Ok so iv been trying to do a lot of research on this product which is mainly seen on WRXS or STIs. I'm really not sure exactly what it does I know it is suppose to make your suspension tighter but to me that's not giving a good definition. So my question is if you have the money for this is it worth having?
Flexible strut brace?
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I'm very confused by this part. We sell and use a lot of strut braces in many cars we deal with but the term flexible should have nothing to do with a strut bar. A strut bar should help with deflection between the two upper strut mounts during cornering load and therefore should be pretty dang solid. I'm not sure how this is designed to felx but its purpose should be to prevent flex so I'm kind of at a loss.
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Yeah it is confusing.Subir_roo said:
On one hand, the brace is supposed to help improve the suspension response by reducing flex. However, with a flexible bar, it becomes redundant.
But perhaps in heavy lateral loads, the bar remains stiff, but single bumps in which only one suspension corner is affected would make the brace flex to retain comfort. It's definitely seems like a compromise...
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Definitely confusing. It's listed as "STI Flexible Strut Tower Brace" and is available for the XV (it's in the XV accessories brochure you can get from the dealer, part number is E4010FJ000). Some googling led to a number of threads on other Subaru forums discussing it (apparently it's been around a few years); I didn't read many of them, but it seemed as if everyone was as confused as we are and never determined if it was worthwhile or not, heh.
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A strut bar has nothing to do with HP. It comes into play during heavy cornering loads, so anyone who wants to improve handling near the edge of their cars capability could look to a strut bar for additional performance. We actually have a lot of people around here who race low HP cars with lots of suspension work. It's a great way to learn to drive better because you have to be smooth and corner well to keep the cars momentum up.
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Well, if it does tighten up the front end on corners I don't think that's a good thing considering the tires already feel like they're rolling over on hard corners. I'd start by getting some tires with stiffer sidewalls first. I keep finding myself having to back down on highway entrance ramps as it is and I don't think a strut brace would help at all.
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You are VERY right. Having pushed my xv as hard as possible I've actually got some scuffing up the sidewalls from the tires folding. The KEY to good performance is tires. It doesn't matter how many braces you have or how much you spent on your coilovers. If you don't have good tires it's all for nothing.
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I know the strut bar has nothing to do w Hp. What I was alluding to was cornering speeds. My 500 hp 350Z could enter a 90 degree turn at 45 mph and both strut braces in that car were advantageous and had noticeable affect on cornering. Now on the other hand, the XV would slide into a curb even with the brace. At lower speeds, I don't think the brace would make a difference.Subir_roo said:
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Ah ok, sorry about that! That is true. But even on a car like this there is a potential for gaining something from a good strut bar. Currently the failing point in a corner for my car is the tires! I feel like the car could push harder but I can feel the tires folding already.
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I'm guessing high speed hard cornering capability was not the intended engineered design feature of our XV's.. It's basically a raised better ground clearance evolution of the low to the ground impreza. It's got a stiffer suspension system and tire variation as well, to allow for a more utility, camping, off road use. If the addition of a strut tower bar will not improve my off road capability, I'm not interested...
Here are the part numbers for the anti-sway bars that will work on the XV. I've ordered the Forrester XT package.
18mm XV Hybrid package:
20451fg010
20464fg010 x2
19mm Forester XT package:
20451fg020
20464fg020 x2
20mm Sti package:
20451va000
20464va000 x2
It means you need two of that part.
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What I don't get is why a rear anti-sway bar would be in 2 pieces? Most all I have seen are one piece, only variable being diameter.
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