just ordered a strut brace
 

i was bored at work today and this forum was kind of slow so i went over to ebay and typer rx7 in the search and found a front strut brace for $24.95 and the auction was ending in a few hours so i waited and at the end i bid on it and wound up with a strut brace for $27!!!
after the shipping was included it came to about $49 or so.

im not expecting much from a $30 strut bar but i would spend that money on beer or weed anyway so i figured WTH so when(if) it gets here i will let you know how it is.

anyway im still bored and had a couple of minutes to kill before i get off work:)

"but i would spend that money on beer or weed anyway"

hahahahaha

what was the username that you bought it from? The one that starts out at 24.95, directcarparts (somthing like that) is where I got mine. My car has never been in an accident, it fit great, cleared the alt by about 3cm. Plenty of room. Congrats, you'll be happy ya got it.

Don't knock him for that ;), it's why I quit smoking, so I could afford mods!

I am a college kid. Giving up beer is sacreligious. That is why my FC is still bone stock, other than a K&N drop-in filter and no cats.

I saw those strut bars too, almost bought one but was curious what the differences were between them and other brands at a higher costs.

Keep us (particularly me) updated on how it works. We have one supporter it seems, Josepi.

I made a custom aluminum for my car with a torque mount for the engine. Mine is similiar to the Mazdatrix one but it cost me $30 and weighs about 5#.

hey how'd you do that? what matterials do you need and a how to would be cool to!

thanks

I would be better off trying to get a picture for you than explaining. Its not dificult, I just couldn't properly explain it and do justice for it.

so i just got home from work and to my surprize, i had a package waiting for me. my strut bar finally came.:)
so I opened it not expecting much, but to my surprize it actually looks pretty decent. I am going to put it on this weekend(well, my weekend, thursday and friday) but i will try to post some pics, but from what I have seen from it so far i would definatly recomend it.

It should only take you 10 minutes. Do it today! I have to drop my TII off to get the clutch swapped out. I would do an upgraded clutch, but no one wants to do it, and the one local place that I know will do it did a REALLY SHITTY job putting my rear end back on. Nothing says lovin like a brake line that's not tightened.

i know it would only take a couple of minutes to put on, but I want to compare the before and after, during the day. i get off work at 8:30 and i dont feel like doing anything after work except drinking beer.
and also I can put the strut bar on and then go get my exhaust put on (hopefully) and it will feel like a completely different car.

I just bought the same one today! I can't wait to get it in!

I just ordered that same strut tower bar from directcarparts on e-bay. I should be getting it tomorrow or the next day.

i had to move my alternaor down to get my strut bar to fit.

I also bought one from directparts on ebay. man it real helped out turning. and man when you go up into your drive bam, it hits. I had my arm on the door and went up my drive way and punch meself in the face. it is alot stiffer.

HAHAHA sorry.

To those that have to move the alt. Describe the bar. The bar from the directcarparts isn't a straight line. It is angled up slightly, then straightens across the bay. I got a good 2-3 cm clearance. Just make sure you have the bar right when you put it on, so that the angle gives you room instead of it resting directly on the alt.

I have lots of room the radiator cap is th eonly thing close. but the bar looks trick I love it.

Oil cap ya mean? :D

pics ?

I bought one from them too ( because I was bored and had money :p: ). This thing hits the alternator screw (see pic below). I had to rotate the bar so it wont rub that much. People always say "you put your strut bar on wrong!" :mad: It did make the car stiffer in the turns. So I was happy.


http://home1.gte.net/res00j45/crap/strutbar2.jpg

I think I have the same one but it's not that close to the alt.

I didn't really notice a cornering difference but the steering feel and turn-in were radically improved, so I was happy.

damn, i feel dumb, when I get off work I think I will try to install it again, thanks though, I really didnt want to move my alternator. :)

get a shorter belt

Well I installed one of these FSTB in my Maxima and it improved the overall feeling just a little. Not bad for the price, but the sway(anti-roll) bars are what REALLY make a difference.

I had no problems with the install, but looking at wan's pic, it seems too close to the alternator. Try pulling up where the bar meets the bracket on each side and tighten it up afterwards.

I had the same prob with mine. My alt was 2cm from the bar. I am going to go buy a shorter belt tomorrow.