morganoh

When I went down to GR to look at Struts bar.

The sales person told me that those Struts Bar that uses Screw between the horizontal bar and engine mount are not effective at all and buying them serve no purposes at all

screw ones

He told me that only those that are fully wedded are good struts.

wedded struts

so its it true?

anyone please advice?

coupe07

cusco strut bars are screw ones..... and they are famous for their racing pdts. how "not effective" can they be? garage r is only a workshop, not manufacturer of racing pdts... whereas cusco has a history of racing pdt line behind them.....

Workshop's words against racing manufacturer's pdts - who do u wan to trust, bro?

the only reason that i can tink of y they said that is becos they only sell welded struts (mainly carbing) thats y when u sell melons, u say ur melons are so damn sweet.....

morganoh

But why some company prefer the wedded method? Is it cheaper to produces than the screw on type?

Which is better? the heavier steel ones (like couso) or the lighter Alumin ones (like carbing).
Steel will definitely be heavier and stronger. but can Alum do the job?

coupe07

cusco products use steel for a reason, but for a reason that i do not noe.....

as for which is better, i cun say for sure, cos how to test which is better? It boils down more to brand loyalty and the reliability of that brand. like if u ask me to choose carbing and cusco, i will most prob go for cusco. But if u ask me choose cusco or autoexe, definitely i go for autoexe, cos i firmly believe go for the brand that specialise in the make of ur car, rather to go a brand that is too general.

morganoh

I would love to have the Autoexe 4 pt strut, but too bad they do not sell it alone.

Must buy as a set including the rear one too right?

Can they sell just the front 4pts struts cos I need the rear space for my baby stuffs.

coupe07

sorry, bro, they cun.... actually u r not the 1st one with this concern.... bro doctor70 has the same idea as urs.... but bo bian... its strictly one set only....

morganoh

Even Autoexe one are wedded ones. So is Wedded one really better?

Neon

As long as u open ur bonnet or boot and each time you see it you feel shiok then go for that one lor. Its ur money and how to actually quantify which is better right?

Personally, i will go for lighter stuffs.

Cheerio

morganoh

Went though few hundred threads and found this

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ighlight=strut

Happy reading.

Ringer

The purpose of bracing is to prevent body flex between the strut towers. If the screw pivot allows the joint to twist or bend then it defeats the purpose.

Looking at your "screw ones" the screw joint is at such a horizontal position I don't think there will be any twisting. I think it will work.

An example of screw jointed brace that I doubt will work is your "rear strut 2" in your post on custom rear brace. I can imagine the compression force between the rear stuts twisting the 2 screw joints and sending the bar upwards thus defeating its purpose. To make it work it should be laid flat on the boot floor. Try to imagine lah, armchair engineers.

-Ringer-

coupe07

its not better, its ur preference bro..... like i said, cusco has a long line of history, famous for their racing pdts.... how lousy can they be?

coupe07

my 4pt strut bar is not on the floor board.... so it does not serve its purpose, bro?

Ringer

Just take a look at "rear strut 2" picture. Comments apply to that custom screw strut only.

morganoh

Just bought a Cusco 2 point Strut with brake stopper.

Its really different from the original one. Theres not need to drive at fast speed to know the diff. Just drive over a Hump with one wheel up the hump fast and the other later. and I can feel the diff immediately.

The original strut is feel softer and the Cusco one feel stiffer. and make the car feel alot more rigid as well.

So this experiences override those statement of

"A strut bar is a strut bar. the original factory strut bar does as good a job as any other."

coupe07

bro, tink the difference u felt was from the brake stopper.... if u change only the strut bar, without the brake stopper, the effect is minimal...... in fact, hardly noticeable....

morganoh

Dont understand , I though the brake stopper only stop the brake pump from moving. but what I felt was the car is alot stiff and rigid when going over humps.

sqflyer

I only noticed the effect of the brake stopper, don't think a strut bar would make any difference in body stiffness unless it's a 4-pt. Those who have changed to an after market 2-pt front strut bar, please contribute your comments...

Siesta

A welding joint is stronger than a screw joint. However, I really doubt it would make much of a difference for this particular purpose. Cusco does sell a titanium welded strut by the way. As to the choice of metal materials used, I think it is more for the weight issue, they are all pretty darn strong.

Don't really feel the difference between the stock and aftermarket strut bar. Just my 2 cents. :D

morganoh

I have remove the Brake stopper. and use the strut as just a normal 2 pt support strut . When going over humps it still feel different from a original mazda strut.

Anyway the Brake stopper only prevent the brake pump from moving during hard braking. RIGHT??? What has it got to do with Making the body more rigid and stiff.

It would be nice if anyone can advice me on that using Physical or technical terms , cos I really do not understand how car brake stopper has any effect during cruise (with out braking)

sqflyer

Even during normal braking, the master brake pump will flex first before the hydraulic pressure is transmitted to the brake calipers. The brake stopper will press against the master brake pump to prevent it from flexing so that any pressure on the brake pedal is transmitted more instantly to the brake calipers (instead of flexing the master brake pump first). What you get is a more instantaneous braking from the slightest pressure on your brake pedal. The brake stopper does not contribute to body rigidity/stiffness. If you feel that your aftermarket 2-pt strut is better than the original Mazda strut, then that's even better and translates to money well spent. Personally, I feel little to no difference as far as body stiffness but the difference in braking response is great. You can feel it even in normal everyday driving and normal braking. My 2c.

Ringer

I'd like to relate the story of Naughtyboy's front tower brace. Sorry to steal your thunder boy.

When he changed his stock bar to Carbing his car had to be raised on platform to change it. His car was about 1 1/2 years old and seems to be permanently bent despite the stock "something is better than nothing" brace. Can you imagine without? Carbing is light and substantial and looks fantastic. Of course 4 point brace would be even better. [but mind the weight].

As for the brake stopper, its primary purpose is as in the name. But I imagine it makes the Carbing almost a 3 point brace. Even though it is not bolted at this point at least it stops any push forces from the car body's front eg the car nose flexing upward when going over bumps. Sensitive people such as Morgan can feel the improvement. Good on you.

To take into perspective, the body flex movements are in the range of microscopic to a few mm only. But in a sports car and when driving hard bracing definitely ensures the handling performance as intended without deterioration by ensuring the steering and suspension are acting instantly and true with respect to the rest of the body.

-RInger-

Naughty Boy

Me stealing me thunder back :p

To add to Ringer's account, if me waited just a little longer the Carbing may not have even fit

Thanx to Ringer and GR - although me wish me had listened earlier :D

LsBlack

U miss the best part then(orgasm),without the brake stopper.
u may be right tat the 2 pt alone is better than stock(& i hope so too,
tat will make me even happier man :D )
my .5cen

morganoh

U will never know until u try it .

Maybe I'm more sensitive. cos I'm used to "Soft Rides" from all the saloon cars I've drove.
For some they may have driven a Sports Car before or all their life, so they may not feel the diff unless theres really a big change in e car's configurations.

coupe07

i have driven saloons all my life too! from nissan march, to hyundai H100, to mitsubishi lancer, to sunny, to cefiro, to e-class, to s-class........ until recently the 8..... but i nvr used to sweep corners like i do on the rx8 and i am enjoying it!!!

yes, i cun felt the kind of difference u felt, cos i changed to a 4pt strut and its definitely difference from a 2 pt strut feel..... and i fixed on a 4pt rear as well.... so my driving feel is definitely different....