duowing

I was curious about strut bars for the 280ZX. I know they have front strut bars, but do they also have rear strut bars? Also on top of that with a stock suspension will a strut bar actually make much of a difference? I plan to do some suspension work at some point. Just curious to here what you guys have to say about these. Also from MSA they say that the hood will require modification?

NismoPick

When you say "they" do you mean MSA???.... they have front & rear. Strut bars aren't useful unless you plan on doing some crazy street racing, auto-x, or drifting. But they do stiffen up the body roll.

NismoPick

I welded my own strut braces.... but MSA sells them, as well as this place:
http://www.racetep.com/zrear.html If you're good w/ the welder, make ya own!

duowing

I figured it would really not be neccesary unless you do plan to do crazy driving. Its something I'd maybe throw on though after suspension upgrades and what not.

RodMoyes

You guys all forgot to mention the fact that they look really cool!

Rod.

duowing

That's true. You see the strut bar across the engine bay or across the rear strut pillars, it just makes it look like the car is meant for autocross

Bleach

well, also if your springs are soft, I don't see the point. Might as well put the money into tighter springs and new shocks first.

Of course, I didn't know better when I bought my triangular front strut tower brace, but I will tell you that thing cut down a lot of little vibrations in the front end. Driving down the freeway was much quieter and going over bumps was not as 'rattley' as before. Maybe my car is just falling apart.

jfairladyz

On the track it will make the car a lot more predictable as well. I agree it's not a neccessary mod on a street vehicle but it doesnt really have any drawbacks either. And they're not that expensive.

duowing

You guys say to get the triangluar bar, the one from MSA looks like it's just a straight across bar. Where do you guys recommend strut bars from. Also the MSA bar, even though it's not triangular seems to only show the front bar, does the front bar fit the rear also?

jfairladyz

No, the front bar does not fit the rear. Cusco makes a front and rear set for the ZX. They are available through MSA as well as other places. The bars MSA advertises as their own dont come in a rear for the ZX, only a front bar there. You could always just get the cusco rear and the MSA front. It doesn't really matter. I personally like the way the Cusco ones look better and Cusco has a great reputaion in the aftermarket. As for the triangulated bar the only place I know of is the link Bleach posted a few post up. Triangulated bars provide more rigidy than just a straight bar.

duowing

Do they make triangular bars for the rear? I'm thinking about picking up a triangular front strut bar for the front and just a regular bar for the rear. I did find the cusco bars you were talking about after I searched on MSA's site.

jfairladyz

I've seen triangulated rear bars for other cars. Its actually more like multi point bars. But I've never seen one for a ZX. The rear is not as flexy as the front cause the unibody of the car adds some rigidty in comparison with the front which doesn't have a closed structure to keep it from flexing. It's only 2D (square)support up front where as the rear has 3D (cube) support.

iluvJDM

The Cusco bars are adjustable! and they flex to reduce body roll. The triangular bar is just for rigidity. Also the Cusco bars are JDM as hell!

NismoPick

uh.... is that an oxymoron ?

RodMoyes

Well... minus the "oxy" part...

Mad JDM tyte yo!

Rod.

duowing

So all I need is some cusco bars and an original JDM 280zx and I will be JDM

iluvJDM

Yeah whatever you guys say but no matter how many random american parts you guys put on your cars they are still japanese sport cars, and japanese performance parts are proven espescially from a company like Cusco. If you want to buy a random no name strut bar from some random site I dont care. What I meant by the Cusco bars is that they are adjustable and they move in the opposite direction of the body roll to reduce it. Oh and BTW, JDM isnt some stupid ricer car club or w/e the hell you guys assume it was, it stands for Japanese Domestic Market and in case you didnt know or whether you like it or not your cars came from it and so did some of the best performance parts in the world (TEIN,Blitz, HKS). NISMO = JDM

RodMoyes

Thanks for the History lesson sport... We KNOW what JDM Stands for. Our cars are indeed japanese, they are however... USDM variants of their respective models. JDM has become the most rediculously over done craze in the history of car culture society.

For every kid in the USA that is dying for "genuine" JDM parts, there is another kid in Japan dying for USDM parts... It's silly. It was cool when it was a rare thing. Now everybody is doing it. You want to be a lemming, it's cool with me. Just be aware that you instantly lump yourself in with the Ricer crowd weather you want to or not...

Rod.

WildmaN

I agree with you on this one, it seems it is mostly about fads and trends. Which I am a part of neither of the 2. I go with what I like, and want to put on my Z. But like what was said before many times. "Whatever you don't have or can't get you want more"

WildmaN

And yes we are quite aware of what are Z's are, and where they come from. Also what the big names stand for. It is nothing we haven't heard before man. The main problem is that it has become more of a rice thing unfortunately. So in turn has ruined the names of the companies and such.

Also I do remember you reaching out to us. When your Z was planned on being sold by your folks. Just remember we were verry supportive of you. No offense to you, but do think before you post. I don't want to start anything here, so do not take it the wrong way. I know you are young, I was your age once. And take advice that is giving to you on here, or anywhere else. We will all help you if and when we can. But don't think you know more than someone else. I know I don't know enough to be a Z guru. But I know more in the past year being on here. Than I did before.

All aside man, I think you are cool, and are lucky to have a sweet ride. I didn't get my first Z until 25. So don't take it for granted. Take good advice given, and learn what you can. Because I gurantee you will learn a lot, if you open your mind.

Lost Vegaz

I hate that term RICE. If someone don't like your car they call it rice. If you don't like a certain style it is rice. Have you guys ever stopped long enough to seriously look at a riced out Civic?? In most of the better ones you see there is a huge amount of work and dedication. Plus 25 pounds of fiberglass, but hey who's counting. Instead of rice, just say not my style but quality work none the less.

duowing

I didn't think my comment would be taken so negatively. It was essentially a joke in response to the way that it was said the cusco look totally JDM. As said we know all about JDM and USDM. We aren't here to do things just for looks. Plus why would I be making fun of JDM, when I'm obsessed with the Z cars that came from Japan. You just need to calm down a bit bro.

As for the term rice I have to agree. I hate the term. It gets thrown around so much that no one really knows how to explain it. Esepcially some of the American car fans. A friend of mine who doesn't know a whole lot about cars just throws the term rice out of his *** at every car. He was saying about how a ricer is generally anything Japanese or 4cylinder, yet he was calling my other friend's Accord with a V6 a Ricer. To me I usually only use the term rice when there are the massive unfinished body kits, along with ginat wing on a car that will be of no real benefit.

Lost like you said about the extra amounts of fiberglass, but it's usually done well with people who have actually put work into their cars.

jfairladyz

I'm going to stay out of the whole JDM craze thing but I will step in abou the manufacturing of japanese parts vs american parts. To say that the parts made in Japan are the highest quality is nothing more than Bullshit. First of all the whole reputation of japanese aftermarket parts being better only comes from the days when there wasn't much R&D into imports on the part of our american parts manufacturers. I'm sorry but how many of those suspension companies listed do you thing actually make their own parts? Very few. A good deal of those parts are manufactured in the same Taiwanese plants as a good deal as those cheap knock off parts.

The JDM craze HAD a point. And that point was back in the ninetys when the only place you could get a part for your import was either from Japan or someones ghetto rigged fabrication from their garage. Now all the major american aftermarket manufacturers have stepped up to the import car culture and are making parts equal to or superior to their japanese counterparts. Most of our american companies have infinte more resources then some of the bigger japanese aftermarket companies. You dont honestly think a company like HKS can make a better camshaft then a dedicated stateside cam grinder do you? That foolish. Japanese parts aren't all they're cracked up to be. Especially now we have the know how over here. Now JDM is just about being different. Which is cool. But anyone who makes the mistake of thinking that going JDM with their ride is for the purpose of better parts or better quality is sadly mistaken. Who dominates import racing? Companies like Skunk2 (american) dominate all motor import racing) How about real time dominating in their integras on the road courses. These are american companies putting american parts on their race cars.
I'm not saying that Japanese parts are no good. I'm definitely not saying that. I'm just saying that the american aftermarket is now on a level playing field (if not a superior level) with their Japanese counterparts and it just no longer makes sense to pay 10x more for a part that you can get for far cheaper and get the same if not better performance.

jfairladyz

Oh and I just have to throw this in here: Our Z's may have been manufactured by a Japanese car company with Japanese parts; But the Z was designed for the AMERICAN consumer. So despite the fact that the Z is a japanese car, even the japanese made it anti-JDM

iluvJDM

Thanks for that man, I appreciate it. Yeah I guess I kinda went off a bit but it was becuase I've been kind of down about my car and how my Honda friends are already dropping in B16Bs in their Civics (yep my friends have hondas but they are not ricers! Everything they do to their cars is strictly performance related, no usless junk!). I'll gladly take anyones advice here and that is why I come here: to learn more about my Z and I wasnt meaning to start anything. Again yo, I appreciate the kind words and the support from before, really helped me out when I was down, and I apoligize if I bothered anyone. (BTW I got to keep the Z even though my dad forced on me a non-GTI Golf!)