I guess this belongs in the Suspension category as it is about suspension.

Ordered Strut bars and sway bars after doing a little research (fail), back before i gained the healthy wealth of Z knowledge that i now have (Thank you guys). But i was driving my friend's Geo Metro tonight, cause he happened to be **** faced, and i asked him why he nodded out of me building/welding him a front and rear strut bar.

He told me that his car corners and drifts the way it does because it looses traction in such a way (the Metro weighs about 1,100 pounds...) that he is able to control it, and he needs that lost grip. He explained that if he had a higher powered engine it would be fine, but since he can not maintain a loss of traction with added traction support, he does not need them.

Is this the same with every car as well..?

I'm not saying I'm going to go looking for parking lots to drift through, and my S130 is my DD until i find something a little more gas efficient... I'm just wondering if Strut Bars make any difference if you already have sway bars. Anyone have sway bars AND strut bars? Difference?

Cause unless you really use your car for competitions a strut bar is only really a WOW factor when people who know nothing about cars see it, unless you actually know WTF you're doing. I'm just wondering if I should duck out (as i'm short on money right now, AND a job) before MSA gets their new shipments in (lolz) before i have to pay for shipping back...

Your guy's take?

Sorry if this question and story seems dumb, don't judge me TOO irrationally.

 

Strut bars and sway bars are completely different, and have completely different jobs.

Sway bars help the vertical stiffness of each independent suspension arm (torsion).

Strut bars help keep the tops of the strut towers in place (rigidity). A lot of suspension energy is transmitted to the top of the strut tower, at the farthest & thus, weakest point (leverage). Strut bars keep them tied together & reduce flex.

I didn't understand a word of this... and I even own a Geo Metro....

 

Not 100%+

I've been in the car with him around turns. The way i got it, if he had stiffer suspension and no weight transfer without a larger displacement and HP, he wouldnt be able to drift. I'm not even past my remote sense of suspension and turns yet... So bear with me =/

 

You can't "drift" a fwd car...

you can "e-brake" and "drag" the rear end of a fwd car, but you can't DRIFT it, unless he has LSD and is driving backwards...

 

This, i'd pay to see.

 

I guess its noobish power sliding in a little red brick of a car.

Either way, got my sway bars in... that **** sucks >.<

Mashing bushings isnt fun at all.

Got my TechnoToyTuning control arms in too, just waiting for bushings from MSA.

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ALSO: My steering rack seems to be leaking very slowly from the ends... Sound reasoning?

 

i was thinking about those tech toys control arms. any difference is drivability?

 

I'm not 100% sure yet, I'm still stuck at this stage:



Getting there tho. I barely remember driving it before my L28 gasket blew...

=(