Has anyone developed one of these yet? I would have thought these would have been the easiest part to create. Metal bar connecting the left and right side under the hoor to prevent body roll around corners. I do not own a G8 yet so I have not had much time to look under the hood, but I guess the 2 problems that come up are:

1. Is there room for the strut bar to go over the engine cover and have enough room for the hood to close?

2. Is there any place to mount/attach the strut bar to the left and right side? I know on my previous cars there were screws there so installation took a whole 10 minutes.

Anyone have any ideas? I always felt this was a simple piece to make and install and should not be more then $125. Any idea's?

Pedders is developing a strut tower brace.

Look around in the suspension forum.

Is a strut bar even needed or would it just be extra weight?

Is a strut bar even needed or would it just be extra weight?
Strut tower braces add very little weight - no more than 5 pounds and probably closer to 3 or so.

For normal and slightly spirited driving I don't think this car needs one. The chassis seems very stiff. However, if I were to be flogging it through corners all the time (or autocrossing) I'd definitely add a strut tower brace along with the normal spring, strut, sway bar, and bushing upgrades.

After installing one, you'll wonder why they didn't come that way.

The benefits far outweigh the few pound weight penalty.

After installing one, you'll wonder why they didn't come that way.

The benefits far outweigh the few pound weight penalty.

Does that mean you installed one on a G8 and noticed a difference in handling/rigidity? Or are you commenting in general based on pass experience.

Commenting in general from past experience.

thank you

My point was:

Strut bars are one of those things that IF the car needs one it MAY help. Most of the time though they are nothing more than "eye candy." Don't assume just because the car has strut towers it needs a brace.

How would a strut bar eliminate body roll?

Not body roll, but body flex.

Maybe they mistyped?

Like if you go around a sharp you turn, the car will lean to the opposite side.

Example: You are make a U-turn by turning the car right. The weight of the car shift to the left side or the outside of the car. Usually you can feel being pushed closer to the window. Strut bar is supposed to help eliminate some of that. Key word being "some." But I have always had them on previous cars and it makes a noticeable difference just by doing regular turns and everything. And they weigh no more then 5 lbs like stated.

I was under the impression the Zeta chassis was very rigid.

Like if you go around a sharp you turn, the car will lean to the opposite side.

Example: You are make a U-turn by turning the car right. The weight of the car shift to the left side or the outside of the car. Usually you can feel being pushed closer to the window. Strut bar is supposed to help eliminate some of that. Key word being "some." But I have always had them on previous cars and it makes a noticeable difference just by doing regular turns and everything. And they weigh no more then 5 lbs like stated.

You are getting two terms confused.

-- Strut tower brace is a bar that bolts to the strut towers underneath the hood (and usually to the firewall, for triangulation) to minimize movement of the strut towers. If the strut towers are moving, the whole front suspension is, as well, in ways that you don't want it to.

-- Sway bar or anti-sway bar is connected to the bottom of the suspension on both sides and anchored to the frame, and helps minimize body roll by redistributing weight transfer during turns.

Like if you go around a sharp you turn, the car will lean to the opposite side.

Example: You are make a U-turn by turning the car right. The weight of the car shift to the left side or the outside of the car. Usually you can feel being pushed closer to the window. Strut bar is supposed to help eliminate some of that. Key word being "some." But I have always had them on previous cars and it makes a noticeable difference just by doing regular turns and everything. And they weigh no more then 5 lbs like stated.

Are you sure? Sway bars control body roll. A strut bar keeps the strut towers from flexing. Since the engine bay compartment is basically a box with an open top (hood) the strut bars stiffen up the weak link in that box.

Some earlier car designs suffered from varying degree's of strut tower flex. Basically strut tower flex would affect suspension geometry on the suspension side with the most load.

It would be interesting to compare the skidpad #'s between installed strut bar and not installed.

upgrading the suspension will always result in better performance #'s. strut tower braces are just another part of a good suspension upgrade. Panhard bar's anyone?

Like if you go around a sharp you turn, the car will lean to the opposite side...

I know what body roll is, my question was how is a strut bar going to "fix" it. The answer is it will do very little.

upgrading the suspension will always result in better performance #'s. strut tower braces are just another part of a good suspension upgrade. Panhard bar's anyone?

Not if your components aren't designed to work as a system, which is about they only good thing I have to say about Pedders stuff, at least its a package :)

What does a Panhard bar have to do with a strut bar and/or a G8 without a solid axle?


Some earlier car designs suffered from varying degree's of strut tower flex. Basically strut tower flex would affect suspension geometry on the suspension side with the most load.

It would be interesting to compare the skidpad #'s between installed strut bar and not installed.

I have a 1968 Ford Mustang in the garage and am well aware of the problems assosciated with flimsy shock/strut towers :)

Sure strut tower bars weigh hardly anything but in most cases on modern cars they do hardly anything as well.

Not to mention, one of the big things mentioned about the new platform that the G8 rides on, is how stiff the chassis is. If this is indeed true, a strut tower brace won't make a noticable difference and this is probably a case where larger sway bars will be the answer to limiting body lean.

Not to mention, one of the big things mentioned about the new platform that the G8 rides on, is how stiff the chassis is. If this is indeed true, a strut tower brace won't make a noticable difference...
It will start to make a noticeable difference if you run stiffer shocks and springs. This puts more stress on the chassis and makes things move around that you wouldn't notice with a stock setup.

Chassis rigidity is really irrelevant. Yes, the Zeta platform is a stout one, but that doesn't mean it doesn't flex under hard cornering loads. Without a strut tower brace, as your suspension loads in hard/heavy cornering, it can flex the chassis. When it flexes the chassis (the front sub-frame), it throws off the geometry of your suspension and all the sudden your decent handling car isn't as decent as it could be.

A 2 point (strut tower to strut tower), or 3 point (which is better and is strut tower to strut tower and to the firewall tightens the strut towers together, as well as to the firewall (which is a structural piece in a unibody structure), eliminates majority (if not all) of said chassis flex.

The return is better handling, and quicker transitional response to steering inputs as the vehicle isn't fighting itself by absorbing the laws of physics and overall "tighter" driving experience.

What does a Panhard bar have to do with a strut bar and/or a G8 without a solid axle?

Lighten up Francis, it was a joke.

Sorry pedro, your sharp wit didn't translate very well through the keyboard...

Sorry pedro, your sharp wit didn't translate very well through the keyboard...

Mybad

Chassis rigidity is really irrelevant.

Um, are you kidding? It has EVERYTHING to do with chassis rigidity. A strut tower braces adds MORE chassis rigidity, and what this question is really about, is the ROI of a strut tower brace and if the "gains" are even worthwhile in a car touted as being super rigid.

This thread should probably be in the suspension forum. But I am sure the good gentlemen from Pedders would have some useful input on the subject.