One of the bolts fell off my strut bar so I was riding around for a day without it on and the car felt so different. It was swaying heavily, the steering was very loose, and the car was not very confident around sharp turns. I was so happy when I put it back on today. It is definitely worth the $35. Also, the reason one of my bolts fell off was because I didn't tighten it enough so make sure you tighten it as much as possible. I've also noticed it seems even stiffer and handles better now that the bolt is tighter so maybe those who don't notice a difference don't have it installed right.

 

Probably just a placebo effect. One bolt SHOULDN'T make that much of a difference since there are 5 more holding it tight. I'm guessing that after putting it back on you went over all the other bolts and tightenned them too?

 

I disagree Big D. Although I have no proof, I would think that one missing bolt forces the other two to absorb all the forces exerted in that strut housing, which the system was not made to withstand. In addition, the fact that one is missing probably means that the entire housing can move. This would most likely make the car very unstable.

Taking one small component of the suspension out could make everything work incorrectly. Personally, I wouldn't even drive the car until that bolt is replaced. You wouldn't drive with 3 or 4 lug nuts on a rim, would you? Same logic. Its a bolt, replace it. Later

 

3 bolts or 1 bolt holding it down makes no difference. The extra 2 bolts are just there to distribute the force, which would otherwise be on 1 bolt's a$$. This has no effect whatsoever, except that with 1 bolt holding it down the FSTB may simply suffer damage.

 

Ya!!! Make sure to torque the bolts down as tight as possible so when you have to make fast sharp turns you shear the bolts right off your strut & your wheels fold underneath the car and you tear off your oil pan when your chassis smacks the ground after it drop's out of the sky from when you went airborne. Jus playin...........

 

what are you supposed to torque the bolts to? isnt it somethin like 25 ft/lb.?

 

30-32 .

 

Are you talking about one of the actual strut mount bolts, or a bolt ON the strut bar itself? If the bar itself fell apart, it would be basically like not having one at all. I think that's what your talking about, eh?

 

I think he means a strut mount bolt and in that case guido32 would probably be on the right track. The strut assembly being loose would make a big change in performance. And loke guido32, I wouldn't drive the car without it. If it was a bolt on another part of the bar, he probably wouldn't notice. Strut tower bars don't make much of a difference if any at all. I've said this before, if our cars really "flexed" the way some people (the ones who by a FSTB for 'performance' gains) think they do, our cars would be sloppy pieces of junk in a few of years of use. Yes, I know cars do flex. Anyone ever ride in the back of a pick-up truck and stick your hand between the bed and the cab to hold on. Ouch. That, however, is different than the engine bay.

 

I read it as he had taken the fstb FULLY off while he sourced a new bolt...?

In that case he would definitely have felt a difference.

 

Sorry I wasn't clear about it but it was the bolt that attaches the bar itself to the claw with the 3 bolts that attaches to the strut that came off so basically the strut bar wasn't doing anything. Luckily it didn't damage anything being loose

 

The FSTB doesn't really do anything anyway. It just helps with a little torque steer. It will not help you in turns....that is the RSB.
Trust me, the RSB is 200% better.

 

I could be just talking out my a$$, but this is how it was explained to me, also from my own personal experience. Strut Tower Bars do help eliminate what little chassis flex there is durning STEERING, not cornering (i.e., driving on the highway and changing lanes). If you want to improve your cornering then you need to eliminate body roll which is totally different. For that you need anti-sway bars. Can anyone shed more light on this?

 

uhhhh......I just said that same thing in post #12 ^^^^^

 

Well......not really. You said the ONLY thing they do is help with torque steer. He said they minimize chassis flex (which is true). I can't imagine a FSTB would have any effect on torque steer, which is caused by the car having a problem putting power (torque) down to both front wheels evenly and results in the car pulling to the side under hard acceleration.
FSTBs are a great/cheap mod if you have realistic expectations going in. If you are aware of the chassis flex in your car (in my case, a jiggly feeling over rough roads), the FSTB WILL help the car feel more solid and let the suspension do its thing. It will not: help your body stop leaning in the corners, reduce torque steer (I've never heard of this, but I can't imagine how they'd help), or otherwise make your car corner like a Ferrari. If you want to reduce torque steer, add a LSD. If you want to lean less in the corners, you can lower your car with firmer springs (with upgraded shocks for controlling those springs) and/or you can add a RSB.
Don't expect the FSTB to do things it was never designed to do, and you won't be dissapointed in this very inexpensive mod.

 

Funny thing about this thread?

The other night I had a dream about fabricating my own strut tower brace that would double as a sneaky pete type nitrous bottle. I figured it would probably be just big enough to make it down the track with a 50 shot & the other good thing would be since it's already under the hood, there would be little need for a bottle warmer. Let me know if you guy's think's it a good idea & if you think something like this would sell? Maybe I'll fab something up & take some pictures. Oh ya, don't go stealing my idea, unless you plan on kickin down some deniero & being a buisness partner?

 

get a RSB and then youll REALLY see a big diff is handling. best 90 bucks i've spent on my car so far.

 

I'm planning on getting springs and struts this summer and I've heard that in that case the RSB won't help that much and can actually cause you to lose control of the car more easily.

 

rsb is not all that it's cracked up to be, i noticed no real difference after adjusting it in all ways possible, i am even considering taking mine off to get some money for it. honestly i believe the RSB's performance is minimal because of the rear beam suspension that we have... anyways thats a whole different topic