OK to Drive without Strut Bar???
09-30-2006, 09:43 PM
#21
Registered User
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Lakeland FL
Posts: 593
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Good point moforeynolds. Like I said though I was just throwing a dart in the dark on it. I honestly dont intend to replace mine unless Im just running out of things to do to the car but given that Ive only had mine 3 weeks and the only things Ive done to my Z is tint and put on the rear aero package spoiler.
Id say I have awhile b4 I start running out of Ideas for my car LOL.
Id say I have awhile b4 I start running out of Ideas for my car LOL.
09-30-2006, 11:40 PM
#22
Originally Posted by chsia
I just installed MD 5/16" spacer. Now the strut bar is almost hitting the hood.
I think the real point here is that if your strut bar doesn't clear BOTH the plenum AND the hood then you reinstalled the strut bar slightly wrong.
There is an adjustment nut for a reason, you shouldn't have to take the whole thing off.
09-30-2006, 11:56 PM
#23
Registered User
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: nyc
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by moforeynolds
the stock strut bar and most aftermarket ones aren't going to do much anyway because they aren't solid pieces. I'll porbably catch heat for this, but the thread&bolt setup provides a flex point that is going to do exactly the opposite of what a strut tower bar is supposed to do. It's better than nothing, but barely. I haven't shopped around, but the most functional strut tower brace would be a solid piece (no thread&bolt joints) and be a 3-point setup, connecting to the firewall. I would be very surprised if no one made one like this.
10-01-2006, 07:27 AM
#24
Registered User
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Posts: 1,757
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Guys
Regarding the STB, doesn't hurt to drive without one. As we all know the "G" doesn't come with a Strut Tower Brace. Mine is an '03, and I drove it that without one for 3 years. The "G" has a bunch of crap around the strut towers, and no one, until recently has been able to design one that both fits and works. That's all changed. VRT and ARC have come out with STBs for the "G". I can't comment on the ARC one, but I can on the VRT piece.
My comments from last April when I installed it (From G35 Driver)
"I put about 700 miles on my coupe over the weekend. To say I am happy with the VRT STB would be an understatement. I did a lot of driving in the Arizona Mountains on the way to Sedona, and the car handled great. I had been thinking of some suspension mods, but no more. The stock suspension is just fine, it just needed something to tie it together, just what the STB does. Going in a straight line feels very much the same, but somehow I feel a little more planted. Lane changing while good before, is more crisp now. As I mentioned above, U Turns are extremely flat, and I swear some of my understeer is gone. Mountain driving was really fun, but I couldn't push it or my wife would have had a fit. There is no downside to this mod, except perhaps the steep price. But, with the precision mounting system, and the engineering necessary because of all the crap around the strut towers, I guess you get what you pay for. To me, this STB is a "Must Have" to all of us who enjoy vigorous driving and a great handling automobile. I've attached a couple of pics. The first one is a before with my cut engine cover. The second shows the bar installed, and the third the driver's side STB Support.
Lou"
As you can see, IMO, this is a very well designed device, that made a huge difference in a car that already handled very well.
Lou
Regarding the STB, doesn't hurt to drive without one. As we all know the "G" doesn't come with a Strut Tower Brace. Mine is an '03, and I drove it that without one for 3 years. The "G" has a bunch of crap around the strut towers, and no one, until recently has been able to design one that both fits and works. That's all changed. VRT and ARC have come out with STBs for the "G". I can't comment on the ARC one, but I can on the VRT piece.
My comments from last April when I installed it (From G35 Driver)
"I put about 700 miles on my coupe over the weekend. To say I am happy with the VRT STB would be an understatement. I did a lot of driving in the Arizona Mountains on the way to Sedona, and the car handled great. I had been thinking of some suspension mods, but no more. The stock suspension is just fine, it just needed something to tie it together, just what the STB does. Going in a straight line feels very much the same, but somehow I feel a little more planted. Lane changing while good before, is more crisp now. As I mentioned above, U Turns are extremely flat, and I swear some of my understeer is gone. Mountain driving was really fun, but I couldn't push it or my wife would have had a fit. There is no downside to this mod, except perhaps the steep price. But, with the precision mounting system, and the engineering necessary because of all the crap around the strut towers, I guess you get what you pay for. To me, this STB is a "Must Have" to all of us who enjoy vigorous driving and a great handling automobile. I've attached a couple of pics. The first one is a before with my cut engine cover. The second shows the bar installed, and the third the driver's side STB Support.
Lou"
As you can see, IMO, this is a very well designed device, that made a huge difference in a car that already handled very well.
Lou
10-01-2006, 06:46 PM
#26
Originally Posted by lowrider
My comments from last April when I installed it (From G35 Driver)
"I put about 700 miles on my coupe over the weekend. To say I am happy with the VRT STB would be an understatement. I did a lot of driving in the Arizona Mountains on the way to Sedona, and the car handled great. I had been thinking of some suspension mods, but no more. The stock suspension is just fine, it just needed something to tie it together, just what the STB does. Going in a straight line feels very much the same, but somehow I feel a little more planted. Lane changing while good before, is more crisp now. As I mentioned above, U Turns are extremely flat, and I swear some of my understeer is gone. Mountain driving was really fun, but I couldn't push it or my wife would have had a fit. There is no downside to this mod, except perhaps the steep price. But, with the precision mounting system, and the engineering necessary because of all the crap around the strut towers, I guess you get what you pay for. To me, this STB is a "Must Have" to all of us who enjoy vigorous driving and a great handling automobile. I've attached a couple of pics. The first one is a before with my cut engine cover. The second shows the bar installed, and the third the driver's side STB Support.
Lou"
As you can see, IMO, this is a very well designed device, that made a huge difference in a car that already handled very well.
Lou
Not trying to stroke the fire here, but I see atleast two very obvious points of flex. And granted, the pictures might be decieving, but how much higher is that bar than the strut towers? Maybe you really do notice a difference, but I can't help but wonder if any of that is a placebo effect. Sure, there is now a bar across the width of the engine bay...but are single-bolt mounting points, higher shock towers due to extended arms and pin&bolt joints really bracing the chassis at all?
The Carbing bar that ent0ne posted is exactly what I'm referring to, at a pricepoint that is similiar to other high-end bars. Triangulating the load would be even better, butfrom purely a design standpoint, that looks like it will be the better performer than any thread-joint bar.
Last edited by moforeynolds; 10-01-2006 at 10:43 PM.
10-01-2006, 07:07 PM
#27
Registered User
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Whorelando
Posts: 2,995
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Wired 24/7
Again, there's no reason you can't install stock strut bar with the 5/16" spacer and keep it from rubbing 100%.
10-01-2006, 07:23 PM
#28
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Far East
Posts: 122
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Wired 24/7
Again, there's no reason you can't install stock strut bar with the 5/16" spacer and keep it from rubbing 100%.
10-01-2006, 07:39 PM
#29
Originally Posted by chsia
After installing the MD 5/16" spacer, I adjusted the strut bar so it did not rub against the hood, but had very little space between STB and hood. Since Seibon VSII hood has a steep slope before the big vent, I'm worrying that the STB might be in the way when closing the hood. Has anybody with Seibon VSII had the problem?
Aftermarkets may pose a prob
Last edited by Eazzy; 10-01-2006 at 07:41 PM.
10-01-2006, 10:41 PM
#30
Originally Posted by RBlover69
how ....it just clears on its own ,, i assumed it doesnt.
All you have to do is install the strut bar spacers provided with the 5/16" and make sure you turn the adjustment nut the right way to make it clear.
All you need is a big monkey wrench, it's super easy to fix it.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
ars88
Zs & Gs For Sale
18
04-04-2016 07:52 AM
