I purchased the TEC front strut bar from ralliart3000gt on ebay for 299.98 shipped.
First impressions:
The bar was packaged very well. It was completely bubble wrapped, taped up, and protected by lots of crumpled news paper.
Upon removal and inspection of the bar the first thing I noticed was that it seemed heavy. So, I weighed it, and it came in at a hefty 4.5.lbs with the battery tie down.
Unpacked and unwrapped:
Installation:
The bar almost fit. On the most part everything lined up but required excessive force to coax into position. While torquing the bar down it observably contorted into position. At this point the bar was in direct contact with the engine, a sensor attached to the plenum and the corner of the plenum where the bar has a support piece welded on its underside. I didn’t bother moving forward with the installation, I marked the points of contact and removed the bar. Additionally, I required the assistance of a pry bar to separate the strut bar from the chassis.
I am very well aware that over time, usage, and manufacturing variations, vehicle tolerances can vary considerably, however, this should anticipated.
Before removing the bar I took notice of its state and observed a few interesting things. The surface of the strut tower mounting points are not flat, they have a ridge of overlapping sheet metal. Torquing the bar down to spec slightly bends the bar’s mounting bracket but still leaves a gap between where the bolts apply force to the bar and where bar applies force to the chassis. Also, there is a large distance of unsupported area from where the bar actually ends, the bar’s mounting points make contact with the strut tower, and the bolts that hold it down.
Driver’s side
Passenger’s side
Unsupported area, I believe when push comes to shove this area acts more like a spring rather than a solid structure.
Follow up:
I took the bar to our robotics lab at work to make some modifications. I widened all the mounting slots by .010 and extended the slot for the battery tie down stud by ~.050. Also, I milled out a little pocket for the sensor and removed some material for the driver’s side angle brace welded under the bar. Now, the bar falls into place with minimal effort. Furthermore, I highly doubt any of these modifications compromised structural integrity.
Upon reinstallation and re-torquing to spec (if I remember correctly, its 33 ft-lbs) the bar didn’t bend down nearly as far as it did during the first installation ( I was a little surprised by this, but I have some theories). Second thoughts, I could have easily done without milling the pocket or angle brace.
After installation and an exhilarating canyon carving adventure I was hard pressed to notice any structural improvement. However, I did notice the paint was pinched and curling up around the edges of where the bar actually makes contact with the strut towers. This was not present before the drive and indicates to me that there is still a whole lot of flexing going on. This is by no means an accurate or scientific evaluation of effectiveness, though.
Final thoughts:
The bar is entirely too heavy, the mounting points need improvement, and I am not a big fan of the 60 grit swirl finish. I would like to see a complete ring around the strut tower, a step on the underside to make full contact with the chassis, and the bar to extend and connect to a solid flat surface on top of the strut tower. A hollow rigid bar and three point mounting would definitely be a nice touch. I would expect the issues that surfaced during my initial fitting from a 100. bar and consequently feel that this bar is over priced for what it offers. Would I buy again, probably not.
Final installation:
