PDA

View Full Version : New Strut Tower Bar!


ExtremeSi
12-10-2002, 01:39 AM
Here are some amazing pics of my experiment. I could of gone out and bought a $130 Custco rear strut tower bar, but I decided I have better things to do with that money. Instead, I went to Home Depot and bought a 12 foot long 3/4" piece of pipe from the plumbing section for $4.98.
I then drilled a couple holes in my wheel wells right beside my stut towers. I banged the crap out of the ends of the bar with a hammer and fed a bolt through and tightened them up. Here are the results:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid42/pbc18cc9b55d32dfa03633bb48b0a877f/fcf2dca3.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid42/p162e0717affdaec1553eea31eadf2754/fcf2dca4.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid42/p6e4d3db9194716cebf1471e4e8fb8c17/fcf2dca5.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid42/p62e4ff490642770b158ab2d8c08d2bf6/fcf2dbdb.jpg

The results are amazing! I noticed a difference on my first turn. The car turns in so much more now. There is way more oversteer ( a good thing, since it had a lot of understeer). I can take turns so much faster and the rear end just seems to wrap itself around the corner. It's such a nice feeling. I am wondering now if I should make a bar for the front srut towers as well? Since this rear bar increased my oversteer, won't a front brace just tighten up the front end and therefore enduce understeer? I don't want that...but maybe I'll make one anyway just to try and compare.

Andrew

PS See you all at this Wed's 403 meet:D
Ben
12-10-2002, 01:49 AM
nice, those make a pretty decent difference!
Fluidic
12-10-2002, 01:50 AM
HAHAHA... I have to admit... for a ghetto mod... that looks pretty damn good.

Peter
redline_13000
12-10-2002, 02:07 AM
nice job man! costed only 5 bux too!!
boi-alien
12-10-2002, 03:12 AM
i wonder do all luders have a little leo in them?

looks good though
GTS Jeff
12-10-2002, 03:17 AM
omg thats awesome!
szw
12-10-2002, 03:37 AM
Plus, now you have somewhere to hang baby clothes you get from the drycleaners.

nice
BKS8
12-10-2002, 03:57 AM
nice mod. Nice and cheap
James
12-10-2002, 05:21 AM
Sweet! :D i was actually thinking about doing that myself, but wasnt sure what materials to use, or exactly how i would do it before.
MYKN
12-10-2002, 05:46 AM
Is the bar actually bolted to the top of the strut??. i thought the point of the strut bars is that they acutally bolt onto the strut.. keeping them tight while you make the turn.. in your pics it looks like the bar is merely bolted to the body of the car.
MYKN
12-10-2002, 05:54 AM
this is where a rear upper strut bar should be in order for it to do anything.
MYKN
12-10-2002, 05:55 AM
you bar doesnt connect to the strut at all.so i dont see why it would do anything. except make it seem like you have a strut bar.:dunno:
4wheeldrift
12-10-2002, 08:06 AM
It doesn't really matter if it connects the tops of the struts or not, they generally do because its more convenient to use the existing strut bolts to mount the bar to. It would do a bit, but in all likelihood you are going to start seeing stress fracturing, either of the bar itself or the tower where its bolted to because the load isn't being distributed at all.
ExtremeSi
12-10-2002, 10:50 AM
Originally posted by 4wheeldrift
It doesn't really matter if it connects the tops of the struts or not, they generally do because its more convenient to use the existing strut bolts to mount the bar to. It would do a bit, but in all likelihood you are going to start seeing stress fracturing, either of the bar itself or the tower where its bolted to because the load isn't being distributed at all.


I never really thought of that...:( , but it does help a lot! i know that much. I know that real ones connect to the top of the strut, and that is ideal, but I thought as long as I am cose to the strut (it's still on the strut tower housing) it would be adequate.
I don't knwo what else I could do...I was thinking of fabricating some sort of bracket for each side like in the above picture
legendboy
12-10-2002, 11:22 AM
Ya, sorry, I personaly don' think that it works. The little 6mm bolt holding it on there would bend and flex before the bar stiffined up the chasis. + rear strut bars don't make a noticable difference in handling unless your autoxing or something. Good thinking tho, I always like it when people diy and use there brains so you get a :thumbsup: for that.
ExtremeSi
12-10-2002, 11:46 AM
Its a whole 11mm bolt:D

but ya that's cool, it was only five bucks, and there is some noticable difference...trust me...but thanks for the props man:thumbsup:
Synapxe
12-10-2002, 01:56 PM
Originally posted by ExtremeSi



I don't knwo what else I could do...

Buy a real strut tower bar, lol
DSM Power
12-10-2002, 06:34 PM
Originally posted by MYKN
you bar doesnt connect to the strut at all.so i dont see why it would do anything. except make it seem like you have a strut bar.:dunno:

Agreed. :nut: :confused:
cocoabrova
12-10-2002, 07:06 PM
Nice work man. Ghetto/DIY mods are the shiet:wink:
Looks pretty pimp :thumbsup:
04blackMAX
12-10-2002, 09:40 PM
u know u can get ones for like 35 bucks ..lol
4wheeldrift
12-11-2002, 08:04 AM
Originally posted by ExtremeSi



I never really thought of that...:( , but it does help a lot! i know that much. I know that real ones connect to the top of the strut, and that is ideal, but I thought as long as I am cose to the strut (it's still on the strut tower housing) it would be adequate.
I don't knwo what else I could do...I was thinking of fabricating some sort of bracket for each side like in the above picture If you could fab up some end plates like a purchased one it would be a lot better. Just a lot less likely to tear the chassis. As long as you are on the top of the strut you're ok, ideally you want to be as close to the major source of flex (the struts themselves) as you can manage for maximum effect.