***please read all of it before you post your opinion or comments!!!!***


so what are the drawbacks and negatives on the cheap ebay front strut bars???

i just want to know what are the real differences in handling between the cheap ebay no name brands and the name brand ones like tein or corksport etc..

other than the cheap ebay ones rubbing on the alternator and being made of cheap aluminum, do they still do its job and stiffen up your suspension as of a real name brand one would???

just want to know before i go and buy the most expensive strut bar out there when i can just get the cheap one that does exactly the same thing other than say a brand name on it...


(im not looking for answers that say buy the expensive one just because its a name brand, i want real opinions from people who have the cheap ebay ones or people who switched from the cheap ebay ones)


thanks in advance for the info and opinions

 

I had a no-name strut bar- it didn't hit the alternator and seemed to work just fine.

The big difference that I see between "cheap" and brand name is that the cheap ones aren't adjustable so you can't set the preload, what it is is what it is.
On the one I had all the holes were oversize- both on the towertop brackets and the strut mount point- so it could be installed either with the car on the ground or wheels up.

In contrast, the Mazdatrix unit I replaced it with had barely oversized holes and the car had to be jacked up just so to get it to pop onto the studs.
This new part was the full strut tower/firewall/torque brace setup and made a noticeable difference compared to the simple cross brace that was on before.
I'd highly recommend it over any simple crossbrace- name brand or not.

Unknown brand...


Mazdatrix part...


Since my car is not tracked I can't comment on handling improvements but I'm firmly convinced of the Mazdatrixs' efficacy because after the install 90% of my interior rattles went away, which I conclude is due to increased chassis stiffness and less flex.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it....

 

honestly you probably wont notice a difference. im usually a brand name *****, but id say the best bang for the buck ebay strut bars is probably the tcsportline ones.

 

nice mazdatrix strut bar!!! i dont even want to ask how much it cost coming from them haha.. looks great though!!

i see so how much does a tcsportline usually run for?? just the front

 

good posting.

i usually only deal with high rep companies or O.E

 

Ive bought both and honestly i think the ebay bars are fine. Mine literally cost me like 6 bucks each plus shipping brand new, are FULLY ADJUSTABLE and have held up just fine. If you buy adjustable ebay bars i think youll be satisfied. youll spend like an eighth of what it costs for a brand name one and these get the job done. still have them on my track car now.

only thing i would recommend is if you are gonna get them, get both i did front first and only felt a little but then i did both and i felt a good difference to me it felt like it boxed my susp. nice and my steering feel was more direct and flat. but then again these are rx7s the best car in the world ever.

 

I have those eBay cheap ones and they do it's job.

I think there is no difference between those and the good brand ones because they all have the same problem. They are all made of 3 parts and that makes it possible to rotate on the parts that connect the bar to the parts that grab the bar to the car.

I think the best one is the mazdatrix one because it's a solid piece and it doesn't have the problem that I said above. But it's a lot more expensive...

 

corksport isnt name brand, its an ebay strut bar, just like the one clokker posted, except corksport puts a white vinyl "corksport" decal on it, and charges triple what they go for on ebay.

i found that out when i purchased a corksport rear strut bar, and compared it to a rear strut bar from ebay...same thing.

it works fine, but what a waste of money.

if you want to spend a little, go with ebay.

if you want name brand, cusco front, and cusco rear with the rear "V" brace, that creates a triangle in the rear.

 

I have an E-Bay front strut bar on my vert. I can tell a differance, not much, but noticable. As far as the hitting the alternator issue. I slightly tweaked the strut bar mounts to get enough clearance for the full adjusting range of the belts.

 

Mazdatrix part...


Since my car is not tracked I can't comment on handling improvements but I'm firmly convinced of the Mazdatrixs' efficacy because after the install 90% of my interior rattles went away, which I conclude is due to increased chassis stiffness and less flex.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it....[/QUOTE]



more info on that intake setup? where does it go down to?

 

Here.

 

sweet! nice input guys... thanks

i guess ill go with the adjustible ebay ones for now until i get some money or win the lotto to buy a mazdatrix one lol