Simply question....what is the best one for the J?
I've seen some skinny ones on ebay for cheap....but I want to know is it worth the extra money for the thick mrz performance one.
GMR has got nothing on this
The best one is going to be a 1 piece bar like the GM vert bar or OEM godzilla bar. Any one with pivots will not get the job done as well no matter how tight those bolts are.
DC Sports makes a nice bar too.
I got a cheap ebay one and its worked great for 7 years
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Best in this case is very subjective.
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best is going to be opinion and theory since nobody has actually tested multiple bars subjectively and actually gotten data to back up claims.
strat81 wrote:best is going to be opinion and theory since nobody has actually tested multiple bars subjectively and actually gotten data to back up claims.
I dont have data as far as track times but I have driven the car hard with different setups. The only thing changed during my experience was the strut bar. I have run nothing, an ebay bar with the bolt on end plates, and the vert bar. We all know what stock feels like. I first put on a vert bar and the difference was very noticeable. The front end tightened a lot. Next I switched to the ebay bar for looks, it was tighter than stock but pretty loose feeling compared to the vert bar. So needless to say I went back to the vert bar.
My final consensus was from 1-10 stock is a 0, the one piece vert bar is a 10, and the bolt on end plate ebay version was about a 5. Like I said above this is all based on the feel of the car while driving and not track times or sensor data. But to me the feel of the car is very important. Seems to me any 1 piece will out perform and of the ones that have the bolt on end plates because those still allow side to side movement where the bar bolts to the plate.
I couldn't find the graphic I wanted but this will suffice.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Sunday, April 17, 2011 11:08 AM
Zs Z wrote:The best one is going to be a 1 piece bar like the GM vert bar or OEM godzilla bar. Any one with pivots will not get the job done as well no matter how tight those bolts are.
This.
And on top of that, GM's version has a "curved lip" so it locks to the towers, instead of the flat design mount that it will only slide and it relies heavily on the studs.
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Zs Z wrote:strat81 wrote:best is going to be opinion and theory since nobody has actually tested multiple bars subjectively and actually gotten data to back up claims.
I dont have data as far as track times but I have driven the car hard with different setups. The only thing changed during my experience was the strut bar. I have run nothing, an ebay bar with the bolt on end plates, and the vert bar. We all know what stock feels like. I first put on a vert bar and the difference was very noticeable. The front end tightened a lot. Next I switched to the ebay bar for looks, it was tighter than stock but pretty loose feeling compared to the vert bar. So needless to say I went back to the vert bar.
My final consensus was from 1-10 stock is a 0, the one piece vert bar is a 10, and the bolt on end plate ebay version was about a 5. Like I said above this is all based on the feel of the car while driving and not track times or sensor data. But to me the feel of the car is very important. Seems to me any 1 piece will out perform and of the ones that have the bolt on end plates because those still allow side to side movement where the bar bolts to the plate.
I couldn't find the graphic I wanted but this will suffice.

i agree that the vert bar works well. Ive autox'd using both the ebay bars and vert bar with the 2 tabs and i like the vert bar too.
again though, there is no skidpad data to back up the consensus that the vert bar is better than a 3 pc. design. in theory, it will be but no physical proof. butt dyno's are not a reliable source of measurement.
hence my original statement.
p.s. sti offers a damper as a rear strut tower brace on their s204. based on your drawing, this would be worthless yet a performace car is fitted with this from the factory...
google subaru s204 strut tower brace
Skidpad is not the right measurment for measuring how effective a strut tower brace is. Skidpad measures lateral G-forces held between road and tire. For measuring the effectiveness of a bar on a car, you'll need a Hz measurment device.
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between skidpad and slalom, you should be able to tell a viable difference if the strut tower braces are really that far unequal... honestly, if it's that much of a night and day difference the effects should be obvious.
you'd also want to test the bars between the same car... just as any other performance test.
Ahhh ok I see what your saying.
IMO the best one would have to be a tri-angulated version that has bars going to the upper radiator support.
ive yet to see a such bar be created for our cars. with as many engine options as we have it would be very hard to make a universal one. a few have just added bars for the same effect though... which is what im working on as we speak.
*edit* well thats nice... OEM has stepped up to make a tr-bar. awesome!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Tuesday, April 19, 2011 10:59 AM
z yaaaa wrote:IMO the best one would have to be a tri-angulated version that has bars going to the upper radiator support.
ive yet to see a such bar be created for our cars. with as many engine options as we have it would be very hard to make a universal one. a few have just added bars for the same effect though... which is what im working on as we speak.
*edit* well thats nice... OEM has stepped up to make a tr-bar. awesome! 
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I have been running my stainless piece for about 2 years now.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Thursday, June 02, 2011 8:33 AM
i do believe i don't care.

, i do believe brian still owes me audio installation. so the way i see's it, is brian and mike both owes me some stuff. so sayeth jay.
Might just make my mine. Brian with a blow torch and a hammer = good weekend.
As far as the hinged vs unhigned goes. I have a feeling that our strut towers dont flex that much that its going to be a noticeable difference. Struts/springs, sway bars, and subframe braces will likely do more for your handling than a strut bar will. Its like arguing about the color of the lugnuts on your car when the body has rust holes and missing paint.