Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension OMP FSTB install

I did a bit of searching on this and couldn't find much.

I picked up an OMP front strut tower bar, mostly for looks. I know from reading here that it won't provide me much imporovement, but I want to make sure I get what I can out of it. It didn't come with any instructions. Seems pretty simple, drill a few holes and then screw it into each strut tower. what I don't know is how tight do I make it...

Thanks,
Tom

I'm guessin make them tight down to a good snug...you dont want them comin loose...I think if you actually have the front struts off the car, you can put a bolt on the underside of the screws that come with it for a more secure mount.

I've heard that those types of strut bars actually hinder handling and are bad for the struts because of how they mount. You should have gotten one that bolts to the nut on the strut tower itself.

wrong

Where's your information to back up what you said. I'll tell you where mine is. Scroll to the top of the screen and click search.

way wrong. stryped, the type you speak of (that bolts to the strut) is the kind you want to avoid. that type of bar has been known to bend or snap the top threaded part of the strut. SHO Shop made one like this. needless to say if you snap off the top of the strut, you are in it deep.

the OMP bars are the better kind because they bolt to the strut tower. this doesnt put any stress on the strut mount. it does keep the strut towers from flexing, however. and if you have the struts off of the car at some point, run bolts through instead of self tappers. more secure mounting.

the reason the FSTB doesnt do a heck of a lot is b/c the strut towers are already so close to a horizontal structural piece, i.e. the firewall. look at say, an S2000, and you will see the struts are much further forward in the engine compartment. cars like this will probably see a larger improvement from a FSTB.

the rear of our cars, having no horizontal support nearby, receive a larger benefit from having a STB. that is why people can actually see, or hear (really cuts down on creaks actually ) an improvement in rigidity.

HTH

Ooooooh... I see. Yeah, I now recall the sho-shop finascal with their strut bars.

Must have misunderstood when speaking to someone about these. Thank you kingpin!

Now that all the bickering is over I think I can rest assured that I got the right STB, and that I'll crank it down nice and tight. For now I'll have to use self tapping screws since I don't plan on taking the struts off.