What do you think of your strut bar?

[Kostamojen]

I've been looking at Strut Bars for the twins the last couple days...

I've noticed the car could use a little chassis stiffening up for turn in (My previous car, a '95 Impreza, had a slew of different chassis braces and bushing upgrades that REALLY tightened up the car, and I did them all one at a time over years checking how they changed the car every time)

I originally wanted the BRZ STI strut bar, I never had the opportunity to get a "real" STI product like this for my Impreza:



STI has made these style of "flexible" strut bars for years for Imprezas, Foresters and Legacys and I really wanted to try one of these out. They supposedly maintain the ride allowing the struts to bump up and down independently while still providing the lateral stiffness increase. BUT the price is way wrong... $450 or so to get one of these, I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.

I started looking online to see everything thats out there... I already know about the Grimmspeed and some of the other common ones. I was leaning towards the AEM seeing as there is one on Ebay for $150 new, but I just can't get past the HEAVY weight among other things, but the master cylinder brace is interesting.

I used to run a solid front strut bar I got for cheap that was imported from Japan, something like the Carbing bar:



Carbing does make a less expensive steel version that I found for sale that is VERY close to the style I used to have on my Impreza that I liked the most. It bolts to every bolt hole and has a nice sold round bar going across but still has plenty of clearance. Not as heavy as the AEM presumably, but possibly just as effective.

But the bar that I decided to try out is something I can't find much info on other than a few Japanese sites. I like unique parts, and I REALLY like the look of this bar for the bling factor and the price was right too ($160)




Its from a company called Matsu... Don't know anything about them, and I'm not sure about how the bolts are laid out on this strut bar for assembly (its basically 5 pieces) but I'll give it a shot.

Plus, with this design I could still use something like the Grimmspeed bar or another triangular bar like the GT-Spec while still using this bar. Should be interesting...

[Boxer486]

I agree with you, I love my Hotchkis triangle and with the proper braces the solidity and sharpness are essential to maintaining the integrity and feel of the chassis. I know it looks bling but I'd also recommend the TRD door jams. Those w/ the Hotchkis alone made my 86 feel more solid than most high end stuff out of Germany. I still have 2-3 more places I'd like to shore up still.

Carbing is great IME but only as long as you can get aluminum. They seem to be pushing steel like crazy these days which seems to be a business decision to me.

Not a fan of AEMs' weight. Cusco is always a bit cheaply built and not all their anodized stuff is aluminum either.

I thought about the adaptive STi stuff but ultimately I didn't like what giving up vertical deflection meant for chassis flex/wear and predictability and feel. I ended up asking myself, for that kind of money, am I trying to brace and stiffen the chassis or aren't I? I'd like to try the STI ones out sometime but deep down the idea just seemed kind of half ass to my logic...for me. Ultimately I want my chosen damping to be handled by my shocks/coilovers and a stiffer chassis will enable my suspension to do that job better and more accurately. Allowing a vertically deflecting portion of the chassis complicates that IMO and is simply a bandaid approach. I think they look FANTASTIC and like pure sex though.

If I ever go with BPBs I'll check out your Matsu brace for the extra space. The design looks a lot more sound compared to other multi-piece designs w/ bolts and pivot points. I can't tell what the shape or design of the core is though and would still try to keep it as triangulated as possible.

[Kostamojen]

Looks like a dual box core hollow aluminum bar:

[unsurety]

Anyone have the AEM strut bar? What do you think of it? It looks like the section going from tower to tower is higher than say, the Grimmspeed? I may consider the Crawford power blocks in the future, and the GS bar doesn't fit with those on.

[major quicknap]

I like the looks of the AEM bar but at 18 pounds no thanks.

[Wolfking]

A Cusco stb w/MBC brace has made it a new car! It is a pleasure to drive!

[Mikepage]

Same thing for the Whiteline, very light and not expensive!

[Panda Mao]

I got the cusco strut bar with built in master cylinder brace I thought that was the bang for buck mod in terms of strut bars the brake pedal definitely felt better thats for sure.

[drewbot]

Have the Grimmspeed installed on stock suspension and wheels.

Definitely more tame over bumps and during weight transfer.

Never tracked the car so couldn't give you a time-based evaluation.

[unsurety]

Originally Posted by major quicknap

I like the looks of the AEM bar but at 18 pounds no thanks.

in regards to the AEM bar:

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

To add to this, if weight is THAT important to you, run two gallons less gas to compensate...

You won't notice the weight difference from a single mod. Over saving 10-15 lbs per mod over the course of 10-15 mods, you'll notice the difference when you compare to a stock car, but each individual difference will be lost in the noise...

Yeah I'm not too worried. Now, if it we were talking unsprung weight, that's a different story. You'd feel the difference in wheels even if we're talking 4-5 lbs.

[major quicknap]

Originally Posted by unsurety

Yeah I'm not too worried. Now, if it we were talking unsprung weight, that's a different story. You'd feel the difference in wheels even if we're talking 4-5 lbs.

Yeah, I noticed the difference when the Sprint Kit and RPF1s went on.

I totally agree from a rational view point BUT I never claimed to be 100% rational. The idea of adding that much mass when a lighter solution is available doesn't agree with me. I removed the sound system as it is unnecessary weight. Does its removal make a practical difference? No but such is my car . (My battery weighs 5.25 pounds.)

[unsurety]

Originally Posted by major quicknap

Yeah, I noticed the difference when the Sprint Kit and RPF1s went on.

I totally agree from a rational view point BUT I never claimed to be 100% rational. The idea of adding that much mass when a lighter solution is available doesn't agree with me. I removed the sound system as it is unnecessary weight. Does its removal make a practical difference? No but such is my car . (My battery weighs 5.25 pounds.)

I understand your point as well actually! I was alarmed when I saw the AEM's weight, compared to the similar Hotchkis. A few lbs here and there all adds up.

The main thing is because of the Crawford billet power blocks. I would have a Grimmspeed bar by now but people have taken theirs off to fit the BPBs on. The AEM looks like it has a few precious inches of clearance between the engine cover.

[BLTcookie]

I have the AEM strut bar. I'll admit that it's somewhat heavy but I love how solid it is. I wanted to make sure that if I have a strut bar it doesn't flex at all and the big bars and triangular design stops it from doing so.

My only issue with it is that it takes up a bit of real estate in the engine bay. When I bought my Crawford AOS I was told that it might be able to fit over it, however it didn't. I was debating selling the bar for a smaller one but decided that I like the structure of the AEM, so instead I just modified the AOS mounting plate to work with it. That being said, the amount of room the strut bar uses is something to make note of.

[Lavalover]

Also, when considering the AEM weight, remember that the stock bars are removed so their weight is subtracted. I like the AEM very robust construction.