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Opinions on this strut bar?

2K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  vaio76109 
#1 ·
#8 ·
^It looks so familiar, I could have sworn I've seen pics of it before. :dunno: Maybe I spend too much time on the forum and everything starts to look the same.

At any rate, as for the bar, It looks extremely functional and it's still interesting to look at. :)

Were you planning on designing something similar?
 
#9 ·
Ah...the good ol' strut bar. FYI, I don't have one. Never desired one. Also, note that you're increasing understeer as well, which of course you can argue can be neutralize with sways, tire pressure etc.

IMO, the only true strut bar is a 3-pt design. Which is what you see on the E85s and E60s. 2-pt design may prevent transverse motion but not torsional (or twisting) motion. A 3-pt design however means you have to find a place to weld the 3rd mounting pt under the microfilter area. I have seen a few E46 track cars with that. IIRC, PTG did that.
 
#13 ·
*vent*
I dont understand why so many people are concered about the stupidest stuff being CF and lightweight etc. Our cars are heavy. A lb here, 5 lbs there wont make a difference. Were not driving freakin race cars. However, unsprung weight is a different matter.
 
#14 ·
My only comment on this strut bar is there is appears to be no adjustment for width between the mounting bolts on the shock towers. This could be needed if you have to remove the pins (that hold the top of the struts to the factory position in the shock tower) in order to shift the top mounting plates for the struts. Two cases where you might need to do this are if you lower the car and need to correct camber, or if there is an issue with alignment on your car and that is needed to align it. Then this bar would appear to limit you (not totally sure though as I can not see the size of the holes or whether they are slotted). Most other bars, including the stock M3 bar allow for lateral adjustment so the bar can be adjusted to a range of widths between the shock towers.

Cliff
 
#15 ·
vaio76109 said:
*vent*
I dont understand why so many people are concered about the stupidest stuff being CF and lightweight etc. Our cars are heavy. A lb here, 5 lbs there wont make a difference. Were not driving freakin race cars. However, unsprung weight is a different matter.
:lmao: What I have been wanting to say for a long while.

Plus CF is probably the worst material for parts that are under constant stress and strain. It's light but brittle. I have no idea why the fixation. Race cars mostly use CF on body aero parts etc. Maybe the intake cover and fuel tank cover. But never for strut braces, or worst, roll cage!
 
#16 ·
Mr Paddle.Shift said:
:lmao: What I have been wanting to say for a long while.

Plus CF is probably the worst material for parts that are under constant stress and strain. It's light but brittle. I have no idea why the fixation. Race cars mostly use CF on body aero parts etc. Maybe the intake cover and fuel tank cover. But never for strut braces, or worst, roll cage!
:thumbup:
Yes brittle, people dont seem to understand that and think that you can use CF wherever you use metal.
 
#17 ·
Whoever said CF was the best. I was actually referring to Magnesium. The point is, if you are are changing things on your car (rims, strut bars, etc.) it is more beneficial to use lighter objects. If you don't care about weight, then just run huge chrome 20's.

No one is attacking your choice of strut bars, they are just offering the OPINION (which you asked for) that your bar LOOKS heavy.

It really doesn't matter like you said.
 
#18 ·
vaio76109 said:
*vent*
I dont understand why so many people are concered about the stupidest stuff being CF and lightweight etc. Our cars are heavy. A lb here, 5 lbs there wont make a difference. Were not driving freakin race cars. However, unsprung weight is a different matter.
If you're not driving a race car, then why are you bothering with a strut tower brace? Obviously, improving the performance of your car isn't a priority (if you aren't concerned about weight), so I don't think you want/need or will even feel the effects of adding a strut tower brace. So... are you buying one just for looks? Because if you are, the one you posted in your first post is hideously ugly. :eeps:
 
#20 ·
Lugnut2683 said:
If you're not driving a race car, then why are you bothering with a strut tower brace? Obviously, improving the performance of your car isn't a priority (if you aren't concerned about weight), so I don't think you want/need or will even feel the effects of adding a strut tower brace. So... are you buying one just for looks? Because if you are, the one you posted in your first post is hideously ugly. :eeps:
Because im worried about the structural rigidity of the car in the long run. Im going to be keeping this car for a very long time...and tracking it.
 
#21 ·
Well if you're tracking it, I'd highly suggest you go with a lightweight bar. But if it's simply structural rigidity you're looking for, I guess the M3 bar would be the best compromise. :dunno:

I'd highly recommend the UUC Strutbarbarian. :thumbup: It's both lightweight, and extremely strong.
 
#22 ·
Lugnut2683 said:
Well if you're tracking it, I'd highly suggest you go with a lightweight bar. But if it's simply structural rigidity you're looking for, I guess the M3 bar would be the best compromise. :dunno:

I'd highly recommend the UUC Strutbarbarian. :thumbup: It's both lightweight, and extremely strong.
:rofl: Didnt we just go over the light weight thing?
 
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