opinion on strut tower tie bars

[dmp]

Careful Camber - people will think you're crazy because you are in-tune enough with your car to feel the gains had by such an inexpensive mod.

[reid-o]

The point everyone is trying to make is NOT that strut towers bars are ineffective (although some are); rather they're saying the stock Legacy suspension has other, larger shortcomings.

 

It's like dieting. Vitamin C will do nothing for a cold if you arent defficient in it. Yet if you have scurvy (a vitamin c deff), vitamin C will feel like steroids.

 

I normally do my own alignments, and I can say that the stock alignment settings are usually "the suck" (technical term).

I would address this first and foremost, as I dont know a Subaru that doesn't like camber. Turn in will change dramatically and the car will lean more toward oversteer.

 

 

Since the OP already addresses the stock softy springs, he's a significant performance shortcoming (from a performance perspective), which I'm sure is noticeable.

 

 

Next I would say are sways, as the stock pieces are both weak and puny (also a technical term).

 

Perhaps the car's structural rigidity should be addressed next, but the strut towers don't look to be designed with flaws. But I would do them eventually if you're going that route and trying to reduce chassis flex. Strut braces normally do help once you start delving into this route because you end up moving the flex point to somewhere else when you go this route, so you end up adding braces to a lot of points to be effective.

 

The STI is extremely effective for tracking the effects of bracing, as you move the creaking from one spot to another (literally), but the creaks and groans never go away.

[RaceComp Engineering]

You could say that some people do notice strut tower bars, but many do not.

 

And as posted above (good post), there are other areas of the car that are more pressing shortcomings.

 

Although, I think the OP might notice more of a difference in handling by going with different springs that are less "Style" oriented and more performance oriented.

 

- Andrew

[camber]

ha...

 

Their was a show in Canada called "Star Racer" where these up and coming kart racers and other motosport driver/riders competed in a reality show to vie for a ride in Star Mazda race series. They were driving F2000 formula cars.

 

In one competition they got to drive the car as normal then the mechanics would change something(ie. like disconnect the rear sway bar). I think only 2 out of the dozen "experienced" motorsport competitors figured out something like the rear sway bar had been disconnected!

 

I'm 100% positive that the STB will decrease some flex between the two shock towers. Given the direction of the forces involved and STB essentially creates an arch between the top of the strut towers. However, like others have mentioned. Subaru has already done a good job of incorporating the sides of the strut towers into the firewall and gains from a STB will be less compared to other car models(ie. 240SX).

 

Heh... I think their 8 post rig close to me that is open for suspension deflection analysis. Anyone, willing to chip in and get an impartial analysis done with a STB on and off on a BL sedan?