When Installing a Front Strut Bar...

[WOPSiWOT]

Type R strut bar on my 1.5T civic. LOL looks good though.

Fitment issues running the Type R strut bar?

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[PacefistaPinas]

Fitment issues running the Type R strut bar?

No issues. Perfectly fit. Its the same car afterall, just different engine.

 

[bgutierrezx]

I don't recall having that issue when installing the bar.

Do you have the sirimoto strut bar ? How is it ?

 

[echoparkpanda]

Do you have the sirimoto strut bar ? How is it ?

No, I have the Tanabe front strut bar

 

[bgutierrezx]

No, I have the Tanabe front strut bar

How much & would you recommend it ?

 

[L8apex]

While its not specific to our Civics, there’s video like this and other forums that suggest doing so

Couple of things to note regarding that video. First, the vehicle is raised so the strut studs aren’t completely protruding from the strut towers. This is because the strut bar holes are lined up with the strut tower holes, not the top of the studs. It would be harder to install the bar if the strut studs are sticking all the way up. That’s why the vehicle is raised in this case.

Second, typically on older vehicles, there is some some sag in the chassis from age AND from inferior design. That is commonly why the vehicle is raised and the strut bar torqued while in the air.

Newer vehicles obviously will not have the sag of an older chassis, but also the newer designs and materials used in more modern vehicles have less to benefit from strut bars then older generations did. Not saying it’s not going to make a difference, but adding a tower bar to a current generation vehicle will have less improvement overall than adding one to one that’s 3,4,5 generations older.

 

[Syntek]

if you look at tanabe's website, it actually recommends you lift the vehicle up to unload the suspension before installing the strutbar

 

[R3D5IVE]

Couple of things to note regarding that video. First, the vehicle is raised so the strut studs aren’t completely protruding from the strut towers. This is because the strut bar holes are lined up with the strut tower holes, not the top of the studs. It would be harder to install the bar if the strut studs are sticking all the way up. That’s why the vehicle is raised in this case.

Second, typically on older vehicles, there is some some sag in the chassis from age AND from inferior design. That is commonly why the vehicle is raised and the strut bar torqued while in the air.

Newer vehicles obviously will not have the sag of an older chassis, but also the newer designs and materials used in more modern vehicles have less to benefit from strut bars then older generations did. Not saying it’s not going to make a difference, but adding a tower bar to a current generation vehicle will have less improvement overall than adding one to one that’s 3,4,5 generations older.

I was going to mention something similar. I noticed from watching the video, he removed the top nuts, then raised the vehicle so the suspension would drop slightly out of the mounts and he could actually mount the solid bar. The bolts come through on an inward angle making it nearly impossible to fit the bar while everything is in it's natural position.

I agree, that the stiffer chassis won't benefit AS much as an older vehicle. But once you start getting sticky tires, stiffer suspension, etc I'm sure it will help. It's not going to make the car feel completely different, but it will keep everything together, tight and consistent as you lean harder into the corner and back out.

Also, Cusco makes quick release bolts for their rear bar. if you needed to jack the car up for any sort of pre-load reason, these would never work. My suggestion would be if you are installing a solid bar, you may need to drop the suspension slightly if the bolts come through on an angle. In general, I would just do the install on flat, level ground with no extra weight inside the vehicle.

 

[Kane666]

personally id go with a one-piece design and do it in the air.

 

[HSFBunny]

I installed it both ways using an Ultra Racing strut bar on a 2017 Si coupe. Handling felt exactly the same either way.

Lifting the car during install changed the alignment slightly, placing the steering wheel a bit off center. Reinstalled with the car on the ground, and the alignment went back to normal.

Since the strut bar blocks the battery, and it will need to be removed on occasion, the small amount of theoretical benefit mounting off the ground wasn't worth it when factoring in a need for an alignment. Having the wheel a bit off center wasn't acceptable.

 

[Jeezer]

Supposedly it does a better job at bracing your chassis if you install it when the car is off of the ground. I did both ways and never saw much of a difference either way, but at this point I have no reason not to loosely install it and then jack up the front end when tightening it down.

 

[gtman]

I've installed numerous strut bars over the years and was always told to simply install them with the wheels on level ground. Maybe the in the air method is better but I'm happy with the method I've used. I've also always installed one piece solid bars as well. I think the hinged three piece design can't be quite as rigid.

 

[IDriveanSi]

It was the only available strut at that time. Can add engine cover without issues

Anyone know exactly what hose is touching the bar?

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