Hi ppl,
Recently I purchased an Aluminum Strut Tower Brace from EBay. The package arrived this morning, and minutes ago, tried to install it... everything was going fine until found a couple of doubts.
Please check this picture:
Well, here are the questions:
1). There is a distance between flap "a" and flap "b" that is wider than the width of the bar. It lets the bar move forward and backward. The circular base and the flaps looks solid as a rock... If I adjust the lug and the nut tighten to get them closer (1/2 inch aproximately, the picture shows the flaps closer than the piece I got) ... will I break the flaps? or I'll have to fill the space with those metal rings? (sorry, don't remember how you call them)
2) The piece "c" has to be screwed on the bar. There is one for the left and other for the right. You should screw/unscrew to match the distance between the strut towers/circular bases... well, do you recommend me to screw it totally on one side and unscrew it on the other side until I reach the desired length? or balance both, unscrewing the same distance?
And a miscy doubt:
Do the aluminum bars last longer than the steel ones?
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR FEEDBACK!!
Will try to answer:
1) Washers do wonders.
2) Totally screw in on both sides. That way you know they're equal. Then just back out keeping the same lengths on both sides until it fits.
Well, aluminum isn't supposed to rust. So last longer that way I guess.
But stainless steel lasts long too.
-M
Remember....syringes go in the RED waste basket.
i have that one i believe, i tightened it till it got tight, havent broken it yet and ive had it for over a year.
but washers are a good idea.
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98' Pontiac Sunfire SE
1. Washers
2. Up to you. Looks better ballanced. No effect on how well it works though.
3. Aluminum has a lower tollerance for stress cracking. Thin steel rusts. Stainless is the only one that will last a signficantly longer time than the others. But we're talking about 30 to 50 years before the Aluminum would crack or the steel would rust through (unless you do something to it to make it rust faster).
Wow!!! That's enough guys!!!
Thank you so much for the helpful info and for your time trying to decipher my poor skill level in english... lol
::running to the garage::
does it rub your throttle body on your 2.2?
Finally got it installed. Works fine, made some hard maneuvers and felt a great improvement on the driving. Thank you guys for the help!
EZ3K1EL: Nope, it does NOT rub anything. There's a minimum distance between the bar and the components. Before the installation I was afraid of that, but not, everything was easy, just plug and play.
btw, forgot to tell you that I had to use 1 washer per side to have them tightened.
Sorry to jack the thread but when you install them do you have to tighten the bar (like make it so it "pulls" the towers together) so get it on and then tighten the nut down to the bar. Like in his diagram should I put it on and line it up then tighten "C" to the bar? Or do I make sure I can't move the bar then tighten "C" down?
Give it some tension (should be pushing towers apart, not too much) then tighten the jam nuts (c). You just don't want there to be slop in the bar. Not pulling either, it's there to stop the towers from flexing inward.
thanks for the info i got the same one other note i am getting mine powdercoated tomorrow
Also with the rear, did you have to buy a nut for each side since the struts bolt up in the fender well in the rear. Did you just buy a nut and tighten it down on top?
I bought a 4 nuts for the tops for the rear bar on mine. I thought that bar was such a pita to install, then when i changed my struts when lowering the car, it was still a PITA. Im thinking it was more of the quality of the bar more so than anything else.
does anyone have these with an 03-05 that fits?? How are the quality of thes. I really dont see paying 100 USD for a piece of metal, but if these suck then ill pay up i guess. Thanks, and if you could a link to ebay would be cool cheers!
