Review: Richie strut bar
#46
Originally Posted by G35Five_O
I have the Tokico for the G's on my sedan with no problem... Might need small hands to adjust the struts..... I just have hard time getting my hands in some places...
![Wink](https://g35driver.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif)
Last edited by Andy2434; 03-06-2007 at 09:16 PM.
#47
Received my order today. Wow, that's so fast with 2 days shipping!!!
Installed mine tonight and it took me less than 20 minutes cause I got the right tools![Smilie](https://g35driver.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
OK, here is the picture of installed Richie Strut Bar.
![](http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u266/2K6G35/RickSwayBar.jpg)
I haven't gotten time to test drive it. But so far feel solid. Thanks Ricthie.
Installed mine tonight and it took me less than 20 minutes cause I got the right tools
![Smilie](https://g35driver.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
OK, here is the picture of installed Richie Strut Bar.
![](http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u266/2K6G35/RickSwayBar.jpg)
I haven't gotten time to test drive it. But so far feel solid. Thanks Ricthie.
#48
Originally Posted by trey.hutcheson
I wanted to update my review. It's been on and off the car for about two weeks now. Off, only because I wanted to test fit it on an 07 sedan.
When I had the bar off the car, the difference was more pronounced. I swear, I can't stand the flexing from the front end, even in every day driving.
I've got to say that I love the bar. My best friend said he could even notice the one and only time he's been in the car since it was installed. His comment was unprovoked, as well.
When I had the bar off the car, the difference was more pronounced. I swear, I can't stand the flexing from the front end, even in every day driving.
I've got to say that I love the bar. My best friend said he could even notice the one and only time he's been in the car since it was installed. His comment was unprovoked, as well.
#50
#51
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Thanks for the review Trey. I am curious about this new mod and will jmost likely pick one up. I have a Stillen rear strut brace and Stillen sways set at soft/medium (when it finally warms up in Chicago, I'll be switching to med/hard) and I can't wait to see how this would add to those mods.
#53
I really doubt:
1) If someone has one, I don't think they would have the other. I guess if two guys lived near each other.
2) Even if they did switch, it would be like comparing intakes. The benefits are subtle to begin with. Differences inbetween the two would be that much smaller.
I have the richie bar. And so far I think I can detect a firmer front end. Going over bumps results in a firmer "thunk" vs a creak like before. The steering is ever so slightly firmer also. I'm running stock 215-55-17s and Hotchkis bars. Install was easy and straight forward. Some of the ac/hydraulic lines get REAL close though.
1) If someone has one, I don't think they would have the other. I guess if two guys lived near each other.
2) Even if they did switch, it would be like comparing intakes. The benefits are subtle to begin with. Differences inbetween the two would be that much smaller.
I have the richie bar. And so far I think I can detect a firmer front end. Going over bumps results in a firmer "thunk" vs a creak like before. The steering is ever so slightly firmer also. I'm running stock 215-55-17s and Hotchkis bars. Install was easy and straight forward. Some of the ac/hydraulic lines get REAL close though.
Originally Posted by ZXERT
Is there any way we can get a more detailed performance review? Can anyone compare it to the VRT strut bar? If someone could go into more detail, how the car changed, how its different taking certain corners and such, that would help.
Last edited by Jeff92se; 03-13-2007 at 11:58 PM.
#55
Hey all, I just got the VRT bar on last week and recently posted a review. Trey's review actually confirmed for me that I wanted the VRT product because the changes described for that piece were NOT described as subtle.
This is the way I reasoned it out. If the chassis is reasonably firm, then the STB has to be *more* firm to have any positive impact. That component with the greatest stiffness is going to dictate the overall stiffness of the chassis at that point. If there is flex at the bolt down points or elsewhere, that introduces a weak link. With the VRT bar, not only is it made of steel but it is anchored in two different planes which should further prevent movement.
i haven't tried the richie bar and I doubt anyone other than perhaps a professional reviewer for a magazine would go to the trouble or expense.
here's a simple test though - when that richie bar is installed and tightened down, can you rock the car's front suspension up and down by leaning into it with all your body weight? Does it flex? If not, then maybe it's just as good and the VRT bar is overkill. If it does flex, all I can say is that I cannot get the VRT bar to perceptibly flex with 190 lbs of body weight thrown into it.
Hope that helps...
This is the way I reasoned it out. If the chassis is reasonably firm, then the STB has to be *more* firm to have any positive impact. That component with the greatest stiffness is going to dictate the overall stiffness of the chassis at that point. If there is flex at the bolt down points or elsewhere, that introduces a weak link. With the VRT bar, not only is it made of steel but it is anchored in two different planes which should further prevent movement.
i haven't tried the richie bar and I doubt anyone other than perhaps a professional reviewer for a magazine would go to the trouble or expense.
here's a simple test though - when that richie bar is installed and tightened down, can you rock the car's front suspension up and down by leaning into it with all your body weight? Does it flex? If not, then maybe it's just as good and the VRT bar is overkill. If it does flex, all I can say is that I cannot get the VRT bar to perceptibly flex with 190 lbs of body weight thrown into it.
Hope that helps...
Last edited by rcdash; 03-13-2007 at 08:33 PM.
#57
The only reason I thought of it was because someone in an older thread asked Scott (of VRT) that if you push up and down on the VRT bar with all your weight, does the bar flex or does the bar remain rigid and the car move up and down on its springs. well, the answer is the bar remains rigid and the front of the car bounces up and down. so i was just wondering if someone with the richie bar has tried this simple but completely unscientific test?
not sure it really means anything anyway... the point of my note was to explain my reasoning that if the richie bar is not signficantly stiffer than the existing chassis then it wouldn't really help. if it is, then it should help - and maybe it helps enough??? who knows...
not sure it really means anything anyway... the point of my note was to explain my reasoning that if the richie bar is not signficantly stiffer than the existing chassis then it wouldn't really help. if it is, then it should help - and maybe it helps enough??? who knows...
#58
rcdash. Thanks for the input. Good stuff. I tried to dial in on the handling on the way back from work. I think I'm conservative in my reviews. So it's hard to compare people's "gains" from one to another. heh. The front of the car is more planted and it's definately more solid over speed bumps etc.. The handling is not "better" perse but the chassis seems to be firmer up front. If that makes any sense. I'm running my stock 215-55-17 tires so there's still a bit of noticable tire roll. But I wanted to put the bar on before I put my coupe 19s back on.
Last edited by Jeff92se; 03-14-2007 at 01:03 PM.
#59
This is a mod whose value will be subjective at best. There have been countless posts regarding fitment; it appears that discrepancies exist amongst not only the coupes and sedans, but across the model years as well.
That tells me that each car will be different(duh). Specifically in this case, in regards to chassis flex and tower movement. I've always felt my car was a wet noodle. I added stillen sways, set to med/med, and I didn't feel a marked improvement.
This strut bar, however, is exactly what my car needs. There's still much too much longitudinal squirm for my tastes, but front-end squirm is all but gone. Turn in is incredible. Steering resistance is a bit greater, but once you get over that initial resistance, the car absolutely snaps into place. On some low-speed hard turns, the inside front wheel stays planted.
Let me give an example. The back-side entrance to my building's parking lot is a 90 degree left from a turn lane across a four-lane boulevard. The turn late is on a downward slope, with uneven pavement, and pavement transition from the boulevard to the parking lot. Before, stock and even with the sways, when I would pull a high speed hard left turn into the parking lot, there would be large amounts of body roll to the passenger side, and the driver's side front wheel hop along the pavement. Because of the pavement transitions, the rear end would skid a bit, but the outside rear wheel wouldn't have enough traction to kick out the rear. Now, it feels as if some imaginary pin had been placed vertically through the driver's side rear strut all the way through the ground. When I take the same turn, the car just whips into the exact line for entry, with no excitement from the rear end. Both front tires are working to steer, and putting more of my 245mm tires to the ground. I can do the turn at full throttle in 2nd gear at 3k rpms, and the car will just rocket out of the turn.
The only change has been the richie strut bar. Maybe it really hasn't been very effective, but it's almost eliminated front-end body roll. As such, it provides a much more direct feel for me, thus giving me more confidence. Maybe all of the extra perceived performance comes from that confidence, and not really from the bar itself. Either way, it worked better than I had hoped on my car.
That tells me that each car will be different(duh). Specifically in this case, in regards to chassis flex and tower movement. I've always felt my car was a wet noodle. I added stillen sways, set to med/med, and I didn't feel a marked improvement.
This strut bar, however, is exactly what my car needs. There's still much too much longitudinal squirm for my tastes, but front-end squirm is all but gone. Turn in is incredible. Steering resistance is a bit greater, but once you get over that initial resistance, the car absolutely snaps into place. On some low-speed hard turns, the inside front wheel stays planted.
Let me give an example. The back-side entrance to my building's parking lot is a 90 degree left from a turn lane across a four-lane boulevard. The turn late is on a downward slope, with uneven pavement, and pavement transition from the boulevard to the parking lot. Before, stock and even with the sways, when I would pull a high speed hard left turn into the parking lot, there would be large amounts of body roll to the passenger side, and the driver's side front wheel hop along the pavement. Because of the pavement transitions, the rear end would skid a bit, but the outside rear wheel wouldn't have enough traction to kick out the rear. Now, it feels as if some imaginary pin had been placed vertically through the driver's side rear strut all the way through the ground. When I take the same turn, the car just whips into the exact line for entry, with no excitement from the rear end. Both front tires are working to steer, and putting more of my 245mm tires to the ground. I can do the turn at full throttle in 2nd gear at 3k rpms, and the car will just rocket out of the turn.
The only change has been the richie strut bar. Maybe it really hasn't been very effective, but it's almost eliminated front-end body roll. As such, it provides a much more direct feel for me, thus giving me more confidence. Maybe all of the extra perceived performance comes from that confidence, and not really from the bar itself. Either way, it worked better than I had hoped on my car.
#60
And I'd like to address this flexing issue of the bar. Even if it does flex, I just don't see it as much of an issue.
I'm not an engineer, but it seems logical to me. The one condition where flex might be induced is when one strut tries to approach the other. The bar might not be stiff enough, or straight enough(which ever property is lacking) to prevent it from flexing, but it will provide more resistance to that strut movement than without the bar there at all. I assume that that resistance is enough to keep the flex of the bar to a minimum.
I'm not an engineer, but it seems logical to me. The one condition where flex might be induced is when one strut tries to approach the other. The bar might not be stiff enough, or straight enough(which ever property is lacking) to prevent it from flexing, but it will provide more resistance to that strut movement than without the bar there at all. I assume that that resistance is enough to keep the flex of the bar to a minimum.