Corksport Strut Tower Bars

[VizualXTC]

Are they good for the money? I'm a little strapped right now, but I want to get strut bars. Should I save my money for better ones? If so, what is wrong with the CS bars?

[OsoSlo z28]

in my opinion, you pay for the name and the looks. a stb is a stb. as long as it's not made from aluminum foil and duct tape, it will work. they even have some on ebay for around 30bones. so to answer your question, cs is fine.

[Coolzombi]

i recommend you the Vibrant Performance one and ractive to..they look great (polished with blue fixation) and they not cost a lot.<P>see ya

[KingFisher]

Why pay so much for a metal bar, I got a ractive bar and it works perfect, looks good too!!!!!

[ProtegeSTS]

personally, im still kinda up in the air on this whole issue. Clearly, chassis flex is bad. But to what degree a strut tower car can actually help this isnt really all that clear. Basically, i dont have any difinitive information other than testimonials that the more expensive pieces are better. With the MX-3, i would probably spend the extra money on a good rear one, because the hatch design isnt the stiffest as far as rear braceing. The front on the other hand, with the strut towers so close to the firewall probably wont be tightened up too much, so a CS bar would probably benefit. <P>I have heard testimonials from some vetren racers that said they noticed a difference moving from the CS bars to the Mazdaspeed bars, but that was in an Escort GT, which is my chassis, which is very similar to yours. Personally, ill probably end up with a good front one, and no back one, because my sedan unibody creates a chassis crossmember there to begin with.

[Redline]

What kind of effect would it have not having a front strut bar? The only thing I have ever heard/seen is my friends MX-6 with a rear one (not sure which brand) but it made is back end real stiff so drifting a front wheel drive became easier for him. Would it have the same effect on a MX-3 Chassis or no?

[GMGQ]

I have both from and rear (Vibrant & Ractive respectively).<P>Well my opinion is that these are <B>Strut</B> Tower Bars. Sure, in general, they reduce 'chasis flex,' thereby causing your ride to be more steady with less leaning. But it's not just a matter of physically connecting the upper half of the chasis.<P>That being said, the way these bars help is by balancing the suspension. They connect the:<P>Front Left Strut w/ the Front Right Strut<BR>and the<BR>Rear Left Strut w/ the Rear Right Strut.<P>The purpose of this is so that when a lot of force is induced the outside struts (when cornering), the connecting bar will allow that side to pull, along the bar, to the inside struts -- thereby offsetting some of the (large amount of) force to the strut on the inside. <P>Because typically, the inside strut will not absorb much of the force from the outside strut (that's why w/o the STBs, the car and the occupants will lean to the outside of a turn). But with the help of the STB, the suspension is more balanced -- resulting in better handling during turning.<P>So I think having both front and rear strut tower bars do make a big difference. Although I installed both of mine at the same time, so I can't comment on which one gave the most gain. But obviously the hatch didn't have anything connecting the rear upper body of the car; whereas the front has the firewall connecting the front half of the chasis. So obviously the back strut tower bar will yield the greater improvement (theoretically).<P>As far as what brand/type of STB to get, I don't really think it matters. I've seen ones that are basically 2 bars on top of each other, and some with multiple webs of metal connecting from the bar to the connectors. Whatever. I don't think it matters that much. Like <B>cre8v mx3</B> said, as long as it's not made of aluminum foil and duct tape (haha), or plastic, it will work just fine. Just be sure it's made of metal/steel and not fibreglass! I dunno how good a carbon fibre one is though... But I don't think it would like all the constant stress exerted on it over time...<P>HTH!<p>[ December 28, 2001: Message edited by: GMGQ ]

[ProtegeSTS]

once in steady state cornering, the strut tower bars will not help you at all. They act to "box" the front and rear, and this will help turn-in. Its more of a a precision benefit more than a physical "you'll get .02 better in the skidpad" thing.<P>And a STB will not help the car lean less. There is no way for it to do this.