front strut bar no difference?

[whiteboy]

ok I read a bit on this forum with people installing the front upper strut bars and not feeling a difference or say that there is barely any.
here's my experience: I put mine on yesterday, drove around for about the whole day, I noticed I can take the same turns faster without almost falling out of my seat, going off the highway 60-65 was fine now on this particular exit without sliding out at all, I also tried flooring it in a parking lot with my wheel turned all the way last time i tried that i almost lost control because I flew out of my seat....
so does it actually make a difference when you're driving fast or was my mind playing tricks on me?

ps. I drove around with my gf the whole day, it was an experience for her

thanks guys, adios

[Virus18]

This is pretty strange. I've had front strut braces on many vehicles and they barely made any difference at all. Rear Sway bars however are probably one of the best price performance mods around depending on the vehicle.

[LE05]

yes, it does help at faster speeds but minimally. the rear sway bar is far more "bang for your buck" and increases your handling much more than strut tower bars.

[v6secamry]

Originally Posted by LE05

yes, it does help at faster speeds but minimally. the rear sway bar is far more "bang for your buck" and increases your handling much more than strut tower bars.

+1
and should you get the rear sway bar, make sure you put it on the stiffest setting

[w203]

Get your butt dyno tuned and you should see the difference.

An example of seeing if it helps is to take off the hood and mount a piece of string (with no slack) on the mounting points and take the turns.

[RICO8458]

I find that the front of the car is tighter on turns. no doubt about it. the rear end will actually skid into place to follow the front end. once i install the rear sway bars that will not happen. the brace up front is the only way to go. every camry should have one installed. maybe at some point in the future the cars will come with them standard. lol.

[greylock]

You would feel more of a difference with a V6. The extra weight of the engine will cause more front end flex on hard, fast turns with corresponding distortions in the steering geometry. My stock 05 SE came with a strut already but I replaced it with the TRD one anyhow. It looks a whole lot nicer and it has no flex compared to the stock one which I could flex with my hands and very likely bend in half using my foot. Not sure if I want to set my rear TRD sway bar to the stiffest setting. I know of one person here and I've heard of several othes that have had their chassis mount clamps ripped off at that setting. There are even after market hold down brakets to alleviate that problem.

[thapranksta]

what are good brands besides TRD?

[nodrogkam]

Thicker rear sway bars for front wheel drive vehicles make for one of the largest handling differences. Whiteline is another brand that makes various bars, bushings etc for toyota's.

the front tower bar shouldnt make too much of a difference but if you took the same car over a speedbump (driving diagnally over it), you can feel a difference with and w/out a towerbar. Overall, unless you get a really lightweight one, it just adds weight.

[whiteboy]

thanks for the responses everyone, guess my mind wasnt playing games on me at least minimally, also with greylock is there anyone that makes more durable brackets for the rear? I see myself buying the read strut bar soon especially if I get bigger rims with a new suspension

ps. Happy Easter everyone!

[white3ch0c0late]

I definitely feel a difference with my TRD FSB as well. I'm definitely able to take turns slightly tighter, and freeway offramps at higher speeds are definitely more stable.

[thapranksta]

Originally Posted by white3ch0c0late

I definitely feel a difference with my TRD FSB as well. I'm definitely able to take turns slightly tighter, and freeway offramps at higher speeds are definitely more stable.

Nice to see that you are enjoying my front strut bar........ j/k of course. I got to get one at some point in time though.

[nodrogkam]

i think whitechocolate maybe reffering to the TRD Front SWAY bar.

Indeed he would feel a difference but a thicker front sway bar for fwd cars is usually bad because it causes more understeer, but would definately increase overall stability.

[thapranksta]

^I'd figure he's talking about a strut tower bar since no one on this thread has once mentioned a front sway bar but I could be wrong.

[white3ch0c0late]

No, I'm talking about the front strut tower bar that I beat thapranksta to in the For Sale forum..