Euro: Cusco strut bar & lower arm bar fitted

[baboo]

:D :D

Got them installed this afternoon

1st impression after fitting the strut bars : the front of the car feels VERY RIGID indeed!!! The whole front of the car tightens up considerably. Definately a worthy mod :thumbsup: :thumbsup: 2 thumbs up!

I haven't had a chance to test out properly yet, but can instantly feel that the steering is more direct & more responsive. And best of all, going up the drive way and NO CREAKS!!! woohoo!! definately strengthen up the front end!!

The downside is the rear is now feel looser again, Hope there's a lower arm bar for the rear or some kind of bracing soon.

here's some piccys

http://www.earthmach.com/temp/DSCF1724.jpg
http://www.earthmach.com/temp/DSCF1725.jpg
http://www.earthmach.com/temp/DSCF1726.jpg
http://www.earthmach.com/temp/DSCF1727.jpg

[LOC888]

Nice...cant wait for mine to arrive..

[Chris_F]

nice baboo, looks good. maybe a sway bar would help?

[stephen8512]

awesome pics!

hey baboo.......what strut bar is taht? cusco type OS?

[EuroAccord13]

SWEEEEEET Looking dude :)

Now give it a proper, controlled environment test and tell me!!!!

[Pum[Z]]

Damn nice Baboo!!!

Wondering how come u took ur I-Vtec Rocker cover off??

[cccoltsicehockey]

well it looks like my type I bar will become my hood prop for cars shows permanetly then since I cant use both together

[baboo]

']Damn nice Baboo!!!

Wondering how come u took ur I-Vtec Rocker cover off??

Weight saving...LOL
Oh I'm such a ricer

[baboo]

After driving around I confirmed that the arm brace & strut bar does work! Because there used to be a dull feeling where you move your steering wheel around and the car stays straight, what you call it? dead steering is it? I forgot the term.

Anyway, the dull feeling has gone & replace with a responsive steering that reacts to the tinniest amount of steering input.

[Chris_F]

cool, good to hear it was worth it - it's amazing how much difference strapping a few bits of metal to your car can make. Btw i got in contact with fulcrum and they carry the whiteline sway bar, i might be goin with that, only thing thats putting me off is the fact thats its 18mm as apposed to 24mm for the comptech

[Matell]

cool, good to hear it was worth it - it's amazing how much difference strapping a few bits of metal to your car can make. Btw i got in contact with fulcrum and they carry the whiteline sway bar, i might be goin with that, only thing thats putting me off is the fact thats its 18mm as apposed to 24mm for the comptech

Comptech = 22mm ;)

Don't be put off. As I mentiond at the cruise the Whiteline may offer the same handling improvements as the Comptech bar. In something such as a sway bar it only acts in torsion, so the material used makes a big difference. If the Whiteline bar is made from a steel alloy with a higher modulus of elasticity than that of 6150 Steel (Comptech Bar) the 4mm difference in diameter could easily be offset and they'd perform exactly the same.

If someone knows the material the Whiteline bar is made from let me know.

[Chris_F]

ok thanks for the info matell - its just disconcerting that the difference between whiteline and comptech diametre is more than stock to whiteline.

I'll do some research and see if i can find what grade steel it's made out of so we can make some more accurate comparisons

[Matell]

ok thanks for the info matell - its just disconcerting that the difference between whiteline and comptech diametre is more than stock to whiteline.

I'll do some research and see if i can find what grade steel it's made out of so we can make some more accurate comparisons

That's the thing with engineering and design. Bigger is not always better, and there's many different ways to perform the exact same task.

And remember 18mm is a hell of a lot thicker than the stock bar. Also keep in mind that if the 22mm bar is infact stiffer than the 18mm the loads transfered to the mount's on the chassis, and suspension end links will be higher and as a result there's increased potential for component failure.

[Chris_F]

ah i see, i guess theres more to these bars than meets the eye. i'm hoping to pick up the whiteline from fulcrum sometime soon after they told me they can order it in for a tad over 200. Should make for hours of fun combined with short shifter and rsx type s shift knob.

[PNR888]

Baboo, very nice, I hope they don't increase too much weight to your car, otherwise we will see u stripping off more interior.

[euro77]

that's a nice one baboo. how much does that thing cost, and what's their part number?

[Matell]

Right, well I too, finally have the Cusco Strut tower bar, and the Type II lower arm brace installed. Unfortunately I ordered both Type I and II brace, and indeed you must use one or the other. The Type I brace IS the forward member of the Type II brace. So now I have a Type I brace to sell.
http://img258.echo.cx/img258/5177/344475atypeibar4pu.jpg
Expect a post in the sales forum once I've had a chance to think about things. Unless someone would like to PM me before then.

http://img258.echo.cx/img258/1126/img2846mod3wm.jpg


Oh and remember when reading the following I have the Comptech Sway bar, stock suspension, and OEM wheels and rubber.

Strut Tower Bar


http://img258.echo.cx/img258/4078/img2849mod2zl.jpg

My impressions of the install:


First I didn't have the access to a hoist so I had to do it the hard way. Jacking up the car and sliding in and out from underneath it is a mega b****.

The strut tower bar is very simple to install. Remove the three bolts on each side, place the foot plates of the bar over the exposed threaded shafts, reinstall the bolts and torque down to 44N.m (32.5 lb.ft) and it's done. A word of caution needs to be made about the close proximity and contact that's made between the air-conditioning pipes and the drivers side mount. I placed some foam tape on the pipes to try to minimize and contact.


http://img258.echo.cx/img258/5328/img2851mod1lu.jpg

On-Road:

I went for a quick drive around some roundabouts and did a 60kmh slalom along a few clear and secluded roads. It felt slightly more neutral than without the bar and a little tighter. Previously when doing this type of thing I could sense a little body flex in the front, but now it's not that obvious at all. I can now sense the rear sway working more, or maybe that's just I sign I should give the rubber bushings a lube.

Lower Arm Brace Type II

http://img258.echo.cx/img258/6633/img2854mod7vx.jpg


My impressions of the install:

First and foremost if you have access to a vehicle hoist....USE IT!!!!!!. It's a bitch trying to jack the car up enough to slide underneath.

Aside from access it's very quick and easy to install the lower bar. If you've got a big long extension bar that you'd use to remove wheel nuts you'll make life a lot easier. Use this with a 17mm socket two removes the two large inner bolts, and then remove the four 12mm bolts (two on each chassis rails).

Next is the real pain in the *****. I'd been warned about it from Baboos install, but figured it was a result of the modification he's had done to fit his CL7 header. And what's this problem???? The damn Catalytic Converter!!!!

The bar fits over it perfectly as it's bent in all the right places. So I torqued the big forward bolts to 103N.m (76 lb.ft) and the four rear bolts to 22N.m (16.2 lb.ft) dropped the car of the jack stands and prepared to go for a test drive. Start up the engine all sounds good.

http://img258.echo.cx/img258/5376/img2857mod0do.jpg

http://img258.echo.cx/img258/221/img2858mod6lh.jpg


However as soon as the air-con kicks in there's a rapid hollow metallic tapping. Continue on the drive and that's all I can hear. An incessant tapping whenever the engine is at low revs, and fairly laboured. It was blatantly obvious that the heat shield around the catalytic converter was striking the rear member of the bar as the engine and exhaust flexed and moved in their mounts.

I compared the instructions that came with it and it appears the dimensions of the JDM CL9 cat are shorter than our CL9 Cat, and their cat is well clear of the aft brace. I've had a look at CCColtsicehockey pictures and they have the exact same size cat as us. So TSX's will also suffer this problem.


http://img258.echo.cx/img258/7647/jdminstall8gq.jpg

There's two fixes,

1st Remove the heat shield. Both top and bottom sections bolt together so if you remove one you have to remove the other. This is the easy fix which I decided against as I imagine the heat shield serves a number of purposes, first to retain sufficient heat in the Cat for the chemical reaction to properly take place, and second to keep dirt and other debris clear of it as the get very hot.

2nd Bash the crap out of that dam thing! (Or better still grind it down with grinding wheel)

This second one is one that really piffed me off. It took me about three lots of jacking the car up, farting around removing the brace, removing the lower shield, and then bashing the part of the shield that contacts the rear member of the brace with a hammer.

As a result of this, and not having a bench vice (or anything to stop the rest of the shield deforming) the screw holes on the shield become pushed out making it a mongrel to force the holes back into alignment so you can re-install the screws.

To remove the shield I just used a ratcheted 10mm ring spanner. To get the screws back in though I used a 12mm ring spanner to anchor the nut on upper heat shield (these can break free and move), and a small 1/4" drive "banjo" ratchet with a 2" extension and a 10mm socket. I found in the confined space this gave me enough mechanical advantage to push the bolt up hard and wiggle it while squeezing the lower heat shield until I could tighten it up. I finally managed to deform the shield in enough with my calibrated hammer so it no longer vibrates against the brace.

Bastard Fix
http://img258.echo.cx/img258/9905/img2864mod3sl.jpg

http://img258.echo.cx/img258/6889/img2867mod3ab.jpg

http://img258.echo.cx/img258/2745/img2865mod6ym.jpg


On-Road:

Each time I took it for a test drive my arms ached so much from hours of fiddling around under the car that I was too tired to really notice much difference. There probably is one but I can't feel it as noticeably as a rear sway. Or the marginal change from the strut tower bar.

Overall:

I feel the Strut tower bar and lower brace compliment each other. They provide a fine tuning effect on chassis stiffness with a rear sway installed. The improvement is probably more evident with the loose rear OEM sway.

All these Cusco components are very good quality, and exceptionally light. I was annoyed when I saw that the heat shield had scratched mine, so I painted over it with some clear nail laquer.

I think the Type I brace will probably be just as effective as the type II unless you really push your car hard. Not to mention that now having done the install I imagine you could install it in a matter of minutes without jacking the car.

You'd just lie prone on the ground, reach under, remove the 17mm bolt place the brace under the car on the ground, go to the other side of your car and repeat. Then lift the brace up, install the bolts, torque and you're done. No need to worry about the cat knocking then. :)

[yfin]

Thanks for taking the time to write this up Mattell. Well done :thumbsup:

It certainly sounds like the type I is the way to go to avoid any cat converter mods.

Overall - are you happy with the purchase - ie would you recommend them?

I think the mods you have made are worthwhile - however my thinking is the Euro has a fairly stiff chassis stock. What I think lets the handling down is the soft suspension and thin sway bar. I think some nice coilovers and a thick sway would make the most difference in handling. Mmmm coilovers... one day you will be mine :D

[Matell]

Thanks for taking the time to write this up Mattell. Well done :thumbsup:

It certainly sounds like the type I is the way to go to avoid any cat converter mods.

Overall - are you happy with the purchase - ie would you recommend them?

I think the mods you have made are worthwhile - however my thinking is the Euro has a fairly stiff chassis stock. What I think lets the handling down is the soft suspension and thin sway bar. I think some nice coilovers and a thick sway make the most difference in handling.

I agree with you 100%. I am very happy with the purchase, and would recommend them, however I would probably just go for the Type I and the Strut Tower Bar. I'm not going to say whether or not anyone considering these will feel a difference. That comes down to the driver. I just wish I had some strain gauges etc to fit to may car so I could quantify any improvement.

For looks alone the Strut tower bar looks gorgeous and is worth it. I'll know more performance wise when I go back to work on Tuesday.

Now where's Baboo......he was going to track his car today!

[SSML]

Mattel:
Great write up.
u r a champion! DIYing with limited tools are hard work, but very rewarding!
Great work. cant wait for next Euro cruise :)

[EuroAccord13]

Mattel,
Great Work, Why not post one for the Article/Review section?

It will make a great article!

[Matell]

Mattel,
Great Work, Why not post one for the Article/Review section?

It will make a great article!

Mods? Can you do that for me?

:D

I've been overcome with a bout of laziness ;)

[yfin]

Mods? Can you do that for me?

:D

I've been overcome with a bout of laziness ;)

Will do - only because it was such a good write up. :D

[EuroAccord13]

LOL.. Was about to do it for you but since Yfin got to it first... I'll let him do it so I can continue to hang my legs on the table :D :D :D

[albii]

well done matt.........good write up......just went outside to look at how high the euro is and i got to say that it must have been a bitch to get under.

[Matell]

mawhohaha :D Who says laziness doesn't have it's virtues! ;) Cheers Yfin!

[Matell]

well done matt.........good write up......just went outside to look at how high the euro is and i got to say that it must have been a bitch to get under.

Yup. Not the easiest of places to squeeze. If I had been able to raise the car higher (the trolley jack was fully raised to get the stands in), or found somewhere that stocked hardwood planks on a Saturday so I could've used my ramps it would've been easier.

[euro77]

nice write up Matell... do let us know further after you've properly tested in on Tuesday.

PS: you've got PM

[PNR888]

Good write up. Matell.
yfin: I drove matell's car at the cruise. that's with rear comptech sway bar + OEM suspansions and wheels. Man, I can feel a big difference compare to my stock setting. therefore with front bracing bar and strut bar, the car will definetly handles better.

[yfin]

Good write up. Matell.
yfin: I drove matell's car at the cruise. that's with rear comptech sway bar + OEM suspansions and wheels. Man, I can feel a big difference compare to my stock setting. therefore with front bracing bar and strut bar, the car will definetly handles better.

I don't disagree with you - I was just commenting on mods I "think" will have the most noticeable difference in handling (coilovers and sway). Extra bracing is fine - I just think the improvements will be more incremental rather than dramatic for an already stiff chassis. This is only my opinion - I don't have my sway bar yet or any suspension mods.

[PNR888]

I don't disagree with you - I was just commenting on mods I "think" will have the most noticeable difference in handling (coilovers and sway). Extra bracing is fine - I just think the improvements will be more incremental rather than dramatic for an already stiff chassis. This is only my opinion - I don't have my sway bar yet or any suspension mods.

agree. :)

[Chris_F]

woah.... awesome write up matell, very informative.

[MrHeeltoe]

*EuroAccord13 Edit*

Hi MrHeeltoe;

I'm sorry there is no posting of items for sale in this section :)

BTW, Welcome to OzHonda :)

CHEERS
Nick

[V205]

Finally fitted my Cusco strut bar yesterday. (I had one fitted on my previous S15 too.)

After 2-3 drives, I find the steering stability through sweeping turns is improved. The car seem to change direction quicker and more purposefully.

However, the front improvement has accentuated the rear weakness of too much roll.

So, where can I get a good price whiteline rear sway bar in melb (or mail order)?

I also have the cusco arm bar to be within next few weeks.

I find the RE040 to be a bit lacking. I need a square shoulder block tyre like the Yokohama A509 was. The Marangoni Zeta Linea seems to be one such tyre?

[TwEigh]

nice which cusco model you have? and how much did u buy it for?

[V205]

There's only 1 model available from cusco for the CL9 AFAIK. It's the same one that's been posted here with install pics.


nice which cusco model you have? and how much did u buy it for?

[stephen8512]

nice!
im expecting mine and my lower arm bar soon as well
how did u tighten the nuts? did u just use a socket wrench? and does it matter how tight u put em?

[yfin]

Guys - please don't start a thread where one already exists. I understand this happens by accident - but if you do a search it is easy to find the other thread.

I have merged the thread started by V205 at post #34 with a thread started by baboo. :thumbsup:

Re the question about whiteline sway - find the thread on that please and post your question about it there.

Sorry to be anal - it actually makes this site more user friendly and easier for you to find answers to the questions you want to know if the same topic is in the one thread.