godfather2

showoff

how's the drivetrain holding up? notice any signs of a fading tranny?

Zyuan10

After reading this topic and doing research of my own...

I think I'm gonna be getting the Spoon strut bar. It's about $30 dollars more than the neuspeed but I get a little bling factor along with the performance I hope ^_^

DAYTA

It's difficult to run a HBP because of the lack of engine/fuel managment. The only person running a HBP right now is BigBen, but my understanding is that it doesn't run quite as smoothly as the stock S/C kit. It's also been a long (and expensive) process for him to get it running. Still, his power gains are very impressive.


Btw, I have to say you're quite lucky to have so much $$$ for all of these mods at age 19...

Zyuan10

by the way... a front strut bar really isn't as easy to install as it seems, is it?

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Yes, it is.






For a stock look, I like the Neuspeed in black. Other than that I like the Cusco. AC line interference is not a concern. Just bend the lines slightly. A total non-issue.

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

You need a nice rubber mallot for the neuspeed. Just raise the car and then slam it on.

Tsx536

The tranny has been fine so far. Haven't noticed any signs of fading and hopefully it stays that way. I'm at 93K miles.


Yeah install on the Neuspeed is just like what CrazyAzn said. I definitely had to work it onto there. A rubber mallet definitely helps.

dBski11

Ive been working for the past 2 years and saving up my money, investing in stocks has been a huge help, and not to mention i got my 06 for a steal of a price through an insurance auction!

dBski11

^ and one more thing dayta, if i did decide to run the high boost pulley, which i intend to, wat would i need to change then or upgrade for it to run smoothly??

dBski11

would just rasing the front of the car on two jack stands do it??

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Yes, that's what you want to do

Marcus

JTso

iTrader: (2)

I like your clean engine bay.

Zyuan10

Reviving this threat so I don't have to create my own topic...

What are the negative effects of having a front strut bar?

Also, does anyone know if the Spoon strut tower bar is one piece like the neuspeed one? If not, I'll probably opt for the Neuspeed one. Function over looks...

DAYTA

Honestly, it will probably be very difficult to do. BigBen is the only person with a S/C who has tried to run a HBP so far. He hit some drool-worthy power numbers, but he also told me that he ran into so many issues (overcrushed FPR leaking, fuel pump failure, etc) that just recently he decided to remove all of his S/C mods and go back to the stock S/C setup.

Basically, it'll take alot of trial-and-error (not to mention alot more $$$) just to get a HBP setup running without blowing up your engine. Making it run smoothly is going to be a much more arduous task - and from what I understand might even be impossible.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

No negative effects that can think of.

Spoon is multi piece.

And they all function extremely well. You are not going to notice a difference from one brace to the next. I personally like the Cusco one's looks. I'd go with Neuspeed for the cost.

Marcus

Zyuan10

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

niiiiiiiiiiiice. where'd you get yours from and how much was it?

i think i'm gonna get the spoon one too. i like the added bling/jdm factor as well.

HI OFECR

The factory brace is a solid 1 piece 4 point bar ,2 on the firewall and 1 on each strut tower.

Replacing this with a 3 piece 2 point brace just seems stupid to me.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

pretty sure the spoon, cusco, and neuspeed can be installed in addition to the factory strut bar.

the only one that you directly swap is the comptech titanium strut bar which replaces the OEM.

Zyuan10

Hate to disappoint but there's really not much of a "bling" from what I can see through the blue film it came wrapped in. The bar just looks like a dull metal stick. The brackets are shinier and it has the Spoon logo engraved on it

I'll install it this sunday and hope I'll feel the same great effect that everyone talks about

I bought it for $200 and some change from AJR. Sure it's a lot more compared to the Neuspeed and not so much bling but I can smile to myself that I have a functional Spoon product in my TSX

Last question... I just have to ask since I'm doing this myself... does it matter which side of the bar is facing up?


Oh, and I apologized if I'm semi-hijacking this thread... Thought this is better than making a new one.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

some people mentioned that it's a pain getting the bolts on the side where the AC lines are.

would a ratchet box-end wrench fit the bill?

are there torque specs for where you anchor the bar down?

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

I don't imagine it could be any more than 25-35 ft lbs. These things don't need to be tight to work well. Just sung up and give a little extra twist to stretch the bolt.

People get so concerned with torque specs. For the most part (non-engine related parts), if you tighten up the bolt with a normal tool and don't break the bolt you are probably fine.

Marcus

JTso

iTrader: (2)

The factory brace is a hollow piece, thin mild steel but rigid. Most of the aftermarkt strut bars do not replace the factory piece, they add to it. Comptech is the only one that makes a direct replacement.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

ok, now i can't decide which to get.

neuspeed: functional, economical, comes in black or chrome

or

spoon: functional, jdm, pricier, no visible 'spoon' logo on bar

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Get the Cusco one. functional, jdm, more economical than spoon, looks better than neuspeed

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

lol. agreed. i just made the purchase off the heeltoe site and used the acurazinerocks code.

thanks marcus!

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Thanks a bunch man!

Marcus

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

got it yesterday. looks fantastic. thanks!

SoCaliTrojan

I agree with you. Even if the factory brace is hollow, it's one piece for a reason. I've always went with the Neuspeed bars because they are one-piece. Imagine in a hard turn how much force must be going through the bar. The hinges of a multi-piece bar won't work well with the force and will probably loosen up. I'd rather have a 1-piece bar where there are no weak spots...the energy can travel to the other side as designed and stiffen up the chassis.

Each to his own though. I've always gone for function; however, alot of people are here for showing off their car and need the looks

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

The only thing I wonder is, what difference does it make having a "weak spot" if the forces going through the bar are not enough to overcome that weak spot?

With the bolts tight, the bar doesn't move, and for all practical intent and purpose, it IS one peice.

Marcus

rivalry

ok reeeeeeeeeeally stupid question.
I want to order a Spoon strut bar, but honestly, I cant figure out how to order anything off A&J. Do I just need to call them???

Zyuan10

^yes. I installed mine on Thursday... as nice as Spoon is, it does not worth 70 dollars or so more than the rest. I saw the cusco one today and compared it to my spoon one and felt really disappointed about its appearance... I can't say certain about its function yet because I haven't taken my TSX to any familiar roads yet.

rivalry

o wow really?
well let us all know how is does go when you get to really test it. I dont really care about the looks of the bar but if it functions the same or even worse theres no point in paying the money just because it says spoon.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

i'm sure you can sell it on the black market for close to retail almost all your money back.

people will buy it b/c it's spoon. you may take a marginal hit, but you can just use the money to get the cusco.

MMsTSX

p.s.

the Neuspeed one may well be the cheapest and most functional, but it has a
drawback to it....

it won't fit with Tein's EDFC motors...

so....

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

interesting tidbit to know down the road. thx!