habinero

Does any one have the TC Sportline front or rear strut tower bar? I have searched this forum and can't find any mention of them. They look good, and they are a decent price.

Derex'8

iTrader: (4)

Someone a while back asked about TC sportline but never got a reply back, I for one would like to know how there underbrace is, if anyone has it? sorry for thread jack

coldnoodle

Got them on my 8. They are great, very similar to Greddy's. I am still able to put the engine cover back on after installed the front bar [need a little trimming]. And the rear bar stays flat just a little above the carpet, so I still have room for storage. [not like I really store things in there anyway...] The under brace fits really nicely, too. Their aluminum strut bars are titanium colored.

I first learned them on Mazdatrix....I think they have pics of the strut bars and the under brace posted on Mazdatrix's site.

habinero

Coldnoodle.
Did these stiffen your ride up, or just more for show? How is the day to day drivability? Did you have to jack up the car to install? Thanks

coldnoodle

Front and Rear strut bars are easy to install. Took me about 1hr to install both. For the front I needed to trim off some material of the engine cover to make room for wider bars, but it fits just like stock. As for the rear, you just needed to move the trim pieces away to get to the strut towers[few clips]. They did their homework on the rear. The end pieces have a little raise to it, just enough to clear the thickness of the carpet. After the rear bar is installed, I just put back the covers on both side, no trimming nor cutting needed.

I do feel a bit of difference when going through the corners. And I think since I added the under brace, the steering and handling is more solid. BTW, I did took my car to a shop when installing the under brace since it is easier to work on when the car is on the lift.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

strut bars on this car are all over-rated, it's just a personal preference choice, nothing more ....

BoosTED

iTrader: (2)

Installed the rear TC Sportline strut brace about a month ago.

I am happy with it. Looks great, is light, and is tough to beat on price.

An aftermarket bar for the front is nice if a person goes with adjustable shocks or coilovers. Unless you want to remove the bar every time to adjust the dampening.


Team are you discrediting braces or saying that they will do a similar job regardless of brand?

elf

Those member braces look just like the AutoEXE ones ... or maybe the other way around?

habinero

I installed the TCS Sportline font and rear strut bars few days ago and I definitely think that they are worth the money. The difference is subtle at best, but for the price I think that these are an excellent addition. The car feels a little "tighter" but the ride quality is not affected. I give it a thumbs up.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

sways? everyone here is talking about strut bars?

beers

habinero

Sorry Swoope. I meant strut bars (I edited the post )

I have had sways on my mind lately as its the next thing I am looking to buy...

swoope

iTrader: (5)

no need to be sorry, i was just confused again... i was going to search tc sways....

beers

Paul_in_DC

I have the Mazdaspeed strut bar in front. It's a very noticeable improvement in handling, primarily in the turn-in.

bureau13

Someone should put this to the test...there are always people who swear their aftermarket bars improve handling, and others who say they're just for looks. It shouldn't be that difficult to figure out a way to measure how much the tops of the strut towers are displaced during cornering with one bar and then the other. I'm not exactly sure how I'd do it, but...it would be an interesting experiment, anyway.

jds

WoodsOfGreenRx8

Staticlag might be able to give some input. For some odd reason, he auto-x'd his 8 without his front strut tower bar..

Paul_in_DC

I autocrossed for 2 years without one. When I first put it on, my times sucked! It turns in much better... but the difference in handling threw my timing all to hell and gone. It'll take a while to get used to the difference in handling.

staticlag

It feels good without the front bar. With the front bar the front feels too stiff at times and I get understeer.

It all really depends on your total setup though. rear/front swaybar thickness, and rear/front strut tower bar thickness.

I just got my Autoexe front brace today, and its once piece of hardcore racing reinforcement. Barely squeezed into place because it has no movable joints in it.

I have a feeling that its going to feel a bit different. Autox this sunday will tell.

HCTR154

I purchased and installed the TC sportline rear strut bar recently. I was surprised that the bar is nicely finished and lightweight. I'm guessing it's made of aluminum.
TC sportline is etched on top of the bar...pretty nice touch considering the price of the product.

Anyhow, the bar took about 10 minutes to install, even with my Infiniti Basslink subwoofer in the way. The mounts almost flush with the deck, allowing the subwoofer be left in it's place, directly behind the passenger seat, on the driver's side. No cutting of the side panels, next to the shock mounts is required either due to the flush fitting nature of the device.


As far as a handling improvement, I can't make any scientific judgements, but this is one of those "feel good" mods that many can't resist. Also, this bar is by far the cheapest out there and is nicely finished to boot!

EricB

iTrader: (7)

ti-ti-ti-timmmmeeee maachhiinnneeee!!!!!

lets see some pics of this "titanium colored" pieces by tcs sportline

mavictb

holy 5 year old thread revival batman.

EricB

iTrader: (7)

I exhumed the body of "TC Sportline Strut Tower Bar" from its grave!

if you do a search, this is the only thread about this. It is a great alternative to other pieces out there, especially costing under $100, and looks identical to the greddy piece.

mavictb

yeah I may look more into it... does it have a brake booster brace?