Should I install strut bars on my vehicle? Is it safe? Is it legal? Is it expensive?

Should I install strut bars on my vehicle? Is it safe? Is it legal? Is it expensive?

Surely you’ve seen the marketing from a certain strut bar company – installing aftermarket strut bars will increase chassis rigidity, thus enhancing cornering performance and giving you a safer car. It is true to a certain degree, but unlike most aftermarket mods, the results of having one of these will be immediately apparent.

Strut bars – what is it really?

In simple terms, a strut is the colloquial term for strut towers, the part of the vehicle chassis that houses the suspension components. A front strut bar will connect the front strut towers, thus increasing the rigidity and lessening the flex between the towers, and a rear strut bar will do the same for the rear strut towers.

So, really, it is just a piece of metal tied to the top of the strut towers that reduces chassis flex.

In theory, a more rigid chassis means a more stable foundation, but in the real world, the stiffest chassis possible is not the answer for road-going cars.

Strut bars – rigidity always come at the cost of comfort

Unless you’re in a purpose-built track car or a supercar with a bajillion horses, you don’t need a chassis that is so stiff you bruise your posterior every time you hit a pothole. Car manufacturers will always have to balance a lot of factors when building and tuning their cars, and cars with no sporty aspirations will usually have quite flexible bodies.

What’s more, manufacturers (well, at least the ones that care about these things) spend a lot of time and money to tune the amount of chassis flex to harmonise with the character of the suspension, as well as with a whole host of other factors. That’s why certain cars feel so, well, right when they are driven, like Mazda’s entire stable of modern cars.

Strut bars are also no longer just aftermarket modifications anymore, and some new cars will come with them from the factory.

Strut bars – should I install them?

Now, we are big proponents of improving our own cars, and so we say yes, you should, but there are important caveats.

First, let’s talk about the advantages. As mentioned, strut bars increase chassis rigidity, thus making the car more stable. This in turn improves cornering ability and also increases responsiveness to driver input. These are all good improvements.

What’s more, chassis flex during cornering means one part of the car is under more stress than the other, and thus some parts of the car will wear out unevenly. Increasing the rigidity of the car balances out the wear, and will in theory, increase the longevity of the parts.

However, there are also serious downsides. As mentioned above, cars are finely tuned instruments, with hours and money thrown into the R&D to perfect them for the road. Altering any parameter will affect the car in unexpected ways, and so if you have no experience in this, consult a professional for further advice before doing anything to the car.

What’s more, you may even void the warranty on your vehicle by introducing aftermarket parts to it, so it’s best to check with your manufacturer first before installing the bars.

Strut bars – the conclusion

As with most modifications, less is more. Don’t go straight from no struts to a beefy tree trunk across your engine bay, and instead, opt for a small one from a reputable manufacturer first. If you like it and want to take it a step further, then go for the trunk, but if you don’t, you won’t have wasted much of your hard-earned money. Strut bars are safe if applied correctly, and they are of course legal because some cars already come with them from the factory. Their relative inexpensiveness means that they are one of the most bang-for-buck upgrades you can perform on your vehicle, and the difference can immediately be felt.