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DIY Strut bar

34K views 101 replies 39 participants last post by  EG6R 
#1 · (Edited)
Okay so as some of you know I got myself a little welder fer my birfday :bigok:


I also got an offr from my parents to tear down our old swingset for 50 bucks, and said hey, wtf, i want monies!!! So i wrecked it :yes:

In thee process I found these :)


So my brain started ticking...and I thought HEY...free strut bar!:) and the rest is history...

This isnt super in depth or anything, but I dont think it needs to be, the process was super easy and Im just gonna basically describe what I did...

So first I took them and made a rough estimation of where to cut by holding them up to the engine bay (no pics) **They are attatched to the front shock tower bolts so thats where I measured from

Second, I cut those bitches up!
 
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#2 · (Edited)
After this I again double checked that the fitment was perfect.


Now cut me some slack this was literally my first day of welding so its not vry clean...but I tacked it up, then triple checked fitment, and filled in the gaps before following up with the ol' angle grinder :)




Finally after it was all grinded down (I think I have a pic, ill look)
I hit it with two light coats of Ford Red engine enamel from Duplicolor (Same shit that I did my valve covr with) and did the ends in black...*I also hand painted a little logo, gonna redo that for sure lol

So this is the final product


And this is what it looks like installed:


The difference was immediately noticable! I drastically reduced body roll, my tires dont squeel as much on hard turns, and overall the car just feels stiffer and more reliable...definately worth the three hours of work!!!
 
#11 ·
The difference was immediately noticable! I drastically reduced body roll, my tires dont squeel as much on hard turns, and overall the car just feels stiffer and more reliable...definately worth the three hours of work!!!
1. No it wasn't.
2. No it didn't.
3. How in the hell does adding a strut bar make it more reliable?
 
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#3 ·
Will it break under pressure?

That is the question...
 
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#12 ·
Will it break under pressure? That is the question...
if the bar sees pressure, it will focus on the part where its no longer strait....

Strut bar works.
each chassis is different. so the vid isnt exactly proof. some have sworn up and down they work. and that they work best on uneven suspension dynamics, like in a corkscrew. however, i dont believe them.

as an experiment to see if its going to work on YOUR car, build a bar from balsa wood. take the the car out for a few days. then see if the wood broke or stressed fractured in anyway.

i will be doing this "test" on the db1, once its not sketchy about running. if it doesnt break on the DB1, i'll try it on a ED3. if neither break, then i doubt any of the newer (stiffer) chassis (wish bone suspensions anyway) for the civic or teg will require one.
 
#16 · (Edited)
The video is a good example of how a strut bar works.
each chassis is different. so the vid isnt exactly proof. some have sworn up and down they work. and that they work best on uneven suspension dynamics, like in a corkscrew. however, i dont believe them.
you are both right & wrong

1. Yes, each chassis is different. but this DIY bar only braced what looked like one bolt on each tower. To me that is counter-productive being that only 1 of 3 to 4 bolts per tower (depending on the car) is being braced and any amounts of energy & pressure are expected to be handled by a bolt that only requires a 10 or 12mm wrench/socket.

2. For a strut tower bar to be fully effective it will have to be able to mount to at least 80% of the bolts that mount the struts top hat to the strut tower. (I.E. 2 of 3 or 3 of 4) and the only cars that see real chassis flex and have a need for bracing are car made for real race applications. (Auto-X, Drifting, circle track, etc.)

3. Key point: On a race car; bracing, chassis stiffening, and body rigidity are always a big help and will actually be a functioning part of the car's performance. On a street car; it's mainly for bling or a "wow factor" as a daily driven car wont be pushed to the limits of it performance everytime it's started and driven.

Another place to hook up a tow strap.


Putting a strut bar in my EK sedan didnt do didily. Just made it look A LITTLE better under the hood. Best bars to get tho, are the ones without and joints in them so they dont flex. 3pt > 2pt as well.
one piece bars perform better than that of a 2 or 3 piece bar but under the sress and load of a real race car the wont last as long as a 2 or 3 piece bar.

~A 1 piece is like 1 big & bad dude lifting heavy boxes all the time without help of any other person.



~A 2 or 3 piece bar allows energy & load to be transformed to joints and bends. This would be like an line of people acting as an assembly line so that mass amounts of work get done without everybody being tired at the same time as if it were only 1 person doing the work.



I hope that my words have helped people understand the process on how these parts work and how they would best benefit a car's performance.
 
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#8 · (Edited)
So far it has held up well...I tried bending it with it under my foot and it wouldnt budge (not that thats sayin alot lol)

When I get some time today Im gonna run it through the guntlet on the country roads around here, ill try and take some video but it wont have sound, but ill let you guys know how it works! :)

Im also workin on a one piece rear...just a pipe that you split the ends, hammer them flat, drill and put on...ill get some pics too

Thanks guys

O and if you still dont believe they work, go get one and try it out, the difference is awesome and easy to feel
 
#10 ·
Turn your wire speed down. Even with flux core you should be able to lay down a halfway decent bead. For instance, when I'm welding with my Lincoln on the highest heat setting (D, in my case) my wire speed is no faster than about 4.5.

The lower your heat range, the slower your wire.

Flux core also needs a pretty clean surface so make sure you really hit your joints with a wire wheel brush prior to welding.
 
#64 ·
I put on uppers both front and rear on my EH9 and could feel a noticeable difference, maybe you need to follow up in the rear to feel anything in the turns...
 
#19 ·
EJ you didn't mention the ones that attach at the firewall. Those IMO are the most functional.
 
#20 · (Edited)
1. Yes, each chassis is different. but this DIY bar only braced what looked like one bolt on each tower. To me that is counter-productive being that only 1 of 3 to 4 bolts per tower (depending on the car) is being braced and any amounts of energy & pressure are expected to be handled by a bolt that only requires a 10 or 12mm wrench/socket.
the damper hat stud isnt what needs the braced, its the sheet metal. the stud is just a locator for bracing. but again, not really needed in our chassis based on design. had they been designed with McPherson design, things would be different.
2. For a strut tower bar to be fully effective it will have to be able to mount to at least 80% of the bolts that mount the struts top hat to the strut tower. (I.E. 2 of 3 or 3 of 4) and the only cars that see real chassis flex and have a need for bracing are car made for real race applications. (Auto-X, Drifting, circle track, etc.)
this is based under the assumption that the chassis in question needs support on its damper/shock/strut tower. the reason i am so doubtful on these bars even doing a thing is that they are called "strut bars" by even the biggest names in the business, yet WE (wishbone suspension chassis) cars dont have a "strut" on our cars, only shocks.
3. Key point: On a race car; bracing, chassis stiffening, and body rigidity are always a big help and will actually be a functioning part of the car's performance. On a street car; it's mainly for bling or a "wow factor" as a daily driven car wont be pushed to the limits of it performance everytime it's started and driven.
do you have pics of actual race cars with wishbone suspensions having a "strut tower" bar?.. agree on the street car application noted, i am applying it to all street cars.
EJ you didn't mention the ones that attach at the firewall. Those IMO are the most functional.
why? the sheet metal of the fire wall is far far weaker when "pushed/pulled" on then "squeezed"... also, in a crash the bar will push the firewall. this instantly makes your car "junk".
 
#21 ·
Well Patrick because pwjdm makes them so they're JDM, overpriced, and ultra-cool....duh.
 
#24 ·
You know what I meant! The majority rules!
 
#26 ·
How many strut bars have you seen designed & manufacture that bolt to just one of 3 or 4 of the tower bolts?
 
#27 ·
I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just curious to know if you read about the 80% prerequisite from somewhere or if you just pulled it out of your ass. ;)

I guess it's sort of a vague statement. For example, if the design has a large tolerance between the studs and the flange, and it only relies on nuts to constrain it, it's not going to work well no matter how many studs it uses.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Just think about it. Will a car's frame stand to get more bracing from a total of 2 (1 per side) small bolts, or will it stand to be better mounted and better performing by holding onto more bolts? To me thats common sense, not "hip-pocket theory"

And as Mindless mentioned, the "K-Brace" that bolts to both towers and the firewall. Even if the firewall is of a lesser strength aluminum than that of the strut towers, it still isnt using the firewall all a main point of stress relief, but only helping to center the stress of shifting energy between two points (each of the towers) and the centermost & rear point of the firewall.



Again. Solid, one piece, and mounts to 3 points.
 
#37 ·
Let me just add that I love when we have these types of threads/discussions. It truly brings out all of the knowledge that this site has to offer people. It shows that we arent just a bunch of elitist pricks that only post pics of random shit a complain when we see a body kit on a car.
 
#41 ·
lol what kind of car is it for? I'd be happy to mock one up with all three and try wleding it using a 4.5 speed feed n see how that goes :)

Maybe we could work out a deal for those stickers? haha
I'll run to the store thursday and get stuff for a "real" strut bar according to the bible of D-series :bigok:

What do you guys think is better? a one piece? or the kind with two plates held to the center with bolts? I know someone already mentioned em, just too lazy to go back and ready :)
 
#43 ·
Thats a pretty decent idea, i might try that out...im thinkin of tryin to find some washers at tractor supply co. but idk if they make the middle big enough to pass the shock through lol

ima go on a repping spree for everyone who was nice to me/ added good info :)
 
#46 ·
Two letters. R&D.

It has a purpose.
 
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