Will Cusco Front Strut Tower Bar Type OS w/ Brace interfere with FI systems?

[imom]

Hi,
I was thinking of getting the Cusco Front Strut Tower Bar Type OS w/ Master Cylinder Brace ... will this strut bar interface with any of the Forced induction systems? I saw the benefits in the last car, but I don't want to spend the money if it will become a problem in the future should I upgrade to FI system.

Since we are on the topic... has anyone used this? I seen some post, but not a full review about this bar... are there better strut bar than this one? I like the idea of an integrated brake cylinder brace...not sure if it really works well or not. Thanks,

[whataboutbob]

I have the Whiteline STB on my car with the Innovate SC. Fits fine.

[Pete156]

I have the Cusco brace with the attached master cylinder brace fitted with my AVO turbo kit. No issues whatsoever.

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by imom

Hi,
I was thinking of getting the Cusco Front Strut Tower Bar Type OS w/ Master Cylinder Brace ... will this strut bar interface with any of the Forced induction systems? I saw the benefits in the last car, but I don't want to spend the money if it will become a problem in the future should I upgrade to FI system.

Since we are on the topic... has anyone used this? I seen some post, but not a full review about this bar... are there better strut bar than this one? I like the idea of an integrated brake cylinder brace...not sure if it really works well or not. Thanks,

Used on the red turbo BRZ without issue. Do you have a particular FI system you're interested in?

[imom]

No none yet...still up in the air...Vortech is a candidate...so is the JR and KW systems... I believe I don't want to deal with a turbo system as awesome as turbos go because of the complexity and heat.

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by imom

No none yet...still up in the air...Vortech is a candidate...so is the JR and KW systems... I believe I don't want to deal with a turbo system as awesome as turbos go because of the complexity and heat.

How much power are you looking for and what type of driving application are you intending to pace the car at? As it looks thus far, the Rotrex based kits do not look to have any interference issues with the Cusco strut bar.

[imom]

Originally Posted by CSG David

How much power are you looking for and what type of driving application are you intending to pace the car at? As it looks thus far, the Rotrex based kits do not look to have any interference issues with the Cusco strut bar.

250+ WHP on 91 pump gas...300WHP would be the max I'd be interested in for a daily driver never been to track and probably won't...want some pep and reliable car. Ideally something quiet and reliable would be best.

My previous car was a Z4MR and the strut bar made a big difference it the turn in of the car...I'm not sure about 86 platform how much of a difference it will be since the Z4 was designed as a convertible for the get go where as this car is designed as a coupe. The S54 engine was a lot of fun above 4K RPM, but kinda sluggish on the low end... the BRZ has decent low end (non sports car), but mid top end is dismal... So a boost in the low mid and top as a FI would make this car a lot of fun.

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by imom

250+ WHP on 91 pump gas...300WHP would be the max I'd be interested in for a daily driver never been to track and probably won't...want some pep and reliable car. Ideally something quiet and reliable would be best.

My previous car was a Z4MR and the strut bar made a big difference it the turn in of the car...I'm not sure about 86 platform how much of a difference it will be since the Z4 was designed as a convertible for the get go where as this car is designed as a coupe. The S54 engine was a lot of fun above 4K RPM, but kinda sluggish on the low end... the BRZ has decent low end (non sports car), but mid top end is dismal... So a boost in the low mid and top as a FI would make this car a lot of fun.

Sounds like a good goal to aim towards. The Z4MR is a high revving NA motor. Like all high revving NA motors, bottom end is lacking and that's really just due to the design of the engine. Think 458, S2k, LFA, etc.

Track build should not be confused with insane builds or power builds. It should be closer to the idea of reliability and safety which will be directly related to shear amounts of fun related to driving it rather than repairing it. It's all a balance.

It appears that McPherson strut type front suspension benefits with a strut tower bar. It increases rigidity and improves driver feedback. What it will not do is drop 2 seconds on a 2 minute track because of added rigidity, but rather, driver confidence. That's not to say the chassis is sloppy. The BRZ/FRS is plenty stiff. There's no way a bolted on bar will suddenly increase a ton of stiffness to the chassis. However, saying that it doesn't work is a phrase that's often misused.

My enginerd status came out. Sorry if this got too lengthy.

[ft86me]

Originally Posted by normancw

swift996 has a Cusco bar and the Innovate SC

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=286





I have the front (with master cylinder brace) and rear. Without doing a back-to-back test on the track, I can't tell if it makes a difference.

have cusco strut tower bar and engine room brace and tie down and brake master cylinder brace and none interfere with the vortech system. just my .02