Tried a search but got no great hits. Any thoughts on strut bars? Are they worthwhile? Are they all made the same, I see they range in price from $30 to $150 dollars.

I already have a rear Fsport sway but was looking for something in the front--and was told the front sway was a waste of time. Is the strut bar a better option?

Thanks

 

More for aesthetic reasons. JUN-TW, GT-Spec, and a generic chrome eBay one seem to be the common ones.

I didn't really feel any difference when I put mine in

 

^^^^^ This seems to be the general consensus on CL. They have more of a placebo affect while driving, in reality they are pretty much just for show for ISx50's.

 

i think strut bars dont make much difference but i think the front sway bar is worth it

 

Forget the brace I want those engine covers!

 

I got a GT Spec to go with my sways, F Sport chassis brace, and other under braces. Probably more for looks. Cusco makes a front and rear also.

 

GT Spec i think is the best one unfortunitely when i was ordering mine it was on back order so i ended up getting the Ultra Racing strut bar.

 

The Ultra Racing bar actually appears to be the stiffest one, as it is one solid welded piece with no joints.

 

Since it's a cosmetic mod I'd probably just go with whatever one a person thinks looks better and fits with any other mods they have under-hood

I'd bet money if we did a blind A/B test with and without a strut bar you'd get identical times around any given track, let alone comparing performance differences between different bars.

 

Every mod on this car is cosmetic unless you really get into stiffening the suspension.

 

ultra racing or gt spec cant go wrong with either one......

 

looks amazing!!!

 

The F-sport sways make a significant, noticeable, handling improvement.... you can take sharper corners, faster and flatter, as opposed to the strut bar which is just for looks.

Likewise the +hp mods, do at least produce measurable, if very minor, gains, again unlike the strut bar.

 

Between strut bars, chassis braces, and sway bars, sway bars are the only ones I could actually feel. Everything else is pretty much cosmetic.

 

Strut bars have a negligible effect on our cars. Remember strut tower bars are designed for cars that use struts. Our cars are a double wishbone design in the front and therefore use shocks, not struts.

The most basic way to understand the difference is struts is the structure of the suspension and directly affects the geometry of the suspension. Double wishbone designs use shocks and the wishbones are the structure and geometry while the shock is not. Thus when we look at a car like some WRX's, the strut actually absorbs the forces and holds the "shape" of the suspension. Thus when you hit a bump, structurally, the entire strut takes the hit and sends it up to the chassis where your top nuts are. Thus the top of your towers can potentially flex. This is where a strut bar can be useful.

On our cars, when you hit a bump for example, the brunt is taken by the wishbones and thus the force doesn't cause much flex if any. The shock and spring simply absorb what it can.

Thus strut bars are all simply extra sprung weight on our cars. But it sure does look fancy