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Is this strut bar worth it?

Proprioceptive

Proprioceptive

Golden Member
So I was reading in the Hyundai-Forums website about this strut bar which several of the guys have installed on their 2011 Hyundai Sonata. There have been mixed reactions, and most of the vehicles it was installed on were the SE model (sportier tuning) and I have the base GLS. I think a marked improvement in cornering stability would definitely be worth the $92... but what do you guys think? Do think I'll actually see a noticeable improvement on my GLS?
 
Proprioceptive said:
So I was reading in the Hyundai-Forums website about this strut bar which several of the guys have installed on their 2011 Hyundai Sonata. There have been mixed reactions, and most of the vehicles it was installed on were the SE model (sportier tuning) and I have the base GLS. I think a marked improvement in cornering stability would definitely be worth the $92... but what do you guys think? Do think I'll actually see a noticeable improvement on my GLS?
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No. Strut bars are almost always unnoticeable , unless the car's suspension was designed with it in mind.

If you want a better handling ride, lower the vehicle, replace with stiffer struts, get a bigger rear sway bar.
 
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Probably depends a lot on the car's stock handling performance. If it's already good, doubt you'd notice it at all.

I just put one on my ws6 a couple weeks ago, which aren't known for their handling, and it does feel a bit more controllable and responsive when making sharp turns.

They look pretty cool and was the easiest thing to install ever, and not very expensive if you have a job these days, so can't really lose.
 
RockinZ28 said:
Probably depends a lot on the car's stock handling performance. If it's already good, doubt you'd notice it at all.

I just put one on my ws6 a couple weeks ago, which aren't known for their handling, and it does feel a bit more controllable and responsive when making sharp turns.

They look pretty cool and was the easiest thing to install ever, and not very expensive if you have a job these days, so can't really lose.
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I'm pretty sure these bars can also cause your car's front outside wheel to lift off the ground during hard cornering, which is not something you want in a FWD vehicle.
 
MJinZ said:
I'm pretty sure these bars can also cause your car's front outside wheel to lift off the ground during hard cornering, which is not something you want in a FWD vehicle.
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That would be only during EXTREME cornering. Only place I've seen a car on 3 wheels is during auto-x and it was a purpose built extremely lightweight CRX that was the fastest car consistently.
 
MJinZ said:
I'm pretty sure these bars can also cause your car's front outside wheel to lift off the ground during hard cornering, which is not something you want in a FWD vehicle.
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Never heard of it, but I'd venture to say that if you're pushing your vehicle to that extreme, you have no business doing so on public roads. If it was caused in just spirited tight cornering on the street, they probably wouldn't be allowed to sell them.
 
IMO the reason for getting a strut bar isn't corner, but to make the car feel stiffer. I mean think about it-- assuming the front and rear suspension are similar in stiffness and anti-roll, the car isn't twisting much in a corner anyway. And even if it did twist, who cares?

But you're going over bumps and the car creaks less, that's a good feeling. It was great when I added a front skid, transfer case skid, and rear hitch to my Cherokee and it felt noticeably stiffer.
 
zerocool84 said:
That would be only during EXTREME cornering. Only place I've seen a car on 3 wheels is during auto-x and it was a purpose built extremely lightweight CRX that was the fastest car consistently.
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i've always only seen inside wheels lifting, never outside as mjinz is stating
 
compman25 said:
You sure about that?
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Yea, the power gets put down in the rear causing the car to "sit" when the rear suspension is inadequate to handle it, or in many cases when you see a front inner "lift" it's more often the road curving down or falling away rather than the actual wheel lifting up.

At least, that's how I've always understood it.
 
MJinZ said:
Edit: can't find a good pic.
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You're wrong, that's why. You'll never get your outside wheels to lift off the ground in a hard corner. All the force is being pushed towards that side of the vehicle. FWD or RWD. It's the inner wheels that will lift.
 
MJinZ said:
Edit: can't find a good pic.
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I think you're going to have a very very hard time finding a picture with the outside wheel lifting.... considering every car on the planet leans to the outside during cornering.

It's always the wheel on the inside of the corner that lifts.
 
AMCRambler said:
You're wrong, that's why. You'll never get your outside wheels to lift off the ground in a hard corner. All the force is being pushed towards that side of the vehicle. FWD or RWD. It's the inner wheels that will lift.
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Yea, you're right. Not sure what I was thinking (probably rear inside lift rather than front).
 
For $92 I would get it. That is not a lot of money to tighten up the front end imho.
I felt a big difference in my 84 Jetta and 87 Scirocco. Both are FWD, Btw.
 
Strut bars are meh, though 92 bucks isn't a lot of money so you aren't out that much. Just don't expect a huge difference. It'll be noticeable but nothing to write home about. I put a 4-pt strut brace on my 98 Passat, and there was a difference in feel while turning but nothing that really wow'd me. Though on the other hand, a lower tie bar (Chas bar is what we B5ers call em), made a huge difference. On the B5 Passat the sub frame is pretty much a 3-sided square, but one end is open and them LTB ties the together. That made a huge difference in overall feel of the car.
 
Throckmorton said:
IMO the reason for getting a strut bar isn't corner, but to make the car feel stiffer. I mean think about it-- assuming the front and rear suspension are similar in stiffness and anti-roll, the car isn't twisting much in a corner anyway. And even if it did twist, who cares?

But you're going over bumps and the car creaks less, that's a good feeling. It was great when I added a front skid, transfer case skid, and rear hitch to my Cherokee and it felt noticeably stiffer.
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This is what I was thinking when I was looking at the strut bar. I'm not looking for crazy performance or anything like this... just a little tighter driving experience and a little less roll on the turns. I think for the 92 bucks I may go ahead and go for it. If I don't notice anything, then I'm not out very much.
 
Get swaybars if you're looking to reduce body roll. I've always been a believer of one-piece strut bars so the design of that one doesn't really appeal to me.
 
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