OCDetails Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Please... don't tell me how dirty the engine is. Trust me... I lose sleep over it. Just wait till spring and then I'll show you. This was a fairly painless install. Most of the time was in finding the tools I needed to do it. Let me save you some of that time. Tools needed: crescent wrench 8mm allen wrench hammer towel 12mm socket First you take the tophat nuts off the mounting points. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/strut%20bar/DSC03902.jpg Then place the whatever they are called over the bolts. It may take a little pushing to get the middle bolt in the hole. It may be a little bit of a squeeze, but it isn't anything major. It did the same thing on both sides for me. I scratched the edge just a little, but nothing I'm ever going to notice again. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/strut%20bar/DSC03913.jpg Replace the tophat nuts. Word on the street is to not torque them more than 14lbs. I just made them tight without making them break neck tight. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/strut%20bar/DSC03904.jpg After both sides are installed then put the bar in place. It is a really tight fit, so what I did was cover th ebar with a microfiber towel and used a hammer to tap it down. The towel was so I didn't scuff up the bar in the process. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/strut%20bar/DSC03920.jpg Install the hardware that secures the bar to the mounting brackets and you are all finished. You will need an 8mm allen key thing to get it to work. I have a little ratchet and a small 8mm attachment for it, so I used that and a crescent wrench to make it tight. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/strut%20bar/DSC03922.jpg That's it. Simple as can be. It is a sharp looking bar and it is well worth the $42 bucks shipped that it costs from ebay seller revotec. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/strut%20bar/DSC03923.jpg _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legasee Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Looks great under that hood (one of my future projects too!)! Thanks for the write-up! In Taiwan now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bemani Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 LOL. You dented your car installing the mounts, yet you worry about scratching the cheap bar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 oddly enough that dent was already there. All I did was scratch a little paint that nobody will ever see anyway. I could have used the towel between the bracket and the paint and saved me the paint chip, but I'm not that concerned. If it turns out to be something more visible than I think it is then I'll just touch it up. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deer Killer Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Did it actually do something for handling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 Considering it has been installed for about 2 or 3 hours I couldn't really tell you. I'll let you know tomorrow if it does anything I can feel. I mainly did it for the underhood eye candy. I'm just from the school that feels that an engine bay without a strut tower bar just doesn't look right. Even if it doesn't do anything, it looks better to me and I'm sure it won't hurt. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebpda9 Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 i am curious to see how the car handles, but from the looks of the my 2.5i it seems like the car has a lot of body flex that a bar could take care of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 The weather this morning wasn't such that I could really test it. It has been snowing all night and it was pretty slippery out. I don't know if it was just a better quality of snow and slush, but I was able to pull a couple of really nice ebrake turns this morning. This car has always felt really good when doing this type of thing, so it isn't really possible to tell if the bar has helped. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bemani Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I think some people said the bar rub on the plastic cover? Does it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 Nope. Not this one. I'll have to take a better picture, but it isn't touching anything at all. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/strut%20bar/DSC03925.jpg _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RochNY91TSI Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I got one of these a few weeks ago, it doesn't rub anything in the engine bay and I *do* notice that the car is more solid in turns. I had installed it as a "just for the hell of it" mod, figuring that it might not make a difference. I was pleasantly surprised, though, when I felt the car corner better / flatter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 Honestly the only concern I have with this would be the strength of the welds under 'battle conditions'. I'm not expecting them to break, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they did while autoxing or something like that. They are probably just fine, but that is an area that I've noticed really makes the cheap parts stand out from the quality parts. It probably isn't something to worry about, but if you intend on using this part as an actual suspension upgrade to assist you in serious driving then I just want to express my concern with perhaps the long term quality of the piece. For a bling factor or normal city driving I really don't think there is anything to be worried about. I'll take the car out and drive it a bit and inspect the welds for cracks or stress and report back when I have anything to report. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKLGT Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 have that same one on mine too and it does help with cornering. not the best in quality as we all know, but for the price, it's the best IMO. i'll hopefully be adding some springs to the LGT before auto-x starts as well as a few other items. it's more the suspension that i'm concerned about since it feels so sloppy. Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 Definitely corners better. I visit somebody every Sunday evening who lives down a long very windy road. I'll know better if this makes any difference as I drive down that. I always hit that pretty hard and fast and if this is going to make any difference in handling then that is the road I'll feel it on. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagcars26 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Nice writeup,, Got mine today and did the install,,, I did one thing differently though. I added 2 washers per side.1 on either side of the 8mm allen key bolt that bolts the bar itself to the supports. Cusco uses them so why not:icon_wink Rudy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waxiboy Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Just one comment: Buy a rubber mallet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted January 21, 2006 Author Share Posted January 21, 2006 Just one comment: Buy a rubber mallet Why? For the one time I have ever needed one? _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eL GaTo Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 You'll never know when you gonna need it again. "Remember..."MODDING is a HOBBY:icon_bigg, not a BAAAD HABIT";) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted January 22, 2006 Author Share Posted January 22, 2006 30 years and I've survived without one, so I think I'll be fine. This method worked just as well for the 3 taps it took to set the bar in place. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deer Killer Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 30 years and I've survived without one, so I think I'll be fine. This method worked just as well for the 3 taps it took to set the bar in place.I know some people like you.. UGH. The savings are not worth it. I spent like $8 on a dead-blow mallet (among other very useful tools) from harborfreight or one of those online places, and it's going to last me a lifetime. I think it was worth it for all the crap it's going to have to save me from doing over the next century.. Better than trying to go without it for years and then one day after hours and hours wasted time biting the bullet and buying it _anyway_. Right tools=good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebpda9 Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 highjack: i looked on ebay for those bars and i could not find them. stop snagging them so quick . anyway can someone point me to a link to the bars ? /highjack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red beast Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 that cheap shitty bracket was why i spent the bucks to get something better. i wasn't going to take the chance on it breaking in a corner. cusco $200 http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-10/423426/strutbarclose.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagcars26 Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Home Depot +$2.50=rubber mallet, FTW Rudy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted January 23, 2006 Author Share Posted January 23, 2006 I don't Mickey Mouse everything, you know. I do use the right tool for the job. I'm sure if I get hit with a project that requires a rubber mallet then I'll get one. I took the car out tonight and it definitely handles better on the off ramps. I took one that loops around for quite a bit. The freeway goes North and the onramp loops you around and drops you out going west. I took the ramp at 45 mph and it felt really good. It is an improvement over stock for sure. For $40 bucks it is a good improvement. Would another $160 extra spent on a bar from another company have been worth it? I dunno. I guess I would get 'cool' points for spending a lot of money on something that really doesn't do an awful lot for the car 90% of the time I am driving it. I seriously doubt this is going to break durring the type of driving that I'm doing. If I start autoxing then I'll get a better bar, but for now this does just fine. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gohmer1 Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Installed mine tonight. Looks great, easy on the wallet (got instant approval from the wife). Probably not much performance gain - maybe about as much as an aftermarket blow off valve!!!!!!!! I'm a happy camper. Garret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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