No Brand Strut Bar VS Brand Name Strut Bar

[AllenRPS13]

what do you guys think? Are there any difference between no brand and brand name one? I don't mean the quality, I mean the performance.
For me, I think that it's just the same... By the way, what brand of strut bar you guys using right now? :hammer:

[andrewmp6]

i wouldnt buy a cheap one it might not fit right or break

[DrtyRat]

sorry....wasn't what you were looking for

[breakindrifts]

Im using a cheap one from ebay for 20 something bucks. Fits great, and still holding up from quite a bit of abuse. To me it isnt worth spending $100+ on something that does so little like a strut bar, ebay ones are just as good to me.

[infinitexsound]

springs are ur best friend...

[KiDyNomiTe]

Strut bars don't really do that much compared to sway bars, coilovers, and cage.

I have some cheap brand that had a group buy a while ago, looks great but don't really notice much of any difference, my rear goes off and on every once in a while if I am going to go to an event with a lot of wheels/tires.

[mr_240sx]

im using the Apex'i N1 strut bars front and back and i totally love them! before i got the roll cage, i had noticed that it really stiffened up the chassis compared to not having them. they are on the pricey side, but the quality is worth every penny!

[blue109]

as long as they fit well, theres probably not much difference. the greddy ones are probably the cheapest name brand ones. you can find them for 90ish.

[Brian]

I have Cusco, but who cares.
They are bars that connect strut towers.

[Dousan_PG]

nismo
would be fine w/o it
when cage goes in bar goes up for sale

[A Spec Products]

I have Cusco, but who cares.
They are bars that connect strut towers.

same as me

just personal preference

[Ghettokracker71]

I have a ractive on on the acura,I got two of them for free....put the other on my girls car :w00t:

Thank you circuitcity

[KA24DESOneThree]

I had a JDM (OMG!!!11) cheapo front bar on my car and upgraded to a solid DC Sports bar... felt stiffer.

I had a GReddy rear bar and upgraded to a Carbing and definitely felt a difference.

Point? Solid is good. Carbing is best. Anyone who can't tell the difference between a cheapo bar and a good bar should relinquish ownership of their car to me.

[usdm180sx]

I would get one that would clear after installing nismo motor mounts just in case you ever go that route.

[SimpleS14]

I would get one that would clear after installing nismo motor mounts just in case you ever go that route.

Why do you say that? j/w

[IGSDann]

I got the cheapo eBay kind. It works good... Too good... Now I have the mad understeer! YAY!

[usdm180sx]

Why do you say that? j/w

Just to leave the option open. Nismo motor mounts raise the engine by around a half inch. It would suck if he decided to get nismo motor mounts in the future and not have the motor clear the strut bar. But that's just my humble opinion.

[94cc0rd]

i had my friends (s13) ebay strut bar on my car (s14)... and it didn't fit so well... Are the strut towers different lengths on the s13 and s14s? The holes lined up and everything so I assumed they were the same length. But the strut bar was a little low and rubbed against my engine. It made noise and the engine made 2-3 gashes in the metal of the bar.

[AllenRPS13]

oh... because i also think that there's no difference between brand name or not, thats why i got a no brand strut bar (a long time ago). i just wanna see what are u guys thinking, keekee

[WILDACEX187]

i have an M's rear strut bar. its pretty beefy but my friends bar looks almost the same thickness wise.

[Bryants95240sx]

Just to leave the option open. Nismo motor mounts raise the engine by around a half inch. It would suck if he decided to get nismo motor mounts in the future and not have the motor clear the strut bar. But that's just my humble opinion.

Yea weve been over this the nismo mounts DO NOT raise the engine it brings it back to stock height. IF it raises it any its b/c your old ones where sagging.

[Flipzide]

i got that no name polished rear strut bar, front strut bar, and lower rear tie bar set off ebay. turns out the set was from Megan Racing because thats where the package originated. lol. so i guess i have cheap megan racing polished strut bars. although i still dont see the purpose of the rear tie bar... whatever 60 shipped for all of it wasn't that bad.

[KA24DESOneThree]

I know there are too many posts in this thread by people who have no experience with both, thus they have nothing to compare.

There is thinking, and then there is knowing. Let's stop the thinking and start the knowing.

[kaioken]

Most of the strut bar that you run accross are purely decorative and have no structural integrity. You will notice they the are made of aluminum and are hinged. For a upper strut bar to be effective it needs to be solid (ie. no moving parts).

So to me. A no brand stut bar that I made my self is better.

[Shawn_of_the_Dead]

Usually the ones that are hinged also have a way to tighten them down once you get them in place. My spoon strut bars for my prelude were like this. They had hinges to make installing easier and were supposed to be torqued down after the strut bolts were tightened.

I want to get the copper greddy set I see on ebay....those are nice.

[AuburnRyan]

S13 - for others review only...I knew in advance what I was buying...

Recently bought the $100 pair F/R SSAUTOCHROME (Motoria) Cusco look-alikes. Best set I've had - previously had Piliot motorsports bars. Bar is cusco identical in rear and has the 1 bend bar (like cusco for CA engine I beleive) in front. NO ADJUSMENT oval aluminum bars.

Should be notes I was on FLEX coilover hence the great difference in feel with the bars, but still FLEX's arent a real stiff coilover. Car is much flatter and more stable.

Quality/Fit is fine - I was happy but I'm sure genuine cusco are nicer.

I have a clanking sound over some bumps now in front right side. Not the hood, and I re-tourqued the struts bolts...clueless. Will remove front bar soon to see if sound disappears. Maybe preload isn't right on coilover? If everthing checks out and sound disappears when bar is removed, time to get a name brand on the front...Cusco or Greddy.

[Ricks15]

Name brands dont make a difference what does make a difference is if you tighten the bolts at the ends of the bar, Its just to be sure it nice and stiff.

[Phlip]

http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=81827

[HyperTek]

TCsportline's are nice, i believe the are the main manufacture of these too, besides knocking off cusco.
http://www.tcsportline.com/images/S13_S14_FU_500.jpg
http://www.tcsportline.com/images/CX_SEC_500.jpg
http://www.tcsportline.com/images/S13_RU_500.jpg

[Shawn_of_the_Dead]

Those TC's look pretty nice, are they bronze or gold...I can't really tell. Or is it just the picture and they are actually polished?

[HyperTek]

they are polished with gold mounts. Ive seen them at C-tune, very nice quality. I actually gave my rear ebay strut bar to a friend, so im thinking about getting these. they ususaly go for 130 for both front and rear.

[BigVinnie]

I'm using the power tuning strut bars from the U.K. Total I payed with shipping was $170. It isn't a name brand here in the U.S, but is popular in the U.K for it's cost and look. Made of aluminum it is still really strong a durable, looks like a mark off of the old NISMO tower strut bars....
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/6426/strutbar0037kq.jpg

[AuburnRyan]

^^ Well it's has a brand name now - Motoria packaging sold by SSAutoChrome on Ebay

I just bought my set for $125 shipped

http://www.stockreco.com/picture104.jpg

[BigVinnie]

^^ Well it's has a brand name now - Motoria packaging sold by SSAutoChrome on Ebay

I just bought my set for $125 shipped

http://www.stockreco.com/picture104.jpg

Good deal I should of waited a year, for a bigger company to pick it up.....
OH well there still an excellent strut bar package, and I highly recomend them.....

[Drift_86]

is there a diffrents between one pieces strut bar and 3 pieces i would think one pieces is better? and has anybody done a comparison between cheep strut bars and name brand?

[ILoveMyRHS13]

is there a diffrents between one pieces strut bar and 3 pieces i would think one pieces is better? and has anybody done a comparison between cheep strut bars and name brand?
Really dudeski? A 5 year old thread?

[Gami]

..........

[MeSs]

LOL - seeing those pictures from 2006 ... I just threw that strut bar out of my car because of this:
How the hell did that happen!? Crash? Damn much body roll :nono:

Prove thats a "motoria/xspower/ssa" part..

[living4surf]

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/living4surf/d400b56b.jpg

stealth custom fab FTW

[SoSideways]

S14 SR20DE.

Hawt.

I want to see this thing run.

[21Nemesis]

DC Sports bar in mine. Also, found this vid years ago which compares the differences between using and not using a strut bar.

YouTube - CUSCO "efficiency of Strut bar / Lower arm bar" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4KgS8ertHU)

[OBEEWON]

I've seen knockoff strut tower bars break and strangle passengers to death. Do not support.

[Slammed180]

I've seen a hippopotamus.

[Ceepo]

I have a cusco bar on my car, it was on there when i bought it looks nice :D

[roel03]

For a strut bar to be actually worth it, it has to contact the firewall in a triangular design and be a solid one piece. Not hinged or adjustable. Otherwise, they are just a dress-up item.

[Silverbullet]

^ no. Any amounts help increase chassis rigidity and increase of weight transfer. Triangular one-peice designs just does it better.

[SoSideways]

Triangular design ties the firewall with the strut towers to help prevent fore/aft movement.

A simple STB will still help with the lateral movement of the strut towers.

Something is better than nothing, especially on a noodle S-chassis.

[lawrenceyang]

[ PR ] CUSCO (http://www.jdm-option.com/eng/pr_CUSCO/towerbar.html)

[s14unimog]

Yeah I think shape and structure is more important than mfg. As long as it doesn't break and fits the chassis I think its just the same. I've got a GReddy one on the front and Cusco one on the rear. I like my rear one b/c I can adjust the preload on the bar... the front one has slots so that they're sure it fits. I'm sure that doesn't help the rigidity. If you can get one that has threadings on the end, I would think it works better. I seem to notice my rear going in but not the front.

[living4surf]

S14 SR20DE.

Hawt.

I want to see this thing run.


getting boosted in the next couple weeks just waiting on my pbm intercooler to get here

[SoSideways]

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

NA SRs are so hawt right now...

[illvialuver]

I have a carbing with a bmcs and I love it. Could feel the difference in break pedal feel too.

[az_240]

I've seen a few ebay strut bars and they are always complete junk.... they flex and pivot at the bolts... hardly a difference when installed.

Good to see more 1 piece strut bars.... I used to have a DC strut bar and it was great... will get another one eventually.

[HPKMotorsports3]

Strut bars don't really do that much compared to sway bars, coilovers, and cage.

I have some cheap brand that had a group buy a while ago, looks great but don't really notice much of any difference, my rear goes off and on every once in a while if I am going to go to an event with a lot of wheels/tires.

amen to that...

[Brian]

For a strut bar to be actually worth it, it has to contact the firewall in a triangular design and be a solid one piece. Not hinged or adjustable. Otherwise, they are just a dress-up item.

Totally false.

[ChicagoS14]

S14 SR20DE.

Hawt.

I want to see this thing run.

Seriously ? 2.0 L 160hp N/A hot? sorry I don't drive Nissans so that I can have a Nissan B16 engine LOL :keke: Ill take the stock KA all day over that. Sorry that's my 2 cents.

And yes strut bar design and material not brand are what makes a good Strut bar. Greddy, Cusco, Nismo, etc. As long as it doesn't break/bend and as long as it connects the key points its good.