I was wondering if strut tower bars really serve any significant, if at all, purpose. I'm thinking of buying one just for the hell of it but not sure if it's top priority because i get both groups of people saying that it helps with the suspension or it's dosen't really help much, just sounds nice. I will be installing springs and shocks before this mod is made. I was just worndering if anyone could fill me up on the science in having a strut tower bar.

 

Even my non-enthusiast wife noticed a difference when I put one on my 91GXE w/ no other mods besides shocks.

The FSTB in particular significantly reduces any body flex that would otherwise occur during hard cornering. In effect it completes the 'box'. If you think of the front axle as the bottom part of a box and the struts as the sides of the box, the FSTB becomes the top of the box, which add rigidity to the whole thing. A rigid 'box' makes the front end stay more parellel to the ground. When a tire is sqare with the road, it can do a better job of gripping it since more tread is in contact with it.

This is considered by many to be the best 'bang for the buck' mod since it'll only cost you about $65 but makes such a noticable difference in handling.

You can usually find a used one on this BBS so try it, you'll like it. And it will be a nice compliment to your spring/strut upgrade along with any wheel/tire upgrades.

Jim

Jim

 

do everything at once. but if you wanna go by usefulness and just bars, i say the sway bar would be very noticable fromwhat i heard an the strut bar seems more of a mental "i feel it" but it's a good thing to have, prolongs your chassis. but be careful, if you make all your suspension wayy to stiff you're gonna end up having your struts bust through your hood when you hit a pot hole.

 

While I agree that it is cheaper to do the struts & springs at the same time to save on the double labor, I don't think it's necessary or desirable to do all susp. mods (wheels/tires, FSTB, RSB, RSTB) at the same time unless you're hell-bent on getting the best handling possible and don't care how rough the ride gets. IMO, do things in phases and be sure that the ride was still comfy enough for you instead of going all out. Most of these things can be found used on this BBS at one time or another so it could save you some money to wait.

Jim

 

hell, whether it helps a lot or a lil, i think its worth it. i got mine for 35 bucks from http://www.streetbeatcustoms.com.

 

You and that ghetto installation... LOL

 

hey, it fits the 4th gen just fine, as its supposed to. just gotta be ghetto rigged on a 2k just like the courtesy

 

tell you what, after the STB installation, i was NOT able to take the same ramp at any higher speed than i used to take without STB, whgat do you think?

 

since the stb doesn't work like anything close to a miracle and doesn't make the affect the suspension adversly, it must be your tires. what i've noticed on my car is when i first got it the tires were real nice and sticky, now even tho it has a whole lot of tread left it's not as grippy and starts to squeal when i rip thru turns. i check my tire pressure regularly.

 

sure back then my stock tires sucked, but the point is that adding STB didn't help while everything else stayed the same.

 

didn't make a HUGE improvement, but a noticeable improvement under certain circumstances. For instance, taking even a minor curve that is bumpy, the car stayed planted better and kept it's line better with less yaw motion. It inspired more confidence in the handling of the car, which IS an important to a well-handling car. I never thought the FSTB increased the ultimate traction nor the ultimate handling capabilities of the car, just made it more stable and more solid. Not a huge improvement, but noticable and easily worth the dirt-cheap $75ish Courtesy price. Win-win modification (which is rare).

 

how different is the 4th gen stb from the 5th?? they like 15 bucks here in taiwan.. (US) should i just get it??? i dont' wanna drill new holes in my car to mount them tho. i wanna b able to have a direct bolt on.