anybody know about this strut bar... its way too cheap
 

what the thread title says.. how can it be this cheap for a engine bay strut bar?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...471841949&rd=1

I do not know. I got my Ractive strut bar for about $20 or so a while ago. :p:

Look for Strut braces by CP racing on ebay. The garbage strut braces aren't a solid unit. You can see how the brace is made adjustable by the 2 nuts and bolts on each end. This is only because they want to make sure the unit will fit on everybodies Rx.

How can the flexible joint hold the car solid? Well, it can't. If your budget allows, I recommend getting a strut brace that is ALL 1 PIECE. I think the CP racing ones go for 90 or so on Ebay.

-Grant

The argument that I have here is that it is cheap. I can only speak for myself here though. I bought it, installed it, and noticed an improvement right away in the handling of the car. If something is that cheap and you can tell it works, why knock it? The CP one might be good, but if you are on a budget and are not racing your car, what is the harm in using something cheap that still works?

O...after re-reading, my argument is weak ass.

CP racing braces are good.. The one from ebay u showed us is what i consider garbage.

Imagine the body flexing a little, you can imagine how the flex points on the 10 dollar strut brace won't hold right? See how a solid, welded, 1 piece brace works better?

Now, you could just buy that 10 dollar one for engine bay Bling!!, but if you own a convertable, any additional torsional rigidity is welcome.

-grant

well i mean, don't u think its obvious some seriosu gains are being given away by the flex joint?

I can see someone getting those flex joints selded together...for a rather ugly but very effective strut brace

hell, i might even go that route, but for now...it seems such a waste to get a strut brace with such limited potential. People that see your engine bay might think the same thing, kinda looks un-hardcore..to invent a new term.

-grant

welded*****

Well, I have to agree that that strut brace does seem that it lends to flexing. As for myself, I think my $20 strut brace was made very well for the price. The bracketry is made of all one piece and the only flex points I can see are at the joint of the bracketry to the bar. Seems to me if you preload the strut brace and tighten the nuts securely, there will not be a whole lot of flex at all.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...472938408&rd=1

i bought this because it was all of $30 shipped and i saw one on another guys FC... felt solid but i was worried about the pivots and stuff....

anyways, it didn't fit very well around the strut but still i got it one there... maybe it was the way i tightened them up just right, but it is solid as hell...

the point is... for a $30 strut bar i got a noticable difference in how it cornered..
Example: before: onramp to highway at 55-60 felt like i was losing it.
after: onramp to highway at 60 feels like butter, like i could do it one handed...i say "like" not do

Most of the difference between the cheap ebay bars are because the cheap ebay bars use cheap hardware and high shipping costs to make a profit.

The bars themselves are fine as are the mounts for most applications. Just replace the hardware (screws-washers, nuts) with decent ones that don't snap at 40 ft/lbs and the cheap ebay bars are just fine for the average street racer.

I have the same one as Fero. It didn't fit entirely correct, but about 10 mins with an angle grinder and a few test fits later, it fits pretty nice... even somewhat doubles as an engine torque brace the way my alternator pockets into the bar

i got one for $8 works great

I was told somewhere that when you install, to jack the car off of the suspension (jack up front end using crossmember), so that the suspension drops to is lowest point. Installing when the suspension is supposedly better than installing when the suspension is holding the car up.

So I've heard anyhow. Any comments on this?

Re: anybody know about this strut bar... its way too cheap
 

how the hell does that fit on your car? the hood wouldn't even be able to close. it has only 3 holes for the strut top as well (needs four).

CP racing always has fittiment probs. Plus the rear strut bar comes no where close to fitting the vert. Just a heads up so you don't get stuck like i did. Also I will be selling it for the coupe but I have to make sure it will fit. I don't want to sell it on this forum and have it not fit. Oh yeah CP racing won't take shit back

O really? I didn't know that about the CP racing brace.

Do you think one could modify the far for better fitment?

Well, whatever, I'd be willing to take that brace off your hands. PM me if you want to talk sell it.

-Grant

The original 2nd gen CP bar was made using a factory straight low mileage 2nd gen as a template. It was then measured and remeasured using factory and aftermarket references (think body shop ref manuals) to be sure it fits. I do quite a lot of work with CP, so I feel inclined to defend their products.

Yes, you may have had fitment problems. But every car is a little different. Even a "straight" original car will be different from another "straight" car. FWIW, the bar fit my car perfectly, though I did have to shift the location of my fuse panel (early cars had a different bracket...the bar has since been changed to compensate for this).

As for returns, without knowing the specifics of the transaction, statements like "wouldn't take shit back" probably shouldn't be made. The guys at CP are very good and very understanding.

Isn't the factory FD R1 brace a 3 piece?

I got a cheap-o strut bar off ebay and it doesn't let the hood close. It doesn't stand up very high, but the inside of the hood is corrogated, and a lower part of the inside of the hood comes down on the bar.