Front Strut, Rear Strut, Rear Lower Tie Bar

[aznalex]

Hey guys,
read quite a bit about strut/sway bars but am still hungry for more specific knowledge.

I recently just bought a Type-R front strut bar (used) for my civic and looking to do more chassis re-enforcement to the car.

I read in some different forum on installing the front strut bar and many have said to jack up the car before putting the strut bar on. Is this really required? or not?
They said that when you jack the car up, the towers will flex somewhat, which confuses me to a point where if the towers flex, wouldnt it make it harder to bold on the front strut?

Others say: simply unbolt, fit strut bar on, re-bolt..(which is what im planning on doing)

Regarding car flex, If i had the front strut bar installed and nothing else on, would anyone see this as a problem?
I would be talking about under-steer, or over (i dont know) and any possible problems with rear chassis flexing more than front chassis.


As the title of my post implies, i am looking to buy a Rear Strut Bar and Rear Lower Tie Bar.
This question is more directed at the Rear Lower Tie Bar.

Can i just bolt it on without extra parts?
Also how would this bar help my car? Couldn't find anything regarding this specific bar..
Currently looking to buy the "Beaks Rear Lower Tie Bar" from eBay.


So basically at the end, I will have a front strut, rear strut and rear lower tie bar.
Do you guys think this combination is decent?
Aiming to keep my car chassis stiff (for better ride feel)
also to eliminate rear from flexing as there is some annoying squeek/grind when back wheels are on different level.

sorry if the post is all over the place but its 4am and i just went through like 40 pages of reading on this forum lol

[yellows2k]

I'm running j's racing front and rear strut bars and asr with dc2r rsb
beaks is basically useless, pure show, no real benefits
the braces don't really make a noticeable difference day to day, on a track then perhaps, but ur going to get better results with coilovers or spring and shock upgrade

[hitoriko]

Ok lets see if i can help.

when you say strut bar im assuming your talking about the strut brace - this will reduce the body roll of the car, best way to install is just leave the car on the ground unbolt install rebolt then go for a spin and you'll notice the difference. also if you ahven't already get a rear strut brace too this will do wonders aswell.

With reguards to the rear tie bar it comes with everything to fit, just follow the instructions and you'll be fine. Further more support the people that support us! order one from JDMYard (look at the sponser section on the forum) you can get one for $185 delivered! i got mine within 2 days of ordering so im very impresseed witht eh level of service

cheers

2nd

[hitoriko]

the braces don't really make a noticeable difference day to day, on a track then perhaps, but ur going to get better results with coilovers or spring and shock upgrade

you can't be serious? of course they make a diffence day to day! a perfect example is in heavy traffic wanting to make lane changes quicker, with les body roll from the brace the car drives more direct.

[EG5]

Apart from bars , suspension bushing kits will improve your car handling too.

[yellows2k]

I'm deadly serious, stuck in traffic with a stock eg changing lanes at 5km as compared to an eg with front and rear strut braces. I can safely say that both cars will generate the same lateral g's. U would get better handling improvements from using better tyres
if u disagree then that's ur opinion, but for me, daily Sydney traffic, I see no real improvements in handling response
HOWEVER, driving along a twisty road at 80km with lots of swirchbacks, that's not the same as changing lanes on parramatta road is it

[hitoriko]

being that im from melbourne and our traffic doesn't suck that much (yet) and i drive alot on the freeways and twisty roads for me there is benefit, and i have lowered springs and shocks (which i agree totally with you is an option he should consider as well as replacing bushes)

[yellows2k]

IMO, if money is to be spent on handling, firstly work out budget and prioritize the upgrades, strutbraces are not primary.
For me, it's Tyres, shocks and springs or coilovers, swaybars and new bushes then the braces. Then there would be all the other aftermarket supports which would be more track oriented

[aznalex]

any point in getting the "Sub-frame Reinforcement Kit"? - i dont understand how this works

[yellows2k]

If ur referring to the asr kit then it's necessary if u want to run the dc2r rear sway bar or thicker rsb in general. The civic subframe is structurally too weak to withstand the forces that a thick rsb places on it and eventually the metal subframe will tear out, like tearing an aluminium can.
The subframe kit reinforces this to prevent damage
so not necessary if not running a thick rsb, I've done this to my eg, then again I have pretty much everything that ur asking about, coilovers, front and rear strut braces and dc2r rsb with asr brace. I don't have an upgraded front sway bar. I don't have a need yet, car runs fine

[chargeR]

A strut bar will make a barely perceptible difference to body roll in a corner. A sway bar, or anti-roll bar, will have a measurable and noticeable effect on body roll and handling and costs a similar amount as a few blingy braces. Do you want good handling, or perceived good handling on the street? They often aren't quite the same thing. Get an ASR subframe bar and a nice big swaybar to go on it if you actually want a handling improvement. Hey it even looks awesome from behind the car.


I'm deadly serious, stuck in traffic with a stock eg changing lanes at 5km as compared to an eg with front and rear strut braces. I can safely say that both cars will generate the same lateral g's. U would get better handling improvements from using better tyres
if u disagree then that's ur opinion, but for me, daily Sydney traffic, I see no real improvements in handling response
HOWEVER, driving along a twisty road at 80km with lots of swirchbacks, that's not the same as changing lanes on parramatta road is it

Listen to this guy.


being that im from melbourne and our traffic doesn't suck that much (yet) and i drive alot on the freeways and twisty roads for me there is benefit, and i have lowered springs and shocks (which i agree totally with you is an option he should consider as well as replacing bushes)

Don't listen to this guy.

[vtecing]

i actually noticed an improvment from installing a spoon lower front brace

[aznalex]

not really looking into performance, fast turns and body roll physics

just want to make the chassis of my car stiffer as it makes grinding/flexing noises when car isnt level (annoying)

i guess you can hate on me for saying this
but i do want to spruce the car up a bit, partly the reason why im buying these bars :P

*gets ready for the hate* looooooooool

[yellows2k]

the eg,weighing less than 1000kg means that it loses a lot in terms of structural rigidity. in fact civics in general are fairly light, thus u will suffer chassis flex when driving into angled driveways, etc.
my car pops a wheel up in the air all the time when i pull into my driveway, my brothers mustang pops 2 wheels in the air, and his flexes like a mofo

[string]

One of the worst handling mods in terms of cost effectiveness but it's your money.

[aznalex]

im looking for easy mods, nothing thats gonna require me to dismantle/replace stuff.
dont feel confident in doing those types of jobs like installing sway bars and bushings

simple bolt on is my type of easy classified work :P

[yellows2k]

asr isnt for u then, however, strut braces wont improve handling like new tyres and coilovers, springs/ shocks