Just wondering if most people use 2 strut bars and 2 sway bars on 6th gen civics.

I know why sway bars are useful, but i dont quite understand why u need strut bars if u've got sway bars..do they just add a bit of stability on top of what the sway bars add?

Can anybody help clarify the differences in functionality of the two? And is it worth having the 4 bars on civics or is there an optimum number that is usually used (i.e. 2 bars in the back, 1 in the front, 2 F 1 R, 1 F 1 R). I would think more rigidity in the back is better for fwd cars, right?

And finally, is it worth using the Si strut/sway bars on my EX coupe if it's my dd/autocross car, or should i just go aftermarket?

Thanks!!

 

Strut bars and sway bars do two completely different things.

Sway bars help to reduce body roll.
Strut bars help to increase chassis stiffness. (I'm skeptical on the effectiveness of most bars though).

If you want to save a buck, skip the strut bars. A three point bar (ala Password JDM) that helps triangulate forces is going to be the most effective. Going straight across...meh.

As for the swaybars, you have figure out what you want to do. If it's just for every day driving, I wouldn't even bother. If you are trying to manipulate the way your car handles for autocrossing or racing you will need to take many things into consideration.

I knew a lot of people that slapped the biggest swaybar they could find in the back with the rest of the suspension being mild. I watched those guys oversteer all over the place at the track. The suspension on my civic gets most of it's roll control from the massive springs that I have. My rear swaybar is only a 17mm and it does the trick. If I had a 21mm or larger, I think my car would be undriveable at the track.

 

I run a 23mm rear bar and relatively mild suspension, just Koni Yellows and Ground Controls, as well as an eBay trac bar in the front. I like how my car handles, but maybe not everyone else would like my setup.

Whatever you do, go out and drive. The best suspension in the world is useless if you aren't familiar with how the car handles. Period.

 

Definitely!

 

ya, i guess everybody has their own driving style and technique and handling preferences, and so their cars should be built to accomodate those. kinda reminds me of gran turismo car tuning

my problem is that my car has no sway bars, but i dont mind the handling. its hard to know what size and which bars will help my driving style the most without buying multiple sizes of each bar and comparing them..

my guess would be to get a standard size front sway, then try to even out the effects with a bigger rear sway? then keep testing different ones? how can u possibly find the best setup while being cost effective??

maybe i am getting way out of hand here trying to get the perfect setup and should just be happy with a good setup..

 

Pretty good points touched by the two guys above...
Get out an drive and see what you want your car to do.
You want more oversteer for autoX get thicker rear sway bar.
Im doing autoX and im trying the rear GSR sway bar.. the car didnt come with any so om just testing waters first. the front one i left it stock as i i dont need to pgrade...

Strut bars make your car stiffer and its good for handling and also for he body itself.
one thing i noticed was that after doing pretty hard turns in autoX i was almost lossing my hood lines. this was because my chassis was being bent and modified by the g forces... my buddy just got an H brace from ebay and im going to check it ut. if i like it enough how it fits i might get it and my chasis should be better in the front... read and drive, take hard turns and see what you need... good luck

 

taking this opportunity to throw tie bars into the occasion. I thought sway bars connected to the control arms to reduce body roll - and then strut bars connected the bottom points of the chassis (no movement like sway bars, because they connect to chassis not control arms) -- and then tie bars were for up top connecting the top shock mounts.

tie bars are what you see in the trunk and under the hood connecting the top shock mounts. Then strut bars connect both sides of the car underneath (but they don't move at all like sway bars, they are just braces.)

I have a 15mm sway bar in the rear and a 24mm sway bar in the front (with a tie bar up top in the front under the hood.) It's all stock on my del slow vtec (kinda heavy car)

I love the way it feels through the tight turns when you're braking hard, not much body roll. And the rear sticks quite well - but i have full polyurethane bushings and that also helps keep the right suspension geometry. (Remember wheels should be parallel, and the OEM bushings are soooo soft that everything flexes under stress and the wheel aren't parallel to eachother anymore = bad) Look into poly bushings maybe - it'd be cheaper and might improve the handling more than some metal bars.

edit - words of caution - it took me about a week to get all my poly bushings in (it's a pain in the **** but can definitely be done)

 

Tie bar, strut bar, etc, etc. It's all chassis bracing. Call them what you want really. The idea is to try and reduce flexing in whatever area you feel needs attention. You'll read that most of them aren't worth the money.

-Alex

 

I still want to know if shock tower bars work. I have an EM1 bar in the front, and a shitty 3 piece in the back. When im taking aggressive turns or going over a large driveway sideways, it starts squeaking. So Im assuming that there is flex in the back.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4KgS...om=PL&index=44

here it show how strut tower brace does.

do not get lower tie bar buy the dam asr brace to prevent swaybar for tearing ur frame.