Ok, after doing a lot of searching, I'm under the impression that washers defeat the point of a strut brace, but I'm wondering what a strut brace actually does, and for those of you who have one, how much of a difference it makes. If it really makes a big difference, does somebody still make those plates and where can ya get em?

Thanks!

 

If you're planning on just adding a strut bar, you should feel some minimal difference in terms of tighter handling, but to get the full effect you'd have to combine it with coilovers or at least lowering springs.

For the custom made plates you'd have to ask Lexkost...he's the man to go to.

 

i got the plates that lexkost put on mine.. And I feel a difference over bumps... the steering wheel is firm and doesnt bounce around from pot holes etc.... i mean the bar is only 20 bucks, and get the washers from lexkost..

 

Persian, you do have your car dropped and have KYB's and your car dropped. . . my suspension is completely stock. According to BR1AN, I'm probably not going to see a huge difference. $20 is nothin, I'm just wondering if it's even worth the effort with my stock setup.

 

well, yes i do have my car dropped.. but you could try it.. the effort is not a lot.. hehe, maybe you could experiment and if it doesnt work out, let everyone know about who has a stock setup

 

I think I will try it. Do you just use a regular ol' wrench to get those bolts off or am I gonna need something stronger? And do they need to be put back to a specific torque?

 

umm PM Lexkost, he knows the specifics

 

What plates are you guys talking about?

 

Spacer plates to raise the bar so that it clears the engine.

 

I can't contact Lexkost either, but I did find another adaptor plate which will work fine. The SC300's have clearance issues as well, and use the same strut brace. Some of them have opted for this piece:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...threadid=81300

 

That will not work to thin...............I just PMed you.

Also is the bar that you bought does it have a slight bend at the ends about 3-4"s in.............Because thats the type you need for clearance?

 

I finally got some time to mess with this and installed mine today. I'd cut the spacers and installed the mounts a spell back but because I bought the straight bar, I needed to bend it. This bar didn't bend as easily as I first thought so I had to improvise a bit.

Would up wedging the bar between a step and the hot water heater safety pole in the garage to hold it stationary. USing a scissor jack I was able to apply the necessary force to set a bend. I started with a floor jack but it didn't like being positioned on it's side and the fluid did not flow through the valve properly. With the scissors jack, it bent it but I was not very accurate in how many turns I applied...one side got a bit more bend than the other. Maybe 1/4" or so.

Here it is:

 

looking good

 

In my prior attempts to bend it, I ruined the high polished finish. After cleaning up the dings I rubbed the bar with 3M Scotch Brite coarse (gray pad) to give it a satin finish. Here is a shot of how much clearance I have between the cover and STB:

 

Clearance ground out for the master cylinder brake plunger assembly: