What strut bars are you guys using?

[craz azn]

I know I don't feel a difference with a strut bar in my track car, on the track, pulling ~1g, with solid bushings and r-comps. How people can feel their chassis flexing, on the street with soft street tires and flexy bushings, is beyond me. I wish my hands were that sensitive, I think I'd be a better driver

Haha, +1!

I think the only reason I might put a strut bar in is to try and stop chassis flex. These damn cars are getting old... factor in rust, high mileage, etc... they tend to get fatigued.

The other problem is with all the bends in these bars, they just flex there! Kinda useless. I'd like to see a custom made bar that is straight across... I remember years ago at a WGI BMWCCA driving school, I saw a red E30 hit the inside of turn one. The car's front end got kinda squished sideways and the strut bar (Racing Dynamics bar IIRC) just popped up into the hood! That convinced me they were rather useless.

[kishg]

sparco.

[peteb3]

Racing Dynamics front and rear

[Sagaris]

IE, its awesome!

steering feels different, turn in feels sharper. Anyone who tells you a strut brace doesnt do anything either hasnt installed one, or has an aluminum brace with pivots. The benefits have been the same and satisfaction has been achieved on every car I have installed one on. It is my favorite cheap mod.

[JGood]

IE, its awesome!

steering feels different, turn in feels sharper. Anyone who tells you a strut brace doesnt do anything either hasnt installed one, or has an aluminum brace with pivots. The benefits have been the same and satisfaction has been achieved on every car I have installed one on. It is my favorite cheap mod.

See post#15. I have a Sparco. IE = Sparco. Think about the physics of what is happening, and terms like "turning in sharper" don't really make sense anymore when discussing strut bars. Not saying they don't have a purpose, but to feel effects like that on a street car is just placebo effect, IMO.

The bars with pivots will have the same effect as non-pivoted bars, due to the direction of the stresses that have any relevance to strut tower movement. Just from what I understand about physics, of course.

I'd think the toe, camber, caster, CAB material and geometry, and tire type would have a LOT more to do with those things then trying to control movement of a strut tower by attaching it to the other strut tower.

[JJe30]

I have a Sparco

[YetiX]

I have a Racing Dynamics bar. Definitely made a difference in handling.

[Todd Black 88]

I didn't notice the difference in handling when i installed my front bar, but i did notice the absence of all the squeeks i used to have in the car before the bar was installed.

It must be doing something.

[DREWHALL]

Yeah when I've put them on my cars I didn't notice that my car felt like a race car, just felt more solid. Never really noticed a huge difference with the rear bars in any cars except my 97 GTI. That seemed to stiffen it up a little bit. That said I think a strut bar will be one of the later things I do to my car.

[ak-]

I felt the difference of my rear bar only when backing in or out of my driveway diagonally to avoiding lip destruction.
It doesn't feel like the rear window is going to shatter from rear flex anymore. Just solid.

My front adjustable strut bar made a difference as well. Turn-in is more sharper/solid now.

[mcskibadee1]

I had a crack in my drivers side strut tower and had it professionally repaired recently. I wanted to know if a strut brace would be a good idea to help prevent this sort of thing?
Crack in tower

[gearheadE30]

It would certainly help, but I think you will probably find that the issue comes from rust from water trapped under the seam sealer rather than from an inadequate design.


I have a mason design bar, and I think it is fantastic with the very notable exception of not being able to adjust the camber plates without taking it off. With GCs, bars, and bilsteins, I can feel a difference with and without the bar, but it is pretty small. That said, I had a squeak in the dash from something rubbing, especially over torsional loading bumps, and I can repeatably make it come back and go away by installing and uninstalling the bar. I guess that means it has to be helping somewhere, right? haha

[Holland]

Have a RD bar but plan on getting a sparco bar.

[Philo]

My car feels exactly like an F1 car with my strut bar installed. I can feel it.

[robgoesvroom]

lol at the name rongineer