I received my front strut bar midweek, but didn't get to install it until Saturday morning. There's been some different opinions as to the material and the effectiveness of a strut bar for these cars. Here's another.

I've always thought my car's suspension and chassis was a bit too lively and squeamish. Almost like a wet noodle. I experience rear axle hop, steering wheel kick-back, left-right and front-back chassis flex, basically every undesirable chassis attribute imaginable. And that's with the stock 05 sports suspension.

I put on stillen sways, front and rear months ago, set to med/med. Sways have always received "wow" reviews, usually followed by an alleged night and day difference. I'm quite a skeptic myself, but they were cheap, so I pulled the trigger. I put the front on before the rear, and immediately noticed a pronounced understeer. When I installed the rear, the understeer went away, but the suspension now felt much more firm. Steering feel was also more firm. But this added firmness didn't help the chassis flex at all. The car did for more planted, but like most other mods, I didn't experience what the hype demanded.

So I really wasn't expecting much from the strut bar. I mainly wanted the bar to cut down on side to side chassis flex. Installation was simple, but longer than I was expecting. I didn't experience any rubbing issues, fortunately. But I found that once the mounts were in place and tightened down, I couldn't thread the bolts through both ends of the bar. I had to loosen the bolts on the mounts themselves to allow them to move enough to route the bar bolts. But once the bar bolts were in place, access to one nut per mount was blocked. I had to use a wobble adapter to tighten the mounts back down.

I mounted the bar as low vertically as possible. I have the 5/16" spacer, but no engine cover. There was plenty of room between the bar and the plenum. I closed the hood and fond that only the upper parts of the passenger side mount rubber the hood lining; something I am comfortable with.

I tightened the driver's side end of the bar, and could keep it at the bottom of the mount. But when I would tighten the passenger side of the bar, it would crawl upwards(and that was the end already hitting the hood liner). I tried to push down with all my weight while I tightened the bar, and it would still crawl upward. I had to compromise the position of the bar with a nut that's not as tight as it should be. I'll address that in a few weeks.

Now to the driving. I won't say that the strut bar is an absolute must have, but if I had to I would trade some of my go-fast mods for this bar. This bar delivers what I was expecting, and didn't quite receive, from the stillen sways. Side-to-side flex hasn't been eliminated, but it's almost gone. Steering wheel kickback has been greatly reduced, and steering feel is just a dream. I find myself continuously "playing" with the steering wheel now in sweeping curves; it now features an "elastic" feel with a very progressive resistance.

Now keep in mind that this is in every day driving. I haven't had a chance to push the car yet. I don't know how it will behave when I do so, but t's promising so far.

I might attend an autocross next weekend. I haven't autocrossed in a year, but I think the addition of the front bar and sways will help me a bit. I think in the least the front bar will let me carry a little more speed into the corners(marginally) because I shouldn't have to fight with chassis squirm as badly used to.

 

Awesome review Trey, I will say in short that the steering response is a bit more sharp and linear for me.. less unexpected kickback like what you have mentioned

 

Thanks Trey for the awesome review! I'm getting mine next weekend, hopefully, if all goes well...
CANT WAIT!!!!

 

I got the same feeling from the strut bar, and also noticed that when going over speed bumps, the car doesn't rock as bad as before. I have the tein H-techs and noticed a side to side jolt when going over speed bumps to fast, now with the strut bar it feels smoother over the bumps.

 

I've had about the same experience with the bar on my 05 6MT coupe. The side to side sway has drastically been reduced (although not eliminated)

I'll be attending a track day at Pueblo MotorSports Intl in 2 weeks, so I might have a better opinion.

Oh, and the bar fit just fine with a JWT TT kit, a MD 5/16" spacer, and the engine cover.

Dave

 

Thanks for writing up a review guys

I'll add links to other reviews:

from ma_sha1

from ttrank - sedan install

from 20004DSC - fit over Kinetix V+ plenum

from bull3t

from chiapet

from JSpec350GT

from godmans

from brando

from bb319675

from jdmeg21

from kris79

from Vegas79

from zpeedray

from 1BADV6

from cutiewolf

from acerys

i'll also try and add more as i find them, they seem to be scattered all over the place

 

Hey now - at least I put mine in the "reviews" section

 

Thanks Trey! You're the best, only one who put the review in the right place =)

With the stb installed, are you spanking "trey's wife" on the twisties now? =)

 

I would sure hope so; after all, she's driving an early nineties Grand Marquis until her 07 sedan comes in.

 

Just out of curiousity, when you guys installed the bar, how tight did you crank the bolts that hold the brackets to the top of the suspension coils? LBS of torque? Or does that not matter? Just curious since I am about to install mine this weekend.

 

Torque them to factory spec, which I don't know off the top off my head. When you remove the bolts on the shock towers, you'll notice they aren't very tight. Don't crank em down.

 

If I'm reading correctly, it's 38ft-lb

 

I'm pretty sure the first number is N-m. The second number in parenthesis is ft-lb. 28ft-lb. Can anyone confirm?

 

You are right

 

Well.....I did some serious testing today in the mountains.

However, I also installed my new track wheels and super sticky RT-615's so I don't know exactly how much the strut bar helped.

But.....I didn't go flying off the road at warp speed....and the car felt great....so the strut bar deffinately didn't hurt!