Question about strut bars?
 

Hey guys so i’ve been looking into getting a strut bar for a loooong time but I never really found out how much they help with handling on the car? So I thought i’d Ask you guys if it’s really worth getting one and how much it helps out the performance of the car and in what way specifically? Also which one do you guys highly recommend? Thank You Ahead of time!

My take is that for average driving, you wouldn't notice if you had one on or not. The struts are already stabilized to the firewall.


humfrz

I tend to go to the canyons from time to time, would a strut bar help my performance significantly while I’m out there?

A strut bar is one of those things you do once you have nothing else left that can be done. Unless your buying it for some engine bay bling.

Yeah I’m pretty much there tbh lol but I don’t wanna buy it if actuality it only improves my handling by a very small margin. I do like to have an go to the canyons so if it does somewhat significantly improve my performance than I would be looking to get one.

Very minimal by itself. Front and rear strut bars + sway bars could make a bigger difference. But you would want to know what your trying to fix and improve. Body roll, oversteer, understeer etc... but usually better to initially address those with tires, and suspension, then look at strut bars and sway bars for that last fine tuning.

The FR-S's front end is pretty tight with the OEM set up.

I don't think you will notice any difference in the canyons.

But hey, what the hell, they are relatively inexpensive and easily installed, so why not put one on and find out for yourself - ;)

Have fun in the canyons!


humfrz

A good strut bar actual helps out noticable with ride quality on the FR-S...reduces cowl shake over bumps, smooths out impacts/irregularities, and the front end feels more responsive. Strut bar and solid steering rack bushings are the two best inexpensive mods for improving ride quality. The Grimspeed strut bar would be a highly recommended one - simple, solid single piece design made from adequately thick steel tube. Properly stiff and resilient...

https://www.grimmspeed.com/strut-tow...ce-brz-frs-86/

The strut tower bars help on cats with a lot of chassis twist, that also have a wide track and are heavy. Our car is none of those. You'll notice it when you hit a hard bump with the left or right side only; rather than being compliant, it'll upset the car

The Grimspeed bar makes a noticeable difference in how the FR-S reacts to bumps and road irregularities... absolutely improves the ride quality - much less harsh and slightly more planted feeling. Measurable reduction in strut tower deflection compared to stock and much more consistent in reaction to the forces applied to the strut towers. MUCH bigger difference than the SRT bar I had previously tried which was much thinner walled steel tube and basically did nothing.

Absorbs the bumps and shocks to the chassis better, felt both in the steering and through the seat (especially in a seat much more connected to the chassis than the factory one).
Any solidly designed strut bar like the Grimspeed I'd 100% recommend for an FR-S. Flimsy, less rigid designs like the SRT or multi-jointed/hinged designs I'd never recommend to anyone. I still have the SRT bar because I'd feel bad even trying to give it away for free...