electron-eg

i found some cheap under strut bars at procarparts.com for about 18 bucks. its just a generic strut bar. whats the difference between this one and a dc sports, neuspeed, etc.? name brand actually make a difference or just so that u can say" oh yeah its a mugen strut bar".
thanks in advance..

Tanmt

i got 3 generic strut bar.. i haven't had experience with brand name strut bar.. but to me.. metals' metal.. rather put money into suspension and motor..

Ricey McRicerton

I like my Neuspeed and they can be found for around 50 bucks if you look. Not that much more expensive than the no name ones.

whoDAT

name is not a factor, but design is. try to get a bar with no pivots points.

AzntaggeR

yea, all strut bars are basically the same. although the neuspeed ones connect at 3 points which is a good design.

redcivic777

pretty much you pay the extra money for the name, metals metal unless it has a crappy design, make sure you find a design that has the same traits as the good brands

Jimmy

iTrader: (5)

yep you pay for the brand name and what theyre made out of...

Targa250R

When this question is asked, I always have to laugh. It's like your money is burning a hole in your pocket and you have to get rid of it ASAP by buying something - anything.

I would suggest to continue saving for something else that is worthwhile. Strut braces are just a waste.

Heinz57

I dont think strut bars are a waste of money. I remember when I had my '93 accord in high school; I bought a used Neuspeed 4-point front strut bar..once I put it on, I instantly felt a difference..and that was just when I was driving straight!

But now I have a '92 civic HB, and I put on an Integra front bar. I noticed a small difference, but only in turns. Strut bars really do stiffen up the chassis a little bit, IMO. and a decent one is worth the money. I have a generic "type r" one for the back, and a generic one for my rear lower tie bar.

I dont think those polished strut bars that you see on ebay are very different from brands like DC Sports..its pretty much the same design. I really like the Carbing, and Benen bars, because of the one piece design, but they're really expensive.

So I say either pay next to nothing for the no-name brands and be content with having some sort of strut bar, or get the really nicely designed benen/carbing/neuspeed ones..the ones inbetween don't seem worth it. hope my babbling helps.

Targa250R

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Heinz57 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">be content with having some sort of strut bar</TD></TR></TABLE>
This is the problem. I see folks here swearing up and down that their strut bar made a huge difference and therefore they were 100% justified for spending X amount of money -- when in reality, they bought one just because it is an easy and visible mod, but it certainly doesn't make much if any difference - they're just riding on the placebo effect.

Strut tower braces definitely carry the ultimate placebo effect.

This subject reminds me of the recent roll cage thread; there seems to be a misguided and pointless quest for "chassis stiffening," when it really doesn't serve any purpose for a street car. Most people know nothing about structural engineering anyway, and wouldn't recognize what the benefits or downsides of a certain piece are anyway -- so how do they know if it's helping or hurting? You can't just look at a piece and say, hey, it looks stiff.

Sure, generic strut bars only cost about the same as a tank of premium fuel. It may be worth it to some of you, who want as many visible mods as possible to make your car appear unique. But me? I'll take that tank of fuel.

97Civic-R

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Targa250R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
This is the problem. I see folks here swearing up and down that their strut bar made a huge difference and therefore they were 100% justified for spending X amount of money -- when in reality, they bought one just because it is an easy and visible mod, but it certainly doesn't make much if any difference - they're just riding on the placebo effect.

Strut tower braces definitely carry the ultimate placebo effect.

This subject reminds me of the recent roll cage thread; there seems to be a misguided and pointless quest for "chassis stiffening," when it really doesn't serve any purpose for a street car. Most people know nothing about structural engineering anyway, and wouldn't recognize what the benefits or downsides of a certain piece are anyway -- so how do they know if it's helping or hurting? You can't just look at a piece and say, hey, it looks stiff.

Sure, generic strut bars only cost about the same as a tank of premium fuel. It may be worth it to some of you, who want as many visible mods as possible to make your car appear unique. But me? I'll take that tank of fuel.</TD></TR></TABLE>

thats deep man

Targa250R

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 97Civic-R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

thats deep man </TD></TR></TABLE>
Anybody want to send me the money they were going to spend on a strut tower brace, so I can buy a tank of fuel instead?

Debaser

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Targa250R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Anybody want to send me the money they were going to spend on a strut tower brace, so I can buy a tank of fuel instead? </TD></TR></TABLE>

No, but I enjoyed reading your input.

kommon_sense

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B20l20 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i got 3 generic strut bar.. i haven't had experience with brand name strut bar.. but to me.. metals' metal.. rather put money into suspension and motor.. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't know why people think that metal is metal. Simple example. Get a cheap spoon, try to scoop ice cream with it... It bends. Get a good spoon, scoops with no problems.

The quality and type of metal make a world of difference. There are inexpensive quality bars out there such as neuspeed. However if someone pays $18 for a bar, then they paid $18 for a shiny piece of tin that will not withstand the forces that a 2500lb car will put on it...

kommon_sense

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Targa250R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
This is the problem. I see folks here swearing up and down that their strut bar made a huge difference and therefore they were 100% justified for spending X amount of money -- when in reality, they bought one just because it is an easy and visible mod, but it certainly doesn't make much if any difference - they're just riding on the placebo effect.

Strut tower braces definitely carry the ultimate placebo effect.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Placebo? I don't think so. If you put a strut tower bar on a car with a modified suspension then you will definately notice a difference. Prime example, I installed a quality bar on my civ after lowering the car and adding a rear sway. The car handled a little smoother and was more consistent. The most notable improvement was all of the chassis squeaks and creeks that I heard whenever going over speedbumps, hitting bad patches in the road, hard cornering, etc. all stopped after I installed the front upper strut bar.

Also, if it were a placebo, I doubt that Honda would waste money by installing them from the factory on many of their more sport/performance oriented cars.

Targa250R

Have you ever tried removing the bar and then driving the car? You'll be surprised at how much of a difference it doesn't make.

I have. Back-to-back autocross testing, as a matter of fact. Strut tower brace made no difference whatsoever. The chassis actually creaked more with my Neuspeed bar on my '93 Civic EX than without it. No noticeable handling or chassis stiffening advantages whatsoever. The G5 Civic chassis is not nearly as stiff as the G6 Civic, but it still didn't really benefit from the bar. I sold it to some ricer and made a quick $50 to spend on race tires.

Honda does a lot of things that aren't necessarily a "good" way to spend money. For example, the rediculously expensive - yet horribly bad - Michelin MXV4 tires that they insist on equipping their performance oriented cars.

Clearly, my opinion is that such things are a waste. If you feel that it works for you, then by all means you should continue using it - hell even if it only bolsters your morale, you may just end up going faster because of it.

electron-eg

well i wanted to get the under struts because i got alot of understeer after my h22 swap.

RC_SKUBY

A guy tried to sell me a neuspeed strut bar for $200