My homemade front strut bar

MtyMseHarmer · 05-19-2008, 08:33 AM

Well I had a bunch of angle steel and square tubing left over from a house project a few years ago so I figured I put that metal to good use and see if I can make something that is a little better then the factory strut bar. So this is what I came up with. Total cost was just some more welding wire (I ran out in the middle of making it).

tigerpee · 05-19-2008, 08:38 AM

Looks good!

Raptor13x · 05-19-2008, 08:45 AM

I love it.

Why pay $200 for something you can make yourself for basically free?

Dance_Business · 05-19-2008, 10:54 AM

good job.

Ku-sama · 05-19-2008, 11:52 AM

should have made one that fit where the stock one went too, that would have been really cool

MtyMseHarmer · 05-19-2008, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ku-sama

should have made one that fit where the stock one went too, that would have been really cool

I am pretty sure doing that wouldn't help any. The only real difference it would be doing it add the few pounds that it weighs. Sometimes more isn't always better.

Ku-sama · 05-19-2008, 05:00 PM

but it would be pretty!!! lol.... nice job though

Gairloch · 05-19-2008, 06:51 PM

Good work!

Have you driven enough with it to notice any difference in the feel of the car?

MtyMseHarmer · 05-19-2008, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gairloch

Good work!

Have you driven enough with it to notice any difference in the feel of the car?

I don't drive the car much since it isn't my daily driver and mainly an autox car. I did have an autox this weekend with it but it was the first event for me this year and I did a lot of things during the offseason to the car and so I couldn't really tell you which things I did helped the car. Once there is a test and tune autox I plan on going to it and testing to see if the stock one or my homemade one helps better.

feral4mr2 · 05-20-2008, 08:19 AM

seeing you can cut steel and weld. triangulate your brace to the front firewall.

MtyMseHarmer · 05-20-2008, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by feral4mr2

seeing you can cut steel and weld. triangulate your brace to the front firewall.

I would love to do that. However, the rules in Street Modified do not allow me to triangulate the strut bar.

Gairloch · 05-21-2008, 12:13 AM

That blows. Does it matter if the bar was originally triangulated?

MtyMseHarmer · 05-21-2008, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gairloch

That blows. Does it matter if the bar was originally triangulated?

If it came from the factory with it triangulated then it is fine. Basically if it has original mounting holes you can use it. You just can't create more suspension mounting locations.

jus7o · 05-25-2008, 05:07 PM

hey thats my bed frame!

AW114life · 05-29-2008, 12:56 PM

Looks good bud.

racelane · 05-30-2008, 08:03 AM

dude it looks awesome! i'll make one for myself!

LokiRx7 · 05-30-2008, 06:33 PM

In order to take full advantage of that you will need not only a four point bar that meets the firewall (as stated) But at the very least you need poly bushings. All that nasty rubber in your suspension will flex and move before your strut towers do.

I have personally seen some tests taken out using a Miata with a stock suspension with and without a front strut bar and with a front and rear strut bar. The difference was so negligable that it could have been a temperature change on the pavement in the time they changed the bars. However there was an improvement, but not much. A few weeks later we waited for a similiar day after installing delrin bushings (car wasnt going to see much street duty... Delrin is about as hard as you can get without using steel) After that there was a noted improvement, and after welding in a full cage and welding the seams in the uni-body there was a massive improvement.

It was a fun project for a family friend who is shall we say LOADED... (Now has a 13b-REW 1.3 liter twin turbo rotary for those of you Rx-7 illiterate

)

Just my $0.02

TomsMR2 · 05-30-2008, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtyMseHarmer

I am pretty sure doing that wouldn't help any. The only real difference it would be doing it add the few pounds that it weighs. Sometimes more isn't always better.

ive done both (57 different ways), and ill totally back that statement. doesnt do a damn thing to brace the firewall, besides look kinda neat.

cool stuff man, i love homemade things

when i made mine it made a pretty good difference in steering feel, for the ~8 bucks mine cost it was worth it.

mk2Josh · 05-30-2008, 07:39 PM

hey it gets the job done, nice work bro!

MtyMseHarmer · 05-31-2008, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LokiRx7

In order to take full advantage of that you will need not only a four point bar that meets the firewall (as stated) But at the very least you need poly bushings. All that nasty rubber in your suspension will flex and move before your strut towers do.

I have personally seen some tests taken out using a Miata with a stock suspension with and without a front strut bar and with a front and rear strut bar. The difference was so negligable that it could have been a temperature change on the pavement in the time they changed the bars. However there was an improvement, but not much. A few weeks later we waited for a similiar day after installing delrin bushings (car wasnt going to see much street duty... Delrin is about as hard as you can get without using steel) After that there was a noted improvement, and after welding in a full cage and welding the seams in the uni-body there was a massive improvement.

It was a fun project for a family friend who is shall we say LOADED... (Now has a 13b-REW 1.3 liter twin turbo rotary for those of you Rx-7 illiterate

)

Just my $0.02

I have replaced all the rubber bushings with polyurathane so that is taken care of. Also like I said I can't triangulate or brace it to firewall because the rules in SCCA Street Modified do not allow it. What I really would like is to find a test and tune solo day and take the stock bar and this one and do some testing with each one.

05-19-2008, 08:33 AM	#1 (permalink)
MtyMseHarmer SCCA Solo Tech Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Topeka, KS Posts: 54 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	My homemade front strut bar Well I had a bunch of angle steel and square tubing left over from a house project a few years ago so I figured I put that metal to good use and see if I can make something that is a little better then the factory strut bar. So this is what I came up with. Total cost was just some more welding wire (I ran out in the middle of making it).

05-19-2008, 06:51 PM	#8 (permalink)
Gairloch Dreaming of apexes Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 4,848 Thanks: 125 Thanked 258 Times in 228 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (7/100% )	Good work! Have you driven enough with it to notice any difference in the feel of the car? __________________ "Inside the car, the world beyond the driver's immediate horizon ceases to exist. Alone with the solitude of his desire, survival sense numbed by the speed, he's outrun the mediocrity of the outside world, slipped the shackles it tries to clamp on us all. He is running free, chased only by a fear of failure, for failure is to risk ejection into the real world." ~Mark Hughes

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05-19-2008, 08:38 AM	#2 (permalink)
tigerpee Cage Fighter Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 544 Thanks: 7 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Looks good!

05-19-2008, 08:45 AM	#3 (permalink)
Raptor13x Legendary Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Farmington Hills, MI Posts: 3,989 Thanks: 7 Thanked 40 Times in 34 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (5/100% )	I love it. Why pay $200 for something you can make yourself for basically free?

05-19-2008, 10:54 AM	#4 (permalink)
Dance_Business Mad Dance Skills Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: 20 minutes to Graceland Posts: 1,011 Thanks: 78 Thanked 8 Times in 8 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (4/100% )	good job.

05-19-2008, 11:52 AM	#5 (permalink)
Ku-sama Cage Fighter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Germantown, MD Posts: 1,462 Thanks: 8 Thanked 31 Times in 31 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	should have made one that fit where the stock one went too, that would have been really cool

05-19-2008, 05:00 PM	#7 (permalink)
Ku-sama Cage Fighter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Germantown, MD Posts: 1,462 Thanks: 8 Thanked 31 Times in 31 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	but it would be pretty!!! lol.... nice job though

05-20-2008, 08:19 AM	#10 (permalink)
feral4mr2 ghetto modder Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Western Australia Posts: 128 Thanks: 0 Thanked 10 Times in 10 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	seeing you can cut steel and weld. triangulate your brace to the front firewall.

05-21-2008, 12:13 AM	#12 (permalink)
Gairloch Dreaming of apexes Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 4,848 Thanks: 125 Thanked 258 Times in 228 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (7/100% )	That blows. Does it matter if the bar was originally triangulated?

05-25-2008, 05:07 PM	#14 (permalink)
jus7o D I Y Join Date: May 2007 Location: Houston Posts: 143 Thanks: 16 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	hey thats my bed frame!

05-29-2008, 12:56 PM	#15 (permalink)
AW114life No Skills Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 35 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Looks good bud.

05-30-2008, 08:03 AM	#16 (permalink)
racelane No Skills Join Date: May 2008 Location: Philippines Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	dude it looks awesome! i'll make one for myself!

05-30-2008, 06:33 PM	#17 (permalink)
LokiRx7 MR2 + Flat Black = FAIL Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: N.C. Ohio Posts: 315 Thanks: 0 Thanked 15 Times in 14 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	In order to take full advantage of that you will need not only a four point bar that meets the firewall (as stated) But at the very least you need poly bushings. All that nasty rubber in your suspension will flex and move before your strut towers do. I have personally seen some tests taken out using a Miata with a stock suspension with and without a front strut bar and with a front and rear strut bar. The difference was so negligable that it could have been a temperature change on the pavement in the time they changed the bars. However there was an improvement, but not much. A few weeks later we waited for a similiar day after installing delrin bushings (car wasnt going to see much street duty... Delrin is about as hard as you can get without using steel) After that there was a noted improvement, and after welding in a full cage and welding the seams in the uni-body there was a massive improvement. It was a fun project for a family friend who is shall we say LOADED... (Now has a 13b-REW 1.3 liter twin turbo rotary for those of you Rx-7 illiterate ) Just my $0.02

05-30-2008, 07:39 PM	#19 (permalink)
mk2Josh I Love my 91 Tail lights Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: perris, CA Posts: 119 Thanks: 8 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	hey it gets the job done, nice work bro!