In order to add more rigidity to your car a strut bar is used which connects the front and rear strut towers. However, the effectiveness of the strut bar like an aluminium strut all depends upon your car. Some old cars that have issues like body rolls or chassis flex have been seen to improve a great deal by the use of strut bars. While other bars are only for increasing the attractiveness of the car and do not have any practical benefits. We will look further into how they work and their advantages and disadvantages.
What Do Strut Bars Do?
In order to laterally link your suspension strut towers, a strut bar like an aluminium strut is used as a connecting rod. By tying these two stress points together you will be able to reinforce your chassis. These strut bars were initially designed due to some issues or limitations in another type of suspension system known as MacPherson. But that does limit it to cars with only that kind of suspension system but can be used for others as well. Because of the previous designs, the car strut towers would undergo extreme pressure during road bumps but this problem has been solved by the installation of strut bars.
How Does it Improve Handling?
When we talk about car handling, it has always been linked with performance and there is a contrast between both. Handling refers to how stable a car is and how well the design is while performance is more based on car speed and acceleration. Generally, a car that has better handling is easier to control during high speeds.
The main purpose of a strut bar is to improve the handling of your car and not necessarily increase its speed or acceleration. They will not increase the cornering speed but they will give you predictions about your cornering speed. This is mostly due to the fact that strut braces redistribute pressure from one tower to another strut tower. This provides a major help in keeping your steering wheels stable by reducing chassis flex through tight corners.
Installation of strut bars like Aluminium struts will provide you with many benefits. It will improve the overall rigidity of your car. And when you hit a bump or take a sharp turn it will help you not to flex your chassis.
Strut Bar Advantages and Disadvantages
Every other strut bar Like aluminium Strut has its own advantages and disadvantages. This majorly depends upon the car you drive and also on your driving. Despite all these factors, they are a unique modification to your car.
Advantages
- One of the most important advantages of strut bars is that it improves the body rolls and sway problems in old cars. But if you have a car that does not have any stiffness then you most probably won’t benefit from strut bars.
- All the pressure that is generated while driving is equally distributed across your chassis with the help of strut bars as it redistributes the tension between both left and rights towers. As a result of this, any kind of incoming wear and tear will also be redistributed saving the car from excess damage on one side.
- Another reason people install a strut bar is due to the fact that it increases the attractiveness of your engine. If it does not distort your driving experience and the mod has some function, a strut bar is worth installing.
- Installation of strut bars is very easy and can be done by oneself. As long as you have purchased the right unit it will be easy to install. Different strut bars have different applications so make sure to purchase the right one.
- Strut bars can be highly affordable and a cheap strut bar can also function normally as long as you purchase the right construction.
Disadvantages
- If you need stability off the road then installation of strut bars can be an issue as sometimes the suspension needs to function independently.
- You will only benefit from the strut bars if you drive over uneven surfaces otherwise you will not get any benefits.
- Sometimes the strut bar may occupy extra space. But as long as you make sure it does not cover the car battery or hit the hood when you shut it is all good.
- Strut bars are only to improve the ‘look’ and do not have many practical benefits. It will in fact improve handling but not to a greater extent.