opinions on grimspeed strut tower w stock tires/suspension

[BlackyRose]

Daily driver, stock tires and suspension.

Thoughts on grimspeed strut bar.

[husker741]

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49492

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46737

[wparsons]

IMO, unless you're buying it for the looks you should pass on it.

[Turdinator]

I have one and I am on stock suspension and wheels (although they are the oz spec 16" wheels and tyres) for daily driving it is a waste of money. But when I take the car for a run in the hills it is definitely an improvement over the stock setup. So I would say it depends on what you do with the car. If you push it through some corners you will notice a difference.

[Wolfking]

BR! I can't offer an opinion on that particular make, however I will tell that from my experience, adding a F-STB is an absolute must for an FR car! I currently find myself deciding between a Tanabe ( I like the red) or Cusco STB. God speed!

[Captain Snooze]

After fitting it I could tell an immediate difference on the bumpy street around home. It is an improvement in the front end feel but I do not know if there is an objective benefit.

[wparsons]

I would challenge everyone claiming they can feel the difference on the street to find a friend who will either install or remove the bar and not tell the driver if the bar is in or not, then go for a drive. Have your friend do the opposite to the bar and go for a second drive.

I would bet that you can't tell the difference at all without knowing beforehand if the bar is in the car or not.

Older cars had weaker unibodies, but modern cars are stiffer and don't need bracing nearly as much.

If you want to take a scientific approach, fit a gauge to measure the deflection between the strut towers on a spirited drive.

Now if you're running stiffer bushings (or heim joints), solid upper mounts and sticky tires on a track you might find a bit of a difference, but on stock (or average street) tires and stock bushings/upper mounts I highly doubt you can actually feel the difference.

[dem00n]

Understeer

Or i'm a moron.

Either one.

[mfbmike]

Originally Posted by wparsons

I would challenge everyone claiming they can feel the difference on the street to find a friend who will either install or remove the bar and not tell the driver if the bar is in or not, then go for a drive. Have your friend do the opposite to the bar and go for a second drive.

I would bet that you can't tell the difference at all without knowing beforehand if the bar is in the car or not.

Older cars had weaker unibodies, but modern cars are stiffer and don't need bracing nearly as much.

If you want to take a scientific approach, fit a gauge to measure the deflection between the strut towers on a spirited drive.

Now if you're running stiffer bushings (or heim joints), solid upper mounts and sticky tires on a track you might find a bit of a difference, but on stock (or average street) tires and stock bushings/upper mounts I highly doubt you can actually feel the difference.

I remember a guy posting that him and his brother did a similar experience and he was able to accurately guess the drives WITH the bar and the drives WITHOUT it.

YMMV.

I feel a noticeable improvement during hard cornering on coils and 265/35 michelin pss tires from before (without the GS bar) and after (with the GS bar).

Car is significantly more planted and follows through. I posted a short review in my build thread and on some thread that someone started about the GS bar itself. Can't be bothered to find it right now lol.

[Vracer111]

Originally Posted by wparsons

I would challenge everyone claiming they can feel the difference on the street to find a friend who will either install or remove the bar and not tell the driver if the bar is in or not, then go for a drive. Have your friend do the opposite to the bar and go for a second drive.

I would bet that you can't tell the difference at all without knowing beforehand if the bar is in the car or not.

Older cars had weaker unibodies, but modern cars are stiffer and don't need bracing nearly as much.

If you want to take a scientific approach, fit a gauge to measure the deflection between the strut towers on a spirited drive.

Now if you're running stiffer bushings (or heim joints), solid upper mounts and sticky tires on a track you might find a bit of a difference, but on stock (or average street) tires and stock bushings/upper mounts I highly doubt you can actually feel the difference.

With the Grimmspeed bar there is a very apparent improvement in ride quality with the stock suspension, and I was coming off a different manufacturers single piece bar as well. Impacts from bump and dips are noticeably reduced on the chassis with the front end less effected and more solid in feel. I really have not noticed any additional understeer and am able to rotate the FRS around its yaw axis with a tad more stability and precision... a very minute but perceivable change. No way I'd want to go back to the ride quality and feel of a stock FRS after the addition of the Grimmspeed bar and TIC solid aluminum steering rack bushings.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by wparsons

I would challenge everyone claiming they can feel the difference on the street to find a friend who will either install or remove the bar and not tell the driver if the bar is in or not, then go for a drive. Have your friend do the opposite to the bar and go for a second drive.

Originally Posted by Speedie

Hi,
I recently received my GS bar, and was keen to see the difference this modification would bring to the feel of the car. With the help of my brother we came up with a homegrown blind test. (Both my brother and I have science backgrounds and could be fairly accused of suffering from mild OCD ).

The test was this, done five times.

A. My brother would toss a coin, heads the bar is installed, tails not.
B. In either case, step A would take fifteen minutes.
C. I am not in the garage and cannot hear what he is doing
D. My brother when finished step A and B would then pack up the tools, toot the horn and leave the garage.
E. I would take the car for a fifteen minute drive. Same circuit each time, I would note down whether I thought the bar was in or out.
F. When I returned, I would signal with the horn, leave the garage without crossing paths with my brother
G. At the end of five tests, we compared the results.

My brother had out, in, in, out, in.

I had out, in, in, out, in.

I don't want to scare anyone with how OCD I am, but the chances of me guessing correctly this sequence is one in thirty two, or a little over three percent.

Apart from having an enjoyable afternoon spent with my brother having some fun with cars, which we both have keen interests in, I am happily convinced this modification does make a difference for me.

For me it was clear very early in each drive whether the bar was in or not. The noise from bumps was subdued, the steering felt tighter and sharper and the car felt stiffer. I know these are all seat of the pants observations and hard to measure, all I can say is that for me I noticed differences that I liked and when I noticed these differences, it lined up with the bar being in.

So for what it's worth, I am satisfied that the bar makes a difference for me, which I very much like.

Ralph.

.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by wparsons

I would challenge everyone claiming they can feel the difference on the street to find a friend who will either install or remove the bar and not tell the driver if the bar is in or not, then go for a drive.

Because this is the internet I say why don't you take the challenge?

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

Because this is the internet I say why don't you take the challenge?

Give me a bar to test and I'll gladly do it. Until then, I'll spend my money on things I know will make a bigger difference.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by wparsons

I'll spend my money on things I know will make a bigger difference.

Sure, sure understood. As I have said a couple of times before there is a definite improvement in front end feel but I do not suggest there is a measurable improvement in performance.