Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Pics and Videos HPP Sturt Tower Brace

I recieved my STB from Chris yesterday and put it on today durning lunch. It took about 2 minutes total to put on so it is a very easy install. Mine is the only bar unpolished and non-powdercoated so that's why it looks so dull. I'm painting mine the color of the SVT when it's finished. Here are the pics:






Please excuse the stuff in the trunk. The Zetec is a work in progress.

looks sweet man!!!!!

How much was it all together?

They are $115. That price includes shipping. They are either powdercoated red (highly recommend) or polished. Click on the link in my sig for more info. Looks good Lee!

gimme back my jansport
i knew someone stole it

make comments on fun handling improvements

Sorry about your backback. It just looked so cool I had to have it. :p

The car feels quite abit different, more solid in turns and the rear doesn't just follow anymore it actually feels like part of the car.

I'm going to try and change over the suspension from the Zetec this weekend if the weather is cooperating. I'm going to put the SVT struts, springs, and sway bar on. So hopefully it will feel alot better after that.

Don't worry I'll take lots of pictures.

2 mins to install? Daaaaaaamn!
Glad to hear it handles better!

I thought I read somewhere that a strut bar is more often under tension, not compression. Do you intend to anchor it to the towers or is it but not visible in the pics?

...Ed

EDIT: here's the page I read...fact, fiction??
strut bar myths

From my experience with it I can tell you that it is most certainly benificial. There is a road in my town that has a hair pin turn in it after a bridge that I use to guage suspension perfomance.

Before the bar I would have to cut in before the Apex of the curve to exit well. This is because without the back following through curve at the same angle as the front it would load the front end causing the tires to slide out. In effect pushing the front of the car across the road. I will over compensate for this which would cause the me to be unprepared for when the tires would catch and put me into a barrier if I don't quickly recover.

After the bar I am able to cut the wheel alot later and swing the back of the car around in the turn, giving me a greater exit speed because the back is more loaded and doesn't flex under pressure as it would before. This gives it the ability to slide much the same way one would when you lift the Emergency brake.

The Strut tower brace uses lateral pressure and metal fatique over time to press the car back into shape, keeping tension on the bar at all times not just when in a turn.

Does that make any sense?

Yeah, but so did the info in the link I posted.

...Ed

I updated the pictures after ajusting the STB the right way. I didn't unscrew from both sides last time.