so is it okay for the strut bar to sit this low?

 

the idea of a strut tower bar in general is a good concept and does help. this one wont do anything. when you put washers under it and place some significant loads on it you are also placing extra loads on the shock cap bolts. a lot more then using a regular strut tower bar that fits right.

this kind of strut tower bar works in tension but i highly doubt it does anything compared to the jza80 supra bar.

its a waste of money just like getting a trd oil cap or ail filter...dont do anything except let you show people you are an idiot for buying them. i have both but i got them free so that doesnt count.

if you are going to use that bar might as well buy one off ebay for 20 shipped. it will work just as well.

i dont care of it trd or not. there is a reason it is discontinued and was revised. honestly just sell it.

it does nothing. it is in your head. its the same thing as someone removing their 10lb changer and saying the car is faster now.

 

that really really really sucks that you damaged it. That is one of very few MKIII MA70/JZA70 Supra TRD strut braces produced. Only a handful were produced close to the end of the MKIII Supra's production so TRD just discontinued it. I have one for my supa but there are not alot out there. It is not ment to fit the sc or the MKIV supra. it's too narrow. I tried intalling a MKIV one before I found this one and it was too wide.

 

I disagree with what you're saying in sooo many ways i dont know where to start. All i can say is if you are comparing a strut bar's ability to effect a cars performance to oil caps and air filters, you shouldn't be giving advice at all. I know you are into drifting, ive done it for 3 years, thats not a LONG time i know... maybe you have more time sliding but the fact is strut bar does make a difference. Now whether there is a huge difference between a 20$ ebay one and a 200$ trd one might be a better debate, but saying a strut bar is only for looks means you really need to spend some time drifting or turning an AE86, or 240sx, and so on a so forth... The effect are amplified when the horsepower increases as well as weight.

 

Read this:

http://www.e30m3performance.com/myth...bar_theory.htm

before you argue that strut bars are useless

and please dont say "its a waste of money just like getting a trd oil cap or ail filter...dont do anything except let you show people you are an idiot for buying them." that kind of statement is worthless, it's like someone saying you drifting a sc300 is basically you showing people you are an idiot for drifting such a heavy and poorly balanced machine, you're better off with a 240.

 

so if you add spacers to a STB, its rendered useless?

 

there is a difference in 20 and 200 dollar strut tower bars. the crap you buy that is just a link between the two towers isnt much of anything. in order to have a good working bar you need triangulation. google the trd strut tower bar for the st165 celica. the stock celica bar is a simple wide V looking thing that connects the two towers and the firewall. the bar is connected to only two strut hat bolts and the ends are very flimsy. the TRD bar is triangulated, incorporating a straight rod across, over the engine. the ends of the bar connect on all the bolts on the strut hat and are made of thicker and stronger material.

another good example of a good design is the evo8/9 bars. very well made from the factory. again, it is triangulated.

im not looking at it from a "it doesnt do anything and i know because i drift" perspective, but rather as an engineer i see it as a poor design. it is made to be mass produced and economically, thus not being optimum at all.

after seeing the ARC strut tower bar on my buddies evo9 MR i was shocked how chitty it was. the welds did not go around on both sides of the brackets. the back mount that attaches to the firewall was not boxed. it was simply a piece of sheet metal bent to shape, again not a good design. all of these things can easily be fixed and/or prevented at minimum cost if the right design is used.



EDIT: BTW: when you add washers you created increased shear in places where it was not before. the strut bolt is having more load applied to it then it ever should. not a good thing.

DOUBLE EDIT: your link doesnt work

 

That made my evening.

 

thanks for a constructive statement

come back when you have an opinion on the topic and not just bumping your post count

 

He has a 1st Generation TRD bar btw... everyone else has the 2nd gen. 1st gen's are harder to find...

I purchased spacers from Aliga, they are the same ones that are currently on the car, so they have the same grooves so no extra stress. =D

 

they make spacers specificaly for the TRD bar ???

 

take off the lexus badge on the intake manifold

 

No they arent specific, they just work, they are stock spacers, pop your hood, look at the top of your shocks, goes between the nuts that hold your shocks up and the body itself...that black spacer.

 

It should be clear that bolstering my post count is not a concern of mine, as I average about one post a month, over the last 5 years. And, I love the irony of that post, whether intentional or unintentional. Now I do agree with you, that a triangulated bar is superior to this type of strut bar, and I also wish that one was made for the SC.

Now to the OP, I like that bar. Take it down to your local machine shop and have them weld that crack. Then, to get the bar to fit better, order two of the spacers Baoser mentioned from one of our vendors, your local Lexus dealer, or your favorite junkyard. The part number you want to use when ordering is 53723-24010. Keep in mind it is recommended that you use coilovers with longer cap studs, otherwise you may not have enough thread for the nuts to be safely fastened.

 

hey good info man thanx also nice post count