Would it make much of a difference to have and upper and lower strut bar on either the front or the back? Got a friend with a '96 civic with and upper front and an upper rear. Think it'd be worth it or would you even be able to notice?

 

>>Think it'd be worth it or would you even be able to notice?<<

Probably not. But, it depends on what else has been done to the suspension. If the suspension is pretty well tweaked then upper strut braces might make a slight difference. If it's hardly even streetable at all (too tweaked for street use), then lower tie bars might be noticeable to someone with a lot of track time. Also, the EK (96+) chassis is more rigid than the EG (92-95) chassis. So someone with a EG may get more benefit from chassis braces.

Another problem with strut tower braces is their basic design. They only have 2 points of attachment. Well, there are 4 strut bolts but they are too close together to constitute more than "one" attachment point. For example, if you check out a lot of race prepped cars, the strut tower brace will actually form a sort of triangle with the firewall, thus forming 3 attachment points, and a lot more structural rigidity.

I did install a front strut tower brace on my EK hatch. Bought it for $20 and I thought it looked cool in the engine bay...

 

Strut bars do help stiffen up the body of the car from flexing. If you are the type that likes to take turns or road race strut bars is the thing to get. You will notice your car handle better with strut bars.

 

 

if you do touge. these braces are a must. you might not be able to feel all of the difference, but it will allow your car to hold the line better.