Strut tower bar installation

with anything that is meant to resist forces acting on it (strut bars, tie bars) by adding rigidity to the chassis, it should be installed with no load.

That's how i did it on my ek1. and the stiffer chassis was noticeable immediately.

And I mounted both my front and rear tower braces with the chassis sitting on the springs, and in both cases the stiffer chassis was noticable immediately...

Having said that, I haven't yet jacked it up and reset the mounts, so I can't say from experience whether this is better ot not...

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Originally Posted by Feverpitched

I can tell you that too much pre-load will mess up your suspension geometry, to the point that one of my previous cars would understeer through every roundabout if there was even a whiff of moisture on the road.

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What does 'too much' pre-load mean? There is either zero pre-load, partial pre-load, or full pre-load. 'Too much' preload sounds like you might have gone past zero preload into negative pre-load, i.e. the brace is actually forcing the towers apart?

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Originally Posted by Feverpitched

I've heard a lot of different theories about strut bars - one person even went so far as to tell me to drill out the threads in the bar, so that each end link will become 'truly adjustable'. It kind of makes sense, and kind of doesn't :confused:

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Makes zero sense to me! If you remove the threads in the bar, then the fittings will just slide in the bar, the effect being to not have a brace at all, even though one is fitted...

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Originally Posted by JohnL

What does 'too much' pre-load mean? There is either zero pre-load, partial pre-load, or full pre-load. 'Too much' preload sounds like you might have gone past zero preload into negative pre-load, i.e. the brace is actually forcing the towers apart?

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Exactly. It was my first strut brace :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JohnL

Makes zero sense to me! If you remove the threads in the bar, then the fittings will just slide in the bar, the effect being to not have a brace at all, even though one is fitted...

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Well... If you wound up enough tension in the end links then there will be a degree of 'stiffness' in the bar. And aren't bars meant to reduce inwards flex of the towers, not outwards? As I hinted though, I didn't really believe the guy so hence my bar remains unmolested.

So is it... jack the car up or don't worry about jacking the car?

don't jack the car up and install strut brace.
if you jack the chassis flexes.