I am a little concerned by the reports of the bar being able to flex with little force. Does anyone know if the arc bar is like this as well?

 

Not sure, but you're welcome to stop by Rider to check my Richie bar out when I receive it.

 

Awesome shoot me a PM when you get it. I went to Rider too

 

it's suppose to..

 

In all fairness to Richie....

Post revised until I have the chance to completely test it on my mountain circuit or the track.

 

are u serious???...crud...

maybe the bar should have been pressed metal, not bent

or maybe another material

 

Ok, post revised till Brando does some more testing

 

I have got some good news for you guys - in terms of vehicle dynamics, when you corner, the strut towers actually move AWAY from each other (even tho this is counter intuitive), which means the bar is under TENSION when your car corners.

In other words, having a bend going upwards like the ARC / Richie strut bar design will actually help in terms of making the bar more rigid...

Yet, I do agree that having the bar made in steel might make this mod working at its 101%

 

well after all that is said and done i believe having it wont hurt...maybe not the optimum design but its better than not having a front strut at alll

 

Alright, just installed it. This aluminum is a bit softer than I expected. I felt a little improvement over hard cornering. The design is top notch, the mounting plates bolted right on, used a little force to push the mid-bar into the mounting plates which it's supposed to be.

It would be the greatest suspension mod part for $225 if the mid-bar is stronger than this.

I'll rate this bar at 90% customer satisfaction...which is an "A" but there still needs some improvement.

Thanks Richie,
T

 

I have to say that I agree with all of the points made so far regarding the reviews on this bar. In the end, Richie brought into the market a product that serves its function at a very reasonable (not to mention affordable) price. You need to remember that strut bars aren't designed to act the same way as sway bars do, thus expecting similar benefits is unrealistic. It is also unfortunate that we do not have a true comparison of the ARC vs Richie bar. I would be more upset if I paid $650+ for a strut bar and have it act the same way as this. All in all, I am 100% happy with my purchase. Its the best bang for the buck in the market presently and I believe it will remain this way for some time.

 

will this fit with MD 1/2 spacer installed? with and without engine cover..thanks!

 

i've always found it useful to read the first post..

btw, the 1/2" spacer does not allow for the engine cover to fit anyway..

well, on to answer your question..

 

Just got the bar installed; took me quite a bit of time since I took my time and made sure that nothing rubs. Interestingly, on my 04 sedan, my driver side strut tower brace clears both the ABS and A/C line without a problem.

However, on the passenger side, it is another story, the ABS line basically has only less than 5 mm of clearance from the struct tower. Thus, it is rubbing the strut tower brace of the bar...

I think the problem that I have might be a 04 sedan issue or it is just that my car is assembled that way since I have never heard of the probelm of rubbing on the passenger side for other sedans....


***

Test drive: All in all, I can feel the difference in cornering and especially over bumps. I would say this is one of the best bang of the buck mods.

 

Full Payment Sent!