real BEEFY, looks aggressive, fell in love with it.)

Freedom Design front upper strut bar - (guy has it on his 2002 Suburu, so i figure its got to be good, but i'm not sure)

And then there's Pilot (rear upper and lower) - (don't know about it, but see it in a lot of ads for APC, so who knows)

I appreciate any help and info from any body . . . even your opinions will help me out a ton on making this decision.

Thank You!!!

Niki

 

[focusedrage]

get it from a shop, and make sure it is made for your car not like that univarsal shat they sell like apc and what not, the ones that are flat bars do nothing either, i have heard nothing but good things about the extreme bars if you were handy you could always build your own

 

[Injenpwr]

I went to 2 local shops in the past two days and that's where i got all this info from, so do you think the Hayame would be better than the Freedom Design?

 

[Defiant]

No significant difference in function. The $12 ones from eBay work just fine. The rest is for showing off. How pretty can you afford to be?

Many other posts stress the importance of "compressing" the bar on installation, making sure it's tightend -outward- as far as possible; some claim a big difference in this over "tension" mounting, or just adjusting to fit. I don't see the 1/16" making much difference unless you have flexless tires.

 

[Injenpwr]

Well, the Hayame definately has the looks. But the way it is setup, is that it is one straight peice of metal (light-weight aluminum used on airplanes) with no places for flex to be possible. Just striaght from one side to the other, and its really thick. So it looks like its heavy-duty stuff.($190 for it).
But i suppose for my car, i really don't need anything like that.
But what are your thoughts on the Freedom Design one and the Pilot ones?

Thanks so much!
Niki

I have an IM name if it would be easier to discuss about *HighRevving*

 

[SoCaliEclipse]

Originally posted by djpast
http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~cheston/stb.html




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

I have the RRE non-adjustable and I think its just as good as an adjustable one. The nice thing is that I dont have settings to worry about. But it is sized to push them out anyway. You can't put it on with the car on the ground, you need to jack it up to relieve the tension from the top of the struts.

cait sith....trust me they DO benefit...a few weeks ago I took mine off just to see if it made the difference I thought it did and sure enough....
not only did i have less understeer, but the car was flatter and i could ultimately take a 90degree right hander about 7mph faster on average...thats enough of a difference for me

Regards,
Brian

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

wow this thread is back from the dead..

anyways.. someone care to take a pic of their adjustable strut bar on how the bolts are suppose to be the correct way? that page didnt do any justice..

 

[Tallen]

you guys didnt know this? ever wonder why ur tires might be worn on the insides? now u know!

 

[ECLIPSE4x4]

Originally posted by Tallen
you guys didnt know this? ever wonder why ur tires might be worn on the insides? now u know!

I do NOT agree that this has to do with your tires being worn on the inside. A propper strut bar decreases body roll in turns. It does nothing in straight lines (where you do most driving)

Toe and also negative camber wears out tires on the inside.

 

[DaveDSM]

Originally posted by ECLIPSE4x4


I do NOT agree that this has to do with your tires being worn on the inside. A propper strut bar decreases body roll in turns. It does nothing in straight lines (where you do most driving)

Toe and also negative camber wears out tires on the inside.

What he said..if your tire wear is abnormal, check your alignment....

 

[djpast]

holy dead thread!

 

[dudasd]

And here I thought that Strut bars are supposed to stiffen the chassis not make suspension geometry changes. The whole point in them is to keep the body roll down and keep the chassis from flexing.

 

[DaveDSM]

Originally posted by dudasd
And here I thought that Strut bars are supposed to stiffen the chassis not make suspension geometry changes. The whole point in them is to keep the body roll down and keep the chassis from flexing.

yes and no. geometry plays a part in just how much the strut bar is able to reduce chasis flex, which i think is what was being said. a true strut bar would triangulate into the firewall for maximum rigidity, which would involve making a geometry change by reinforcing the towers to the firewall.

 

[Spidey]

I still don't get it either, is it just tightening the nuts outwards or what?

 

[djpast]

yes... basically so that its pushing out pressure, instead of pullin in. some ppl say they saw no difference, alot of ppl PMed saying that they did notice a difference.... i know my suspension was a lot tigher even over bumps and such with this setup.

 

[madeagle]

Just what it says in the subject.

 

[Dieselboy]

Yes (any supsension bar for increased chassis ridgity helps).

 

[madeagle]

how much more ridgit is it going to get?
Thanks.

 

[ProStreetOnline]

If you plan on getting a roll cage or bar later, then don't waste your money.

Otherwise, they are inexpensive, and worth it.

 

[madeagle]

No, I am not going to do anything that extreme, plus I can get one used for seems like a good price. What componies are good, or they are about all the same?