Strut bars

[A.S.]

Do Strut bars actually improve handling and do you have to have both front and rear bars in order for them to work.

[jamik_69]

yes they do work i noticed a big difference<BR>you dont need both i reccomend getting a front one it's worth the price i've heard that the back one is great too but a pain to install

[GMGQ]

Yes, I have both front and rear and it makes a big difference.<P>Imagine turning right. When you turn right, with a bit of speed, your car will 'lean' towards the outside of the turn (left). Well with strut tower bars joining the tops of the Left and Right struts, the bar allows the left side to pass on some of that 'lean' to the right side -- thereby balancing off the suspension during the turn. Mind you, the car will not turn like it was on rails, but it'll be Very close to it (at least much better than w/o the bars).<P>Installing the rear strut tower bar requires cutting some metal and cutting some plastic. So if you don't want to deal with that, then just having the front bar will still be a big improvement. It's a FR car, so you feel a lot of the lean in the front anyways.

[Esper]

i'd say get both if you're going to do it, but for the best handling benefit out of one bar get the rear. If you get a front bar you will increase understeer, which is something the MX-3 doesn't need. if you get a rear bar that will add some understeer tendencies and make the car a bit more neutral. for max stiffness get both.