strut bar

[Red-Bull-Fit]

hi i am tinking of getting strut bar for my 08 G model fit?

any of u guys have install it before and wat are the improvements u can get from it...and any brand to recommend or wk shop to intro..wat the price like to install both front and back of it..

i posted in other forum before.was being replied that it does not help much unless i 1 point mount on it..is it true>>?

thanks in advance...

[manxman]

hi i am tinking of getting strut bar for my 08 G model fit?

any of u guys have install it before and wat are the improvements u can get from it...and any brand to recommend or wk shop to intro..wat the price like to install both front and back of it..

i posted in other forum before.was being replied that it does not help much unless i 1 point mount on it..is it true>>?

thanks in advance...
I owned a 2007 Sport and now own a 2009 Sport. My most sincere advice is to not waste money on any strut or shock tower bars. As a Mechanical Engineer and ex-auto mechanic, it is my opinion that these things can work on some cars, typically a Ford Mustang or similar body-on-frame car with McPherson strut suspension. Fits, particularly the new generation, have extra stiffness built into the un-ibody (no frame) structure, and the idea that a weak little bar placed between strut towers that don't move anyway will do anything at all is ridiculous (In MY opinion). The suspension accessory that EVERY Fit needs, and benefits most from, is the Progress Rear Anti-Sway Bar.

Your car already has a factory rear ASB, but it is weak and is only "better than nothing". The Progress bar is considerably stiffer and installs without needing to remove the factory bar. The low cost of the Progress bar and its graphic improvement in handling makes it one of the best bargains for Fits on the market.

These are my opinions, and others may argue with me (probably not on these forums though). That's OK----- they don't know what they are talking about. They are all welcome to their own delusions, but will have to pay for them in the end.

[Red-Bull-Fit]

Thanks for the advise...will do my own research on the progressive bars...do u have these install on ur car?any significant improvement in stability of the car??and also hw muchis cost u?? Any shop to recommend??

Thanks for sharing! :)

[claymore]

I would say the one that goes under the front that connects the "A" frames first. I have both the upper front one and the rear hatch one that connect the suspension points and can say I noticed a difference using the rear one.

[manxman]

Thanks for the advise...will do my own research on the progressive bars...do u have these install on ur car?any significant improvement in stability of the car??and also hw muchis cost u?? Any shop to recommend??

Thanks for sharing! :)
I only give strong advice on products that I own. I was the first buyer of the Progress RSB for the GD3 model Fit, and was the first buyer of the Progress RSB for the GE8. Installation is simple- just follow my DIY instructions on these forums. It is so simple, you would only pay a shop to do it if you have absolutely no tools and no ability.

Your research has been done for you- thousands of Fit owners have this bar and have written about it on three different Fit forums. Cost: under $150.

Suggestion- go to www.fitfreak.net, use the search function for "Progress RSB", and spend about a week reading.

[manxman]

I would say the one that goes under the front that connects the "A" frames first. I have both the upper front one and the rear hatch one that connect the suspension points and can say I noticed a difference using the rear one.
His GE8 is stiffer than your Fit. Strut bar = useless.

[claymore]

Here's an old trick to see if they would help. Tie a length of string from the top of your rear shock to the one on the other side inside the hatch area.

Make it just tight enough so the string doesn't sag then put a piece of cardboard or something showing how tall the string is when it is sitting on the ground and mark it.

Then simply jack the car up on one side by the frame and watch or check the string and see if it sags from where it was when it was on the ground. If it sags that will show that a strut bar in that position will help stiffen those points.

[manxman]

Here's an old trick to see if they would help. Tie a length of string from the top of your rear shock to the one on the other side inside the hatch area.

Make it just tight enough so the string doesn't sag then put a piece of cardboard or something showing how tall the string is when it is sitting on the ground and mark it.

Then simply jack the car up on one side by the frame and watch or check the string and see if it sags from where it was when it was on the ground. If it sags that will show that a strut bar in that position will help stiffen those points.
Not for a bar that you can bend over your knee (like almost all of the aluminum ones). If you can find a bar that actually has structural strength, then maybe it will help. Then you have to be able to afford a bar made of titanium or stainless steel.

[claymore]

Compression and expansion of a tubular bar are not the same as bending. I don't know what they are selling over there but my local made ones a normal guy couldn't come close to bending by hand.

[manxman]

Compression and expansion of a tubular bar are not the same as bending. I don't know what they are selling over there but my local made ones a normal guy couldn't come close to bending by hand.
If you did the string and cardboard test and proved movement of the rear shock mounts, I would believe you. The popular and cheap (as well as cheaply-made) Front strut tower bar that I reported about in the other forums could be bent in half over your knee with ease. If either front or rear bar had the ability to be put under a small amount of tension after installation on the struts or shocks, I would not be so dead set against them. Also, regarding strut bars in the front, I would still not believe in any benefit unless they attach directly to the top studs of the struts themselves, and not the sheet metal with the BIG hole in it where the stud comes through.

[claymore]

Here is my lower that connects the "A" frames it's not adjustable for preload but fits snugly holding the "A" frames in one position.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/claymore729/Fumoto5.jpg

Here is the rear one that is adjustable for preload using different sized washers under the silver part.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-1/1135975/Mat.jpg

[manxman]

Fine, I am talking about "strut bars" and so was the OP. You are talking about something else. The rear bar would only work if it were also anchored to the floor/frame. A bar only connected to the shock mounting studs can't possibly keep the shocks from squirming around in the rubber doughnut pads and the sloppy big holes in the wheel wells.

But if it makes you happy, buy all of the strut bars and shock bars, and take up as much space under the hood and in the cargo area as you want. I am making these statements to all members/viewers- not just arguing with you, John.

[claymore]

If you look closely one can see that the tops of the shocks using this rear commonly called strut bar but could be called a shock bar physically connects one shock to the other.

Any squirming done by the right side has to move the left side also as they are connected so the forces need to move the top of one shock also effect the other side by needing to move both shock tops together meaning the forces trying to move the shock now have twice as much resistance than a stand alone shock.

Since the shocks in the rear are the furthest point of connection with the frame from pivots in the front they provide lateral stability to the wheel assemblies not just control up and down movement so any added resistance provided by the bar in question to left and right movement has to add to stability to the shocks and the metal housing them.

With my setup the rubber donuts are also compressed more than normal because of the bracket taking up space before the nut bottoms so there is more added stability because the rubber is compressed into a harder duration than normal.

While this photo is not of a Fit and this is something a fit will ever do it illustrates that forces acting on a vehicle under racing conditions affect the whole metal structure of the frame system and not just the suspension components. The whole frame and car twists hard enough that in some cases the roof is deformed by the extreme bending.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii286/CANTON57/img406-2.jpg.

Now imagine for a minute that you are autocrossing your Fit or flinging it around a track somewhere these same forces are acting on the sheetmetal of the Fit including the front strut towers not just the strut themselves.

While a three point system that also bolts to the firewall would provide more stability a front strut bar that connects the sheetmetal housing the struts can and does prevent at least the side to side and collapsing inward of the sheetmetal strut housings. This is accomplished by the same means as the rear bar by doubling the forces need to move the strut tops by hooking them together.

The bar I wish we had here is the 4 point one that connects the ""A" frames mounting points to the frame. If I was limited to one bar that would be the one.

[manxman]

I agree with the last bar in your comment, but I believe that on a Fit, aluminum strut bars do absolutely nothing but make it difficult to add/change brake fluid, and aluminum shock bars in the rear do nothing but destroy the once-flat cargo bay. But, buy all of the bars you want. I won't joke about anyone's purchase on any forum. I have no disagreement with most of the frame reinforcement bars, and I still maintain that for the money, the Progress RSB makes more positive difference than anything you can buy. And for Stock class Auto X Fit owners, a stiffer front sway bar achieves near the same effect as a rear bar, but the front HD bar is legal, a rear ASB is not.

[claymore]

I would also buy a progress sway bar as best value for the money.

[d50erock]

FYI no mustang was made with a seperate frame, all were unibody construction. I also am not sold on the benefits of strut braces or rear shock tower braces, even though many race cars, such as wtcc, use them. Unless you drive like they do, the money spent is not justifiable. Sway bars are prob the best upgrade, reducing body roll.